studio BE is pleased to offer a variety of yoga and meditation practices to help calm your nerves and soothe your spirit during this unprecedented time.
Join Rachel for this nourishing 75-minute all-levels flow. She writes:
I created this free yoga practice for protesters whose hearts are heavy and whose bodies are weary. Here in Switzerland, we are horrified by the reports of escalating police bruality, news of the President tear-gassing American citizens, and journalists being arrested and beaten.
Yoga and meditation practices are, more than anything, designed to offer a refuge from suffering, a sanctuary from despair and disembodiment. So helping protesters reconnect with their breath and drop tenderly into their bodies feels like one tiny thing I can do to help from afar.
Inspired by Lama Rod Owens's call to "decenter comfort," this practice aims to nourish, ground and soothe exhausted Black Lives Matters protesters, activists, allies, and loved ones. It closes with an 8 minute, 46 second seated meditation dedicated to George Floyd and others who've been murdered by police violence. Be sure to take a 5-7 minute savasana to close.
Here are the Black mindfulness and Liberation Theology scholar-activists that I mention in the video: Lama Rod Owens, George Mumford, Ty Powers, Rev. angel kyodo williams, Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, Rev. Dr. Wil Gafney, Rev. Jacqui Lewis, Austin Channing Brown, Rev. Dr. James Cone and Rev. Dr. Katie Cannon. Please dive into their work.
My heart goes out to all Black folks who are suffering from systemic racial injustice right now and throughout history. I stand in solidarity with the Black community and commit to continuing to listen and learn.
As always: let your breath drive your practice, feel free to modify (especially if you're pregnant, recovering from an injury, or new to yoga), skip vinyasas for a more mellow practice, and turn on some gentle background tunes.
Most importantly, remember to be gentle with yourself — and don't take yourself (or your yoga practice) too seriously.
Rachel Meyer is an American writer and yoga teacher based in Switzerland. She teaches at B.Yoga Basel and serves as Vice President of studio BE, a wellness company which offers mindfulness training for the 21st-century workplace. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, On Being, Yoga Journal, Tricycle, Yoga International, Parents, HuffPost, and more. You can find her at www.rachelmeyeryoga.com or @rachelmeyeryoga.