When protests erupted this summer amid a respiratory disease-related pandemic, the protest slogan, “I Can’t Breathe” began to take on an ominous tone for Jamilah Shakir, owner of wellness-based business Sacred Health Movement.
“Every word that we speak is an affirmation,” Shakir said with concern over the slogan.
However, seeing the throngs of Black people wearing shirts and holding signs with the phrase gave her the idea for a virtual workshop called the “Own Your Breath” Family Retreat, slated to take place on Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020.
“We want to shift what we’re allowing to come out of our mouths,” she said. “Shift our perspective to come from a more empowered place.”
Shakir calls the “Own Your Breath” Family Retreat the ultimate toolkit for physical, mental, and spiritual health — three things she says are necessities for Black people in the time of COVID-19. She is inviting all members of Black families to come to the virtual event to get the tools needed to thrive in today’s world.
“When you look at the statistics, we are leading the deaths from COVID-19 because of preexisting conditions … so we wanted to provide coping skills, so we can be a community of individuals and families that thrive,” she said. “Our mission is to get more people educated about what it means to build your immune system, what it means to be under quarantine, how to connect with others and not get sick.”
The mission of Sacred Health Movement is to help co-create a world where health, love, and joy are the norm. In service of that mission, Sacred Health Movement offers accessible and affordable yoga, meditation, and coping strategies to marginalized communities. Shakir even offers a large number of classes online completely free, so that those who need healing have fewer barriers.
“You don’t have to be able to put your leg over your head to do yoga. Part of our mission is to make these things accessible and affordable for our community. We understand that we’re all at different financial levels and that shouldn’t keep us from getting the tools we need,” she said.
Sacred Health Movement Website: https://www.sacredhealthmovement.com/
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