“Remember, you have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.” ~ Louise L. Hay, You Can Heal Your Life
As the HWB Healing Project Mobile Clinic Coordinator, I really enjoy creating events that promote immersive self-care experiences in an entertaining, yet effective way.
By incorporating the familiar with the unfamiliar, people can be cajoled into trying a new approach caring for themselves.
Collaborating with institutions that promote holistic lifestyle practices creates a strong, professional foundation for us as we grow into the responsibility of educating and caring for our community-at-large.
Zed Eats and Drinks, Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture, the ArborVitae School of Traditional Herbalism, BKLYN Commons, Spread the Love Commission, Spa Expectations; and, more recently, the Pacific College of Health and Science have contributed to our growth since its inception in June 2022.
Our one-year anniversary brought us the honor of being featured by Gaia NoMaya Salt Cave & Spa for Spirituality Week, a community-produced, citywide festival hosted by emerging practitioners and major spiritual centers, founded by Ross Guttler and Peter Corbett, two notable contributors to the dissemination of information as it relates to whole body wellness from a global perspective.
Our Clinic event was attended by visitors from Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, upstate New York, Boston, and Belize.
Our guests of honor were Lubafu Isieni, the Ambassador of the Garifuna Nation in Belize and her brother, Alex Kwabena Colon-Olaniyan. She advocates for self-care, family cohesiveness, and national engagement.
Nestled in a theatrical space, people sat on yoga chairs, folding chairs, and couches. Our multicultural, intergenerational audience waited in an electric anticipation for the program to begin.
From the first note, the spell was cast. For the next hour, the Body Mechanic (Lloyd Leary) and The Gong Diva (Inci) took turns circling the room, inviting each individual to enter a world of magic created by the didgeridoo, frog, and singing bowl.
After that beautiful sound meditation, our hearts were open vessels ready to receive the wisdom of the plants with a panel discussion titled, “The Benefits of Medicinal Herbs: A Global Perspective.” I began the presentation by explaining the philosophy behind the three recognized systems of medicine: Western, Ayurvedic, and TCM.
Reuben Finerson joined me and took us on a journey into the body, explaining what the body needs to maintain homeostasis.
Clinic events are designed so that all practitioners or attendees can express their thoughts or pose questions throughout.
This inclusive approach creates a familial energy, so that everyone can experience a full understanding of the complexities of self-care, as well as the importance of a customized approach for improved health.
Amy Anthony helped us explore sacred resins and used frankincense, myrrh, galbanum, sandalwood, and oud to create beautifully scented string bracelets for us to enjoy.
Nata Galati is a Pelvic Health and Mayan Abdominal Womb Practitioner who taught us how to do an abdominal self-massage.
Everyone enjoyed the flower essence elixir of Rescue Remedy that was offered with my presentation on managing emotions with flower essences, after which we enjoyed a Colombian plant-based lunch on site.
Dr. Derrick Trent, a graduate of the Pacific College of Health and Science, was our featured acupuncturist. He applied ear seeds to all of the participants and lectured on the history of how acupuncture was introduced to urban communities in the 1970’s for addiction treatment by the Black Panthers and the Young Lords, a Puerto Rican gang.
Amber Merkens, a postpartum doula and lactation counselor, offered a presentation on the body as an ecosystem.
The event ended with a gathering of participants and practitioners taking photographs and enjoying dinner together, while chatting about the day’s events with inquiries of when we would host our next Clinic.
A special thanks to our team member, Makeba Lloyd, founder of Butter by Keba and Spa Expectations for supporting us in our work.
An honorable mention for my childhood friend, Carol Porter, for managing the flow of traffic. Her radiant smile and personality is representative of what we claim as our vision for success.
Once again, Herbalists Without Borders International, Inc. made it possible for us to distribute self-care packages to the attendees. For this, we are extremely grateful.
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