Liberation Through Movement

““As we deeply decompartmentalizing ourselves, which is a great survival strategy for these social conditions, but it doesn’t let us be very whole…And then we want to un-compartmentalize ourselves and become more whole, but in this very pragmatic way of how we think, of how we relate, and how we build together. So at this point I can’t see liberation movements without healing and I can’t see healing without liberation movements.” ”

— Staci K. Haines, https://generativesomatics.org/content/about-us-who-we-are-staff

The practice of liberation through movement invites a reckoning with the ways in which healing is deeply politicized. Over the last several years, as a movement practitioner, mainly through yoga and meditation, I’ve been interested in supported healing that is inherently politicized. As a practitioner, I don’t ascribe the wellness from the Western individualistic paradigm that is deeply capitalist.

What do I mean by that?

I’m interested in wellness that is accessible to those who are most marginalized.
I’m interested in practices of wellness that are culturally appropriate with acknowledgement of lineage and cultural roots.
I’m interested in creating spaces of healing that center community knowledge and expertise
I’m interested in supporting decolonial practices of healing that center ancestral knowledge and teachings.
I’m interested in healing that acknowledges anti-Black racism, anti-Indignenious racism, colonialism, Islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia, gendered oppression, ableism, saneism, classism and neoliberalism (to name a few)as forms of oppression that have personal, interpersonal, intergenerational and systemic impacts on communities.

I hope that you will join me on this journey and below are some offerings on how we can connect;

Yoga

Yamikani started teaching in May 2017 in Ottawa after finding that most yoga spaces did not reflect the communities that they were a part of. They are a movement based practitioner who works at the intersections of gendered and racial violence. Yami weaves ancestral teachings, decolonial practices and movement to support connection to space and place. Yami is a member of Brown Girls Yoga and Restore Collective. In 2017 Yami founded SEEDS Yoga for those affected by sexual harm.

Yoga Education

2017 - Hatha Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) | with Laurie Howe, 200+ hours, Pranashanti Yoga Centre, Ottawa, ON

2018 - Yoga For All Teacher Training | with Dianne Bondy & Amber Karnes

2019 - Transcending Sexual Trauma through Yoga Teacher Training | with Zabie Yamasaki

Seeds Yoga

SEEDS is a yoga class specifically designed for survivors/victims/those affected by sexual and gender based violence. This yoga class is grounded in trauma-informed / healing-centred yoga practices that seek to empower the participants using different yoga forms. The class focuses on three main themes community care, (em)powerment and consent.

SEEDS is often taught within the four - six week series, often participants of SEEDS have little to no experience with Yoga, and that’s okay! The premise of SEEDS is to come as you are, so what works for you and share spaces with other folxs who have been impacted by sexual or gender based violence. SEEDS yoga classes are taught in accessible way, that takes into account trauma informed and practices of healing centred engagement.

class topic breakdown

Week 1: Orientation & Building Practices of Consent
Week 2: Safety
Week 3: Boundaries
Week 4: Trust
Week 5: Accountability

Want to host a series of seeds or book Yami for a private yoga event?

Fill out my Contact Form at the end of the page!

Yoga for Black Grief

In June 2020 after the death of Breonna Taylor, Regis Korchinski Paquet, George Floyd and Tony McDade, I knew our communities were in pain and didn’t know how to offer support. So in true millennial fashion, I put a call out for folks to join a movement session that would centre healing for Black bodies. It was a space just for black folks to connect and know that their feelings of grief could and would be held. I find too often that black folks are forced to push our feelings aside and to “keep going”. Part of this conditioning is a direct result of oppressive anti-Black conditions of the world that normalize black pain and grief. Thus Yoga for Black Grief strives to build a container where black communities can move through the stages of grief and honour that grief because grief in my opinion is a form of love.

Yoga for Black for Black Grief is a healing space for folks directly impacted by anti-black racism-- a space of community healing, connection and release.

The third cycle of Yoga for Black Grief ran from Feb 7th 2021- March 28th 2021.

Guided Meditation

A collaboration between Stefanie Lomatski and Yamikani Msosa:.

LETTING THE DAY GO

As frontline workers within the sexual anti-violence movement, the work can be really difficult and challenging. At the end of the day, we use different tools to ground ourselves. In this guided meditation, we explore letting go at the end of the day.

THE IN BETWEEN

This guided meditation is particularly useful for in-between meetings, appointments and/ or presentations. Take five minutes to ground yourself and know that you are going amazing work!

PLANTING SEEDS OF SELF COMPASSION

Self Compassion is a very difficult exercise. This meditation explore what it feels like to show compassion to ourselves, the same way we support others.

Wellness Resources

Movement and Meditation to Support Sobriety

Resource - Self-Care Check in Exercise PDF CLick here

Resource - Centering Practices of Community Care and Wellness PDF Click Here

Testimonials

“Thank you for creating space for me to breath and practice among other black and brown bodies. I often don’t find that in mainstream yoga studios.”

— BodyFull Yoga Participant