Inner Dialogue
Q & A Conversation with herself
by Tanya- Birl Torres of SoHumanity
This is a process and reflection on the work and journey of creating the ‘ We Can Breathe’ Series in collaboration with NoMAA and Bread & Yoga.
How did this project come about?
After leading a yoga retreat for WoC with Bread and Yoga on Memorial Day, one of the reflections from the women was that she has never fully taken a full breath in her entire life. That confession struck me deeply and had me wondering how many other PoC feel the same way? The following day George Floyd was assassinated by police officers in Minneapolis. I knew that something had to be done from my corner of the globe and position in society. Joanna Castro of NoMAA was present for this retreat. We got on a call a few days following and the work began. What I didn’t know was how I would have to travel through my own fear and shame and levels of worthiness in order for this project to actually come to fruition.
Who is the ‘community’ that you speak of in this project?
Every and anyone in search of belonging. True belonging outside of a white centered gaze. The seeker who is trying to return home to themselves.
Is this only for BIPOC Artists?
This offering is centered around and catered to Black, Indigiousnous, persons of color and culture, but all are welcome to partake in hopes that it opens a window to deeper conversations and realization of what it means to be well and whole in our society?
Do I have to live in Uptown NYC or even in any specific location to take part?
Absolutely not. These videos are for anyone who is called to this offering, but I am speaking to a specific audience and the need for the healing of artists and and creating those spaces in particular.
Why do we have to specify it as BIPOC centered?
We have not yet arrived at a place where we can drop the acronym. Most wellness spaces (as well intentioned as they may be) were not created with ‘us’ all in mind. Being that we have to state this, speaks to the fact that BIPOC folk are searching for spaces not built around white comfort and the white gaze. We don't call a yoga class a ‘white-centred yoga class’ even if we all know that is exactly what it is. Catering to white comfort and exploration above all. We use this determination to make clear that representation matters. WOC have created curated and produced this offering as well as black artists embodying and expressing their passion and artistry. This is very important for me to bring to the forefront of my work as an artist and healer.
What is your intention for this offering?
I don’t want this to be a ‘love and light’ experience. This is about holding some hard stuff in the body, alchemizing it with the breath and then putting it back out into the world vulnerably as love and joy. It’s about expanding our capacity to show up unapologetically and getting free. And then, as black people do, we make the pain and process of healing sound good and look good. Resmaa Menakem sayd that “trauma in a people look slike culture.” We create art out of our pain and experience. That is my intention with this work. That we can feel into what is rising in us and use that as a jump-off point to their own inner work.
Will this be a LIVE experience or something that I can download/ experience whenever?
This is a series of (9) 5, 15 and 30 minute videos available for you to access on your own whenever/wherever. It is important for me to put something out there which is accessible and where each individual can dictate their sense of safety and ease. There will also be an option for Spanish subtitles and closed captioning.
How can we interact with each video? What can I get out of them?
5-minute videos:
(PranaYama) Breath work - On the Go
No matter how much uncertainty continues to swirl around us, there is one thing that we can control: the awareness of our breath. Internal and external forces may be at work to collectively take our breath away, so we inhale for self preservation and exhale in solidarity with those whose breath has been taken too soon.
15-minute videos:
Moving Meditation - start/end your day
Movement: a group of people working together to advance their shared political, social or artistic ideas. Stillness is not about being imobile. It’s about organizing the seemingly separate parts of ourselves and focusing the mind, body and soul on the present moment. Through simple repetitive movements, we continually return to the breath as it guides us deeper into the uprising within each of us.
30 minute videos:
Yoga Practice - Remember and return
There is no failure, only practice. This is not an exercise in perfection. We breathe and move and listen to our bodies as an embodied liberatory practice. How we see and are seen in this world matters. We practice showing up, making mistakes, being our unapologetic selves and remembering our wholeness one breath at a time.
What will these videos be about?
There are three themes that we will explore for each of the weekly videos that will be released:
1. Vulnerability as Strength -
In order to be truly vulnerable, we must first feel safe. In our bodies, in our environments. To be vulnerable is to truly move through the process of healing yourself and others. This is not a comfortable act. Healing is to allow yourself to be exposed and transformed from the inside out. It is a slow process of self emptying, creating the space for abundance without fear.
2. Power in Joy -
“I AM FREEDOM AND JOY FEELING STRONG!"
Black Joy just IS. Constant and steady like the sun. In the tensions of human existence, joy has the capacity to hold the tension of suffering, sorrow and pain while still rising to ever expanding aliveness.
3. Love as Sacred Activism -
Agape Love. A love for the other which has no boundaries. It is a dangerous love, a courageous love infused by the fire of the heart. It is boundless and has absolutely no depth. It affirms that fear has no foundation. It is our original being, our breath, a homecoming of belonging. It is where we both start and end.
Any lasting thoughts that you want folx to know about?
This has been a deeply transformative, challenging and rewarding experience and labor of love. Through it I have realized what it means to step to the center of my own healing and vulnerability lead from that space. My hope is that you will return to these offerings, follow these artists' work, share with friends, family and fellow artists. Please continue to engage in dialogue on social media as well as at our Dec. 1st gathering as we discuss what this series has brought up for you. This is for you to continue to fuel yourself along your chosen path being the creative force of change that we need to see in our world.