In 2016, Zee Clark was burned out and knew he would never get his life back.
Clark says she encountered an endless series of microaggressions during her leadership role as a black woman at a Silicon Valley tech startup. Her MBA at Harvard began to feel hypersensitive about how her peers interpreted her every move. She worried that if something went wrong, her company’s valuation would reach her billion dollar mark, which would be a reason why she wouldn’t hire black people in the future. Clark had a similar experience with her previous startup, but she was at a worrisome tipping point. She stopped eating and sleeping. Clark’s doctors said she needed to change something.
So she quit. Clark traveled to India for yoga teacher training. She studied Ayurveda, her healing, breathing, and natural remedies. When she returned to the United States, Clark began teaching yoga and breathing exercises. She specifically wanted to reach out to Black people and people of color who have never been welcome in the world of mindfulness and meditation.
How to know if breathwork is right for you
Clark is now the author of the next book black man’s breath(opens in new tab), a beautifully illustrated guide to a set of 33 mindfulness and breathwork practices. Clark has meticulously crafted this collection of coping skills. This includes techniques such as alternating nostril breathing, three-part breathing, emotional naming, hand over heart, and visualization.
Each practice has been linked to common experiences that threaten to take the breath away from black people, such as being mistaken for another black co-worker, being stalked while shopping, or feeling the pressure of being the only black person in the room. Yes.
“I can not breathe”
The idea for this book came from one of the most striking examples of racial trauma. I heard a black man being fatally beaten by a police officer screaming that he couldn’t breathe over a virus-infected video recording.(opens in new tab).
“Every time I heard ‘I can’t breathe,’ every time I saw footage of another murder, my breath would stop,” says Clark.
When Clark encountered yet another of these clips, she noticed her chest tightening and her muscles tense. In fact, research shows that police killings of black people are associated with worsening mental health among black Americans, as are trials in which the accused officer is not convicted.
“These tools are for those of us waiting for the world to change.”
Clark wants breathwork and mindfulness strategies shared black man’s breath It helps readers develop skills to deal with the stress, anxiety, and trauma associated with racism. encourages readers to use these tools in , prompting a fight, flight, or freeze response. I would like to be able to access it.
But don’t mistake Clark for a rebuke. She’s not here to tell other black people that they’re responding inappropriately to racism – only mindfulness and breathing exercises may help them find peace.
“These tools are for those of us waiting for the world to change,” she says.
3 ways to deal with racism and racial trauma
Clark is well aware that there are black people and people of color who have never heard of mindfulness or breathing exercises. They may never have come across the topic, or may have dabbled in them before and only feel excluded by the unpleasant first-hand experience. It tends to promote mindfulness and breathing exercises with the image of a white woman.
To assuage skepticism, Clark points to research showing racism takes a heavy toll(opens in new tab) About people’s physical, emotional and psychological well-being, with research suggesting that mindfulness practices can reduce stress(opens in new tab)However, some techniques, including breathwork, can be difficult for people with severe anxiety or a history of trauma.
In one pilot study of a mindfulness intervention,(opens in new tab), 36 black women with trauma symptoms were taught techniques such as body scans, seated meditation, yoga, noticing pleasant and unpleasant events, and mindful communication. Most participants noted improved anger management, increased awareness, a calmer and more relaxed mood, and better control over thoughts, emotions and behaviors. A few reported worse symptoms.
Dr. Inger-Barnett Ziegler, a clinical psychologist and associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University who conducted the study, previously told Mashable that the latter participants used avoidance and avoidance to cope with trauma. He said he suspected he was using denial too forcefully. You only stimulated those feelings by letting them surface.
According to Clark, some people are generally reluctant to try new things. However, anyone who has experienced extreme trauma has found that mindfulness and breathwork cause painful experiences and encourages them to stop practicing those practices and seek therapy instead.
Clarke shared three of her go-to mindfulness strategies with Mashable. black man’s breath:
1. Name your emotions and notice them with your body
of black man’s breath, Clark presents a comprehensive approach to carefully deciding whether to watch video footage of black people being beaten or killed by police officers, and what to do during that viewing. The key to this multi-step process is being able to name the emotions that arise while seeing and noticing how those emotions affect the body. There is a possibility. Or fatigue to the point that your limbs feel heavy.
Crucially, Clarke says this same mindful approach can be applied to online racism and discrimination readers may encounter. For example, the unexpected criticism of Rihanna’s performance at the Super Bowl, which seems to target her as a black woman, and racist remarks by strangers. social media posts.
When you name an emotion and become aware of it in your body, “it creates a certain separation between you and the emotion that makes it less overwhelming,” Clark says.
2. Visualization
Clarke relies on visualization and affirmation to correct the negative messages she receives from society about her worth. For example, if you keep hearing about yourself being unintelligent or aggressive, “you might start believing those things about yourself,” Clark says.
To visualize and address these messages, Clarke puts her phone into “do not disturb” mode, sets a timer for five minutes, closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths to remind herself that she’s safe and cared for. I encourage you to imagine the world you feel. and loved At the end of the five minutes, write down everything you see and experience in your journal, and think about it again the next time you feel down.
3. Rain of self-pity
Clarke strongly recommends a practice called RAIN. RAIN is an acronym for Recognize, Allow, Investigate and Nurture.Created by meditation teacher Tara Brach(opens in new tab)this version of mindfulness meditation practice is designed to help people process difficult experiences. We spoke with Mashable about how RAIN helps with anger.)
Clarke particularly likes RAIN because it gives Black people who may have been raised to suppress their emotions in order to survive to put a name to their intense emotions and practice self-compassion.
“Rain is a very powerful exercise when faced with really challenging emotions, and for black people, [those emotions are] It’s often the result of racism,” says Clark.
She hopes readers will be freed from at least one convention. black man’s breath.
“My goal for black people, and for all people of color reading this, is that we can’t control what’s going on outside of us, but what we can control is how we feel. , I want them to know that they can do it… through their breath,” says Clark.
If you have suicidal thoughts or are going through a mental health crisis, talk to someone. 988 will get you to 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Trans Lifeline 877-565-8860; or The Trevor Project (866-488-7386). Type START on the Crisis Text Line at 741-741. Contact the NAMI Helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI, Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time, or email us. [email protected]If you don’t like the phone, consider using the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Chat below. Crisischat.org(opens in new tab). is here List of international resources(opens in new tab).
