I Didn’t Know Healing Was for Me: My Journey Into Yoga and Herbalism as a Black Woman
The Awakening
Three years ago, I started having stress and what I now call the beginning of my spiritual awakening. I felt like everything around me was fake, like something was missing in my life. Deep down, I knew I had a bigger purpose.
That’s when yoga found me. I was already working out and searching for stretches online when I saw a post about a yoga class at the gym. I decided to try it, and that class changed everything.
Discovering Yoga
In those early classes, my body began to relax in a way it never had before. I kept going, and with time, my mind started to shift too. My thoughts became clearer, my career started aligning, and I saw myself in a new light.
Yoga also helped me face the emotions and trauma I had been carrying for years. My hips, shoulders, and back were holding so much pain, anger, stress, and the weight of the world. Through practice, I began to release it. My posture straightened, my mind sharpened, and my spirit lifted.
Yoga became more than movement; it became my medicine. That’s why I pursued teacher training: I completed two 200-hour yoga teacher training certifications, and I’m currently 80% through a 300-hour advanced training, deepening my understanding of the body, alignment, and healing through yoga. This path also connected me with other women who shared how yoga helped them heal, which reinforced that this practice is powerful and transformative.
Through my practice and training, I discovered that yoga isn’t just about the poses, it’s about clearing space in your body and mind so life can flow more freely. That’s why I encourage Black women to give themselves permission to practice, heal, and reclaim their bodies through yoga.
The Call of the Herbs
Around the same time, herbalism entered my life. I started seeing herbs online, curious about their benefits. One day, riding with my husband, we passed an herbal shop, and I felt called to go inside.
The shop owner, a Black woman with a warm, gentle spirit guided me. I asked about cascara sagrada because I read it could detox the body, but she suggested I start with gentler herbs first. That moment opened a door.
I went home and began researching herbs deeply. I bought books, studied online, and started spending more time in nature. I learned to identify herbs in my backyard, foraged, and eventually grew my own. I connected with other Black herbalists in my community.
Herbalism became a passion. I discovered that herbs could help with systems in the body like the lymphatic system, clearing out what had been stored for years. Combined with my plant-based diet, herbs helped me feel lighter, clearer, and more alive.
Returning to Nature
For years, I relied on over-the-counter medicines, pain relievers, and vitamins that only masked symptoms. Nothing compared to the true nourishment of nature. Herbs gave me what synthetic products never could — real healing.
That’s why I encourage everyone, especially Black women, to reconnect with the plants around us. Nature has an unlimited supply of medicine, and it’s here for our healing.
My Invitation to You
If you are beginning to feel that call, that pull to clear your mind, strengthen your body, or reconnect with the Earth, know that healing is for you too.
🌱 I’ll be sharing more about yoga, herbs, and wellness for Black women on this blog.
🌱 You can also explore my handcrafted tinctures and teas, created from the heart by visiting www.divinityevolved.com
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