The Peaceful Gathering Studio is offering virtual classes weekly.
Yoga in the Black Community: Healing Practices and Principles is a book designed for Black yoga teachers who are teaching or plan to teach in communities of color and for Black yoga practitioners in general. The book shares the basis of how yoga practices teaches us to learn how to be, know and do through the study of self and nature.
The book explores key core yoga teacher training competencies (yoga philosophy, asana, pranayama, and mediation) within the African American cultural context. Key concepts include Black cultural norms around pain, trauma, and resilience; cultural and religious taboos of yoga in the Black community; health disparities in the Black community, historical use of natural modalities of healing in the Black community; and the practical application and applications of traditional yogic principles within Black cultural norms.
This discussion of the book delves into the history and cultural significance of yoga, offering a fresh perspective that highlights its relevance in the Black community’s journey towards holistic well-being. A comparative alignment of the yoga philosophy principles to common cultural and religious practices in the Black community will be highlighted followed by a contemplative practice of yoga.
Video from ‘The Swans of Harlem: An Evening with Sheila Rohan’ Book discussion
Listen and explore the intersection of yoga and the Black experience, and how the practice is a source of healing, resilience, & empowerment.
Howard County Public Library- Miller Branch
9421 Frederick Road
Ellicott City, MD 21042
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
7-9 pm
Embrace the power of unity and immerse yourself in a transformative experience at the 2024 Black Yoga Teachers Alliance (BYTA) Conference. This will be a reunion and the first in-person gathering of BYTA members, yoga practitioners, and supporters since 2019!
Join us to explore the intersection of yoga and the Black experience, and how the practice is a source of healing, resilience, & empowerment
Charlene Marie Muhammad is a traditional healing practitioner, who has been embracing the spirit of natural living for over 25 years. Charlene’s practice is predicated on formal Master’s level training as well as her own personal use of plants, food as medicine and movement therapy, giving her hands-on relationship and knowledge of these traditional healing modalities.
Charlene’s traditional healing service, Urbanherbalist, focuses on supporting clients with a practical application to optimal health by using the healing tools that she has grown to embrace in her own personal life: herbal medicine, nutrition and yoga.
As the practice of yoga continues to flourish within Western Black and Brown communities, this transformative, Black culturally centered toolkit highlights the barriers that hinder access to yoga. It takes core aspects of yoga philosophy and contextualizes it within Black cultural norms, religious taboos, and historical healing practices, and teaches readers how to foster a safe haven for their clients and communities.
Based on decades’ worth of experience and expertise, this dynamic author duo discusses important topics such as health disparities, complementary healthcare, and the rich heritage and resilience of Black communities. This is an invaluable and practical resource that offers practices and actionable guidance and supports practitioners to explore a Black culturally centered approach to yoga whilst facilitating better health and wellbeing for Black people.
