Black women in wellness, plus 4 alternative approaches to centering your mind, body and soul

In this demanding life where anything can happen at any time, we tend to forget to take a moment to ground ourselves.

This is why creating healthy habits that cater to taking care of our mind, body and spirit is important.

This is where holistic wellness comes in.

Holistic wellness approaches are often practiced to help with coping with stress as well as mental and physical exhaustion.

We spoke to a few holistic healing experts who specialise in African holistic wellness to get their insight on the growing popularity of alternative healing. They offer some wellness practices you can try at home.

Founder and CEO of modern African holistic wellbeing platform nuru house, Tiffany Lekuku, explains the importance of exploring matters of spirituality and cosmology to provide tangible and practical tools to living a more balanced life.

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“[African holistic wellness] means going back to indigenous healing practices that our ancestors used which are aligned to nature and [the] universe. Connecting to our essence and principles from those teachings is essential to me living in harmony and true alignment”, Tiffany explains.

She uses nuru house as a platform to cultivate a community and create an experience of self-discovery.

Spiritual healer, teacher and founder of Cosmic Lion Healing Samantha Setlaelo – who goes by Sam ‘The Cosmic Lion’ – uses her platform to facilitate immersive individual and group healing sessions with the intention of aligning you to your divine nature.

“Our divine nature [is] the state we are in when we feel safe in our bodies, when we process and release stagnant energy. This is facilitated through the use of energy healing as well as connecting to and channeling spirit,” Samantha says.

Sam goes into detail about her spiritual holistic wellness practices and her hopes to demystify fears around connecting with your ancestors to provide a perspective on how working consciously with them can help heal through trauma, let go of dysfunctional patterns and become your more authentic self.

Practicing holistic wellness habits allows the freedom of discovering different approaches to taking control of your wellbeing, and yoga and meditation are tried and true methods to navigating difficult emotions and releasing anxiety.

Lerato Malatjie of Olerato Yoga & Wellness describes yoga as a way to cope with trauma and depression, and started practicing yoga and meditation as an approach to holistic healing that resonated with her mind and body.

“I see yoga as a way to create personal freedom within and my joy in life is to share this with others. My passion is to teach the true meaning of yoga, to have union with self and others [on] and off the mat,” she explains.

“Across Africa, yoga is now being used to promote peace building, heal trauma and provide economic opportunities in countries with long histories of severe violence and poverty.”

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Wellness practices you can do at home

1. Salt baths

Sam ‘The Cosmic Lion’ explains how salt baths have many physical benefits such as encouraging muscle relaxation and the release of toxins from the body, as well as spiritual and emotional benefits.

She says to clear your energy, fill a warm bath with Epsom or Himalayan salt with different herbs to enhance the experience such as rosemary for protection, lemon balm connection, or dandelion herb for depression. Having a salt bath once a week will give you enough time to process the release.

“Salt baths are also a powerful practice for emotional release so clients who tend to be emotionally detached often as a defense mechanism, are able to feel their authentic emotions and start to process and release them,” she explains. 

2. Yoga

Whether you’re young or old, a beginner or familiar with some poses, yoga has the power to calm the mind and strengthen the body.

Lerato shares some beginner-friendly poses you can do at home:

Child’s pose: You can use this pose to rest and when you want to get a nice gentle stretch though your neck, spine and hips.

Cobra pose: This yoga pose is good for strengthening the back.

Seated pose: Focus on sitting up straight in a comfortable yoga seat for silence, prayer or meditation.

Bridge pose: In yoga this pose is called a back-bend and it’s good for stretching the muscles of the chest back and neck.

Savasana: This pose calms the mind and reduces stress by helping you surrender to the present moment.  

3. Sound therapy

Sound baths and guided meditations are mediums of sound therapy which have proven to have many health benefits which include reducing stress and boosting immune function, improving memory, as well as helping with managing depression and anxiety.

Sound baths with singing bowls or even listening, singing, moving or creating music can help reduce stress.

Sound bath sessions can also be held as guided meditation sessions where crystals and Tibetan singing bowls are used as a guide, as demonstrated by Tiffany’s sound bath sessions at nuru house.

4. Solo meditation

Take a moment to sit with a white candle and call on whichever guidance system resonates with you the most. This could be praying, calling on your ancestors or angels, and ask for clarity on whatever is concerning you, asking that the consciousness you’re connecting to is healed, elevated and coming with love. Listen out for any signs, symbols and messaged that may manifest in your day-to-day life.

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