Black Women and Wellness: What it Means to Be Well in 2017

Five years ago if you were to ask me what the word wellness meant I probably wouldn’t be able to tell you. Fast forward a few years, and the concept has gone from fringe to mainstream, and the catchall phrase for anything remotely related to fitness or health. While I pride myself on living an active life, and setting time to nurture my mind and spirit, so many of the Black women close to me do not; and for good reason.

The bombardment of contradictory messages can leave you incredibly confused, especially if you’re new to the world of wellness. Too many of us choose to sit on the sidelines of wellness, which is extremely problematic, because, now more than ever, we need to be intentional about caring for ourselves.

In order to help us wrap our head around what it means to be well, we spoke with with four amazing Black women who share a profound love for wellness: Lauren Ash, founder of Black Girl in Om, Dr. Tiffany Lester, medical director of Parsley Health San Francisco, Michelle Marques, who’s a certified personal trainer, and reiki master teacher Courtney Cobbs.

When most people hear the word wellness they may automatically think of slender and incredibly fit Caucasian women, fresh from a yoga class, sipping a green juice, clad in Lululemon.

“I believe there has been an unfortunate ‘whitewashing’ in wellness and it’s been portrayed to only look a certain way,” Dr. Lester tells ESSENCE. “The irony is that these ancient healing traditions often originated in indigenous communities and are now being monetized by individuals who are the opposite.”

This lack of representation and diversity in the wellness space is exactly why Lauren Ash decide to start Black Girl in Om and create the space for Black women to breathe easier. As her site reads, “we learn and share wellness practices with one another, and through this work cultivate richer understandings of what it means to be healthy and beautiful from the inside out.”

View this post on Instagram

"I believe that's what living simply asks of us, to surrender the notion that things have to be complicated and to surrender to the basics of our lives and pursuits. It doesn't rebuke the goal-chasing, it redirects it to align with our inner goals first." — Chelcee Johns (@chelceecreative), BGIO Editor ▫️▫️▫️ On Sunday, we move with simplicity in mind. Let's share how we can let go, to invite in what really matters. We'd love to see some new faces at this upcoming BGIO Self-Care Sunday! Click the #linkinbio to register you and a sister friend for another afternoon of yoga, mindfulness, and deep connection with our Chicago community ✨ ▫️▫️▫️ Photo by Deun Ivory (@deunivory)

A post shared by Black Girl In Om (@blackgirlinom) on Sep 7, 2017 at 3:55pm PDT

Courtney Cobbs, who got into the space back in 2014 after a near death experience and breakup, defines wellness as “operating at your most optimum state on all levels-physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and even financial.”

Dr. Lester agrees, “true wellness is being in tune with what you need in every given moment — emotionally, physically, and spiritually. It’s also different for each of us …

Please read original article- Black Women and Wellness: What it Means to Be Well in 2017