In what ways may we take the midpoint of the year to align our own wheels - our minds, body and spirit - to make our journeys true and our drive clear, to propel into our best selves.

Many of us are awakening to the binds that have been placed on femininity. There isn’t one right way to be feminine nor does being feminine look a certain way. Letting go of that can help us see the shame and rather than fight against it, learn to heal it.

where there is void, there is an aching compassion for wholeness. the space between the heart and mind is home for rooting. a blue sky of opportunity, a horizon of promise, an ocean of consciousness - this is where true self exists.

What brings you radical joy? What places in your life are depleting you of joy? Where did you leave your joy last? Go get it. Document the moments.

The things we speak can plant seeds of glorious dandelion or they can manifest other not-so-pleasant things and energies. The way we move is much the same;  everything we do plants a seed and everything we experience, plants a seed within us. Our hope is for those experiences to become wisdom, not a lingering plight.

Boundary building isn’t meant to trap us in a bubble of loneliness and isolation; it is meant to foster a culture of safety, support, and true love in a malicious and taxing world. Now, when I look toward the brightness of the future ahead, I carry my “no” with me in confidence, in hope, in love, and in full faith because I know my “yes” means so much more.

In this one life you have on earth, make a conscious decision to dive into your heart’s desires, embrace your uniqueness and simply create – whatever that looks like for you. You are a unique being and are here for a reason: to take up space and to grace the world with all the gifts you have to offer. Courageously and unapologetically.

Remember that your emotional state is rarely constant, but what can be is the inner voice of your womb, your sacred place of creation and power. When your womb speaks to you directly, is she sad and depressed? Or does she remind you that you are a goddess in the flesh, and that you are powerful beyond measure?

This month at Black Girl In Om, our theme is Creating Culture: We Got Next, We Got Now. We’ll be highlighting inspiring women who are creating, curating and safekeeping culture. We’ll dive deep into conversations around what it means to create the work you’re called to and how that work can go on to impact our community.

No matter how many times my knees scuff the ground, no matter how many mistakes I make, I realize that heaven still exists within me. Nothing can ever carry me away from such holiness unless I give it the power to do so.

To love yourself is a thing of joy but it takes practice, dedication and effort. Carve out time to do the work sis, you’re worth it. 

It’s difficult to shake the association between happiness and people, places, things and events.  Adolescence is filled with milestones that typically hold joy and we become spoiled by the newness. Drivers licenses, first loves, eighteenth birthdays and graduations kept us anxious for the next big moment.  We’re always looking forward to tomorrow.

Joy based eating forces us to listen to our bodies and to give our bodies what it ultimately wants. This is what your food and your body having a harmonious relationship looks like.

Our life force energy is a constant stream that wants us to evolve and exist as present human beings. When that stream is disrupted it leads to physical tension and mental fogginess, due to our mind being out of harmony with the life force energy of the body.

Our mind, body and spirit are so intimately linked that everything we experience is stored within us. Oftentimes, aches, pains and illnesses that seemingly come out of nowhere have an emotional, psychological or spiritual root, and coming back to our body can induce great healing.

To experience the body as a home for love means identifying your body as a dwelling place for God’s spirit. A dwelling place for joy and peace. A safe space where you’re able to express your true authentic self. It’s where you feel the most liberated, because you identify your body as yours.

The breath is the human body's first gateway into the conversations our physical body is trying to have. And once the language to this conversation is understood and practiced, we can begin to control when and where we experience this state of ease in our physical bodies.

Healing is not only significant for our wellbeing but also to that of our children, grandchildren and all future black women to be born into this world. 

I think of the women crossing the transatlantic, the women praying over her children at night, the black body holding her youth, the black woman’s body holding itself; finding voice and dance, and asanas and prayer as deliverance. The black woman’s body forgetting the world’s fetishism and becoming wholly in love with itself. Oh, the Black Body, the black woman’s body is a steeple, we glorify.

I often receive emails or Skype calls from friends and family saying “I have no idea where you are now!” and sometimes my response is “I’m not so sure myself.”  Yet despite all the jet-setting and time zone changes, my health and sense of peace and centeredness have only increased.

In Jamaica, I felt connected to Mother Earth as I drank coconut water and wiped mango juice from my mouth. Every cup of bush tea and plate of vegan food reminded me that plants are God’s gift to us.  Jamaica, my plant-based paradise, reminded me that being vegan doesn’t have to be a chore; it truly was an exploratory adventure of the offerings that the land constantly and lovingly produces for us.

In the ancient practices of voodoo, or any ancestral spirituality for that matter, the herbs are sacred. They are an extension of mother earth’s wisdom, and embody the spirit of our ancestors.

Self-care isn’t only important for when you’re going through your daily life, working, etc. – It is also very important when traveling. You have to make sure that you maintain your peace when in a space that is foreign to you.

Yes, your expression of identity can be found boldly and loudly, but there is also pride in discovering yourself in the quiet.

I desired a way to change being so drained. I wanted to protect my creativity while working
extremely long hours. The challenges that I faced while searching for ways to get my creativity
and peace back were me being too lazy to change. Once I realized my laziness was keeping me
from living intentionally; I found my solution.  I curated a nightly beauty routine and now I go to sleep relaxed and completely prepared for my following day.  

The goal of self-preservation is not only to ensure that well does not run dry, but also to have a tool-kit to access, if or when it does. So that when they say, take care of yourself, we can trust that we will.

Yoga helped me to break out of the confines of society and to heal mentally and physically.

What is done in the physical realm still rules and optimizing your body's most basic functions is the quickest (and cheapest) way to wellness.

Our bodies are not separate from our mind, emotions, and soul. Your body hears and takens on every thought you think. Your body feels every emotion you feel (or choose not to feel). Your soul speaks to you through your body. Cultivating a better relationship with your body supports you on every level.

Our bodies are our sacred temples. A way to honor ourselves is to nurture our organism with food that contains the right energy to vibrate higher every day.

Our afro is a divine antenna or receptor that tune us - not just into the reality that surrounds us and our communities - but also into our inner beings .

Food is totally comforting, but so is a phone call to a dear friend, a warm bath, or perhaps a ten-minute intentional savasana. Food is not the enemy, and in the case of an eating disorder, it’s not even the issue. The issue lies in the relationship with food. Does it nourish us or does our consumption and lack thereof provide a quick antidote for latent emotional discomfort and pain?

We forgive men for leading sexually because we’ve come to expect that as the opening to any expressed interest. We minimize ourselves to objects because we have been minimized. And how often do we scroll our timelines comparing our shapes to other women?

If you listen to the Black Girl In Om podcast, you know that I've been falling deep in love. With nontoxic skincare products. 

There is something to learn and grow from, and leave behind, every day. It’s a part of our evolution. Calling attention to this subtle physical process made me more attentive in how I care for my spiritual and emotional bodies on a daily basis.

Today we’re going to highlight 5 summer superfoods that will make your summer days that much brighter. These foods are satisfying, packed with nutrients, and can be obtained at the local farmers market! We’ll also be providing some fun pro-tips for eating these foods

As I meditatively twerk, I twerk to reject my mother’s classism and respectability politics, my white friends’ microaggressions, and all my self-doubt. I twerk because it makes me feel sexy and divinely feminine. I twerk to affirm that I deserve to take up space in this world.

Making peace with our bodies allows us to eat and exercise in healthier and more intuitive ways. It opens the doors to living a different way of life that is no longer defined by the size we think we must fit into or the food we convince ourselves we must eat to lose weight.

You have the power to create a sexual relationship with your body that feels good to you and feels like you have control.

Metamorphosis embodies a transformative experience. For me, it emphasizes the commitment to and the pursuit of growth. Naturally, growth is central to establishing and maintaining any capacity of wellness. 

I tattooed the triangular symbol on my breastbone a month later as a daily reminder to self that I can push past my ‘inadequacies’, rise above and go beyond what is asked or required of me and amaze my own natural mind. I wanted to remind myself that I was always choosing in this life, and that despite self-perceived shortcomings, I am always capable of stepping into my true power and higher calling with great ease.

Living a wealthy life is ultimately a practice in seeing and seeking the abundance that exists in every moment and in recognizing the value that each experience adds to your life. The more we continue to recognize that there is joy, purpose, love, lessons, blessings, preparations, richness, etc. in all aspects of our existence, the more that we can, too, begin to see the abundance that surrounds each of us. 

Joy is the simplicity of reading while the sound of ocean waves (real or digitally produced) wash ashore. The themes outlined in the following books offer some divine insights into how we might live out radical joy in practical everyday terms.  

For me, Feminism is a necessary tool not to liberate women, but to allow them to be what they are and develop themselves without conforming to externally imposed limitations that hold them from progressing and reaching true self-realization.

We’ve created an entire culture and economy around forcing folks to look outside of themselves for answers, leading them further, and further from the truth that lies within. While we can utilize our sisters as resources, we must understand that their journey is their own, and is no direct representation of what ours will look like.

Our mothers are our first experiences of God. Their wombs are the portals of our greatness — our entrance into this dimension and to our true purpose on the Earth. Give thanks. Here at Black Girl In Om, we want to honor the legacy of our founder Lauren Ash’s grandmother Lillian Lazenberry-Martin and her queen mother Patricia Miller. We give thanks for the powerful legacy that has ultimately led to our divine resource for black women’s wellness and healing — Black Girl In Om.

We do not have to like our mothers or have the best relationship with her, but we do need to heal this pain because it will fester and spill into other areas of our lives. Not healing this wound can even cause physical dis-ease in the body, particularly in the brain, the heart center, and the womb space. Healing the bond that exists between us and our mothers, whether she is in our lives or not, deceased or not, allows us to heal a very deep and critical part of ourselves.

We are renaissance women. The then, the now, the future. The foundation on which our daughters will rise.

Let us remain connected to the infinite power of Spirit, and be led by the divine source that knows no boundaries, no limits, no fear.

The blessing of this hyperconnected era is that we can use the internet and social media to create digital villages and find support through each stage of our spiritual development. In the tradition of Cosmic Blackness, we can take pieces of the ancient ways and weave them into new strategies for empowering and sustaining ourselves.

No matter the form of your romantic relationship – casual and short, extended and intense, or a lifetime, there are three things that are important to remember.

I am already enough. I am enough because I can connect to my emotions and cry. I am enough because I am able to know when to call on my friends. And I am enough because no matter what opportunity tells me ‘no’, I will always say ‘yes’ to myself.

What’s showing up deeper within you to direct how you move through the world? Sometimes our intentions appear as silent promises we’ve yet to give room to live aloud.

I urge you to take the time out to shift through the thoughts + beliefs you have about yourself and begin to challenge the things that you hold space for. You might be wondering how to do that, so here is some guidance on how to learn how to be rooted in your true self.

Rooting means taking back the power in your dirt. Reveling in the mess of your mud. Feeling bold in your blemishes. We have to explore our mud and dirt in order to rise; In order to plant any kind of seed worth growing. To explore our dirt means not only embracing our imperfections but being wildly creative with them. In order to get wildly creative with our imperfections, we need to develop a deep sense of trust in ourselves. Soon, those imperfections will become blessings, essential tools, or our greatest superpowers.

The willingness to turn inward, again and again; to separate the illusions from Truth and allow the Truth to rise and mindfully shift you forward in directions in alignment with divine intentions. As a vessel, I must always be open and willing to turn inward, root down, and tune out, in order for true expansion in alignment with my intentions to manifest.

The pain you’re used to carrying will no longer serve you on the journey ahead.

A constant reminder to heal forward is the note I wrote to myself during those first few weeks of shifting, it sits over my writing desk, pinned to the wall with a piece of tape, it reads, “One of the things you miss in the wreckage is the shared fact of you.” Instructions to remind me that the story is always about sacrifice. Always about giving of the self. Always about finding and maintaining my pillars of strength, my emotional well-being, and my resilience to still glow up.

I was reminded that I am a goddess, conspired by the entire Universe experiencing itself in human form, and it is my right to live in my happiest and most authentic light. 

“I found God in myself and I loved her fiercely.”- Ntozake Shange

Collectively, we are now journeying inward. The outer world and things external to us are no longer of service to us the way we knew them to be in the past. Every day we are waking up to the fact that everything we ever needed is being found and sourced from within us, from our core and being. We are returning to the earth, the traditions of our ancestors, and ourselves in ways we have never done so before.

I am committed to rejecting the internal notion that I should fear love based on my personal traumas. I am not a victim. My declaration, my choice, is radical. I choose black love. I choose to do everything in my power to uplift, honor, envision, and support our black families. We will never die. We will commit to infinite love, and together, we will survive.

By channeling our ability to feel and express ourselves fully, black women can create paradise for ourselves and our communities. There is power in the androgynous space black women inhabit in the public imaginary. Unbound and unafraid, we are revolution.

If you are struggling with this particular type of loss, honor her memory this Mother’s Day by being gentle with yourself.

When I was a new mom, I lost myself. I stopped writing (how could I when I wasn’t sleeping) and it took a deep look in the mirror to decide to stop beating myself up for it and prioritize coming back to myself outside of being a Mom… I had to realize that my child wanted what was best for me as well.

When we take care of our wellness in mind, body and spirit, we tell creativity that we are ready for bloom.

Really getting into the body, as this intelligent vessel that is speaking to us through sensations has been really big for me lately. I'm all about body awareness. You have to heal trauma through mind and body. That is something to keep in mind with this work. Are you feeling safe in your body? Are you honoring everything that is arising within you internally? 
 

We can’t be soft without being strong.

Wake up every morning with an intention to feel everything, good and bad, and start by simply wiggling our toes and breathing.

This month at Black Girl in Om, we are declaring a new narrative for women of color as well. We are proclaiming we are both  Strong & Soft. We are honoring our duality. Shaking loose of an identity, of a world, that would tell us we can only be one thing and we are widening the definition of both our strength and our softness...

Sister circle. Girl tribe. Squad goals. These aren't just phrases or cute lil’ sayings. They stretch far beyond an IG caption, a hashtag or a Twitter update, they hold weight in the way that we as women carry one another. It is our love language. An ancestral bond that speaks to the way we love and support one another.

I have carried that weight in the soles of my feet and as these days continue to stretch, I’ve recognized the need to unravel the webs created by the idea that as a woman, I must reside in a world of emotional strain. I’ve recognized the need to find harmony within my journey, the need to slow down and take in every intricate detail.

I practice pride and joy by showing up as visibly queer in the world, and sharing examples of my moments of joy with others, whenever I can. I share my story; I speak my truth.

The power in therapy is having an unbiased ally to guide your growth, someone to answer your “now what?” You may not walk away from every session with a step-by-step guide on how to turn your experiences into lessons learned. But you’ll walk away with something – questions to think about, an app to explore, literature to read, practices to consider or maybe even a new perspective.

In 2015,  after returning to Chicago from a two year stint of living abroad in China, I discovered my purpose in life. I realized that I chose to have my human experience as a highly melanated woman, with one hand, and with a purpose to empower people and build confidence by making prosthetic limbs accessible.

The ethos behind The Godyssey is the idea that we do not have to ask for a seat at any table, we are our own tables. And we have enough divine brilliance and creativity within to sustain ourselves without needing validation from any institution.

When I first sat down to write this piece, I thought I wanted to talk about finding safe space in the yoga studio, something that has definitely changed my life. However, I have been Divinely led to write a love letter to the woman I’m discovering daily and to my favorite space on the internet, Black Girl In Om.

As I began carving out who I was and how much power I inevitably had, I started tethering my character not to who or what culture/society mandates, but to what I could achieve by redefining my personal space.

It wasn’t until my third week that I started getting into a steady routine, learning my way around Johannesburg and feeling like this is my home and I’m not just here on a vacation.

The universe is ALWAYS working in my favor. And that is the only idea I will accept.

I arrived to Thailand with my heart in my throat, and naive optimism. It had taken me a while to convince my family this was the right move, and ultimately I decided to do what I felt was best for my well-being. I took a leap of faith with my first solo trip abroad and the experience enriched my life in more ways than I could’ve ever predicted.

Bringing out the om in “business woman” is not always intuitive, but with a little foresight and planning, you may find yourself more centered and less stressed, freeing you to connect with your creativity and enjoy a sense of flow.

Once we can create an abundance of self-knowledge, self-acceptance, and self-love, we are unstoppable, and Astrology is one of the most ancient and long-standing tools we have used to achieve these enlightened states of being.

While you can’t change the lack of representation of Black people or avoid unwarranted fetish/sexualizing comments from ill-mannered men, you can still travel with ease without inflicting your well-being. After all, awareness of self surpasses well beyond mainstream positive affirmations; it’s begins with both self-protection and celebration.

The beauty of travel is its ability to  keep you constantly moving closer to yourself. Let’s journey deeper together.

What is your paradise? What world are you manifesting that honors the now while also moving beyond it? The beauty of afrofuturism lies in its boundlessness.

We live in this really dark universe where hate is becoming more normalized and more ingrained into our country’s politics, so when I think of just myself going through that I feel very weak, but when I think of my whole community succeeding and persevering, it fills me with a lot of strength and pride by knowing that I can accomplish anything. I know as a united front we can accomplish anything, you know what I’m saying?

Every woman on the BGIO team pours herself fully into her role, and also juggles many other beautiful creative projects, many of which also center black women and other people who occupy identities that are too often marginalized. It's crucial for us to pour back into ourselves to continue to move forward in doing this work with integrity, vigor, and enthusiasm.

We believe that part of our purpose is tied into inspiring, uplifting, and projecting authentic images that project us in the goddess light that we see ourselves.

Each of us has the power to create a “red tent” of our own. It doesn’t have to be perfect or frequent. It doesn’t have to be expensive or expansive. It only has to be intentional. Ask yourself,“What do I want the women gathering here to gain from this space and time?”

We see the humanity in every one of us and if people act differently you have to speak up. We need spaces for all of us

It is also important for you to be aware that by saying yes to yourself, you are saying no to someone/ something else. And that is OK.

While I believe wholeheartedly in protests, acts of resistance, and raising your voice, I have never felt comfortable at physical demonstrations. I often feel guilty about this—especially, when facing the question that’s all over Twitter right now: What would I have done during the Civil Rights Movement? Honestly, I’m not sure how many marches I would have attended. But I still would have taken action.

To be childlike is to be curious and eager, to be adventurous and full of wonder. Children are creative, playful and open to experience. I’ve had to be that way with myself, and to get back to having, and owning, that freedom.

It’s kind of like raising the bar a little for the things that surround you and focusing on the things you keep that bring you joy rather than thinking about how much you need to discard which is kind of a negative action, right? We’re shifting the perspective to: let me make sure the things that surround myself are things I love.

Growth is another word for abundance. And when we clear space of material things, --of relationships, of work, of tasks in our lives, we make room to be better versions of ourselves. We make space to have the things we want and desire.

Creating a space that supports both our work and wellness, is not always an easy feat. Nikisha’s journey of living with ADHD, depression and anxiety makes the need for a self-crafted space even more vital to her mental health and wellness. Dive into our conversation and prepare to expand your wellness tribe with this rebel woman.

Working through treating my physical spaces with care and respect has gone a long way in helping me regain clarity and peace post election and into a brand new year.

Not only do we live on the Earth, but we are a part of it, and that means that we can’t care for ourselves without caring for it too. We’re all connected to and by it. The air I breathe, the water I drink, the ground I walk on and how I interact with each element affects and connects me to you. How then, can I say I love you and I love myself but not love the tree’s branches and roots that look like veins?