My commitment to racial equity in healing work

Let’s be truly honest right now: most non-medical healing arts being practiced here in the west are rooted in some form of cultural appropriation stolen from Indigenous wisdom, East and Southeast Asian medicine, or African folk traditions and remedies. My work is not separate from this reality. I make my living supporting my client’s health with acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and breathwork (a form of pranayama, or breath control, that originates from India).

It’s also true that in the majority white world of wellness, many folks have been historically marginalized from access to healing spaces or healing work - specifically, Black, Indigenous, and other folks of color (BIPOC). This elitism in the wellness world is especially harmful when most of the healing practices being used in these predominantly white spaces have origins in non-white lineages. This is incredibly hurtful to anyone who has had their ancestral practices co-opted from them and also may not feel welcome in the spaces where these practices are being sold and monetized. 

Similarly, it is not only BIPOC folks who feel alienated in many of the most popular healing spaces. Those of us who are queer, trans, gender non-conforming, or live in differently abled bodies also often find that our life experiences are not validated in these healing spaces. Too often, the emphasis is on the feminine/masculine binary and minimizes the long history of reverence and honor towards the liminal space between and outside of that binary in many cultures.

What I am doing in my business:

Since 2016 I have included reparations in my business budget. I have consistently distributed 5-15% of my businesses gross income to local Indigenous or Black local organizations and/or individuals. This will continue indefinitely. 

When I offer public breathwork classes, 10-20% of gross ticket sales go to organizations I support. Most recently that has been Reclaim - a MN organization that supports queer and trans youth, and Black Girl Ventures - an organization that helps create access to capital for Black and Brown women business founders. I also aim to spend an equitable share of business expenses to Black-owned businesses and services. 

Inclusive pricing structures are not new to me, as my interest in acupuncture originally stems from the Community Acupuncture movement, which has its own roots in Black liberation - with some of the first community acupuncture clinics in this country run by members of the Black Panther Party and Young Lords. My own pricing structures have varied over the years, including sliding scales, reduced rate options for folks with marginalized identities, or offering pay-what-you-can pricing for various products or services I have offered. 

I am committed to continuous learning (and un-learning) through both formal and informal education around anti-racism and the damaging effects of white supremacy. I was a recent student in the Movement Trauma Healer Training by Trauma Response & Crisis Care for Movements through the School of Global Citizenry, deepening my knowledge and skills around healing in movement work. 

I am also committed to using language that is considerate, non-oppressive, and non-violent. I promise to continue to speak to how systemic oppression, white supremacy, patriarchy, and capitalism create trauma in the body and resist the common whitewashing that happens when discussing trauma in diverse spaces.

In June of 2020, I began organizing with a group of other trained breathwork facilitators (Breathwork For the People) to call-in our teacher around his appropriative and harmful practices towards BIPOC. Our shared goal is to organize to create a more inclusive and trauma-informed breathwork community.