Helping Black Women Take a Breath

by OYINDA LAGUNJU

“Breathe Together. Heal Together. Grow Together.”

These words aren’t just the slogan of an organization—for Jasmine Marie, founder of Black Girls Breathing, they are an invitation to a community she is committed to serving.

“Black women needed a space to heal the trauma that’s trapped in their body; trauma is held,” Marie says. “That can be scary when you really learn more about how trauma impacts our daily lives. But the good thing is that we can undo that. We can work on every system to be more at ease and balanced.”

With a pledge to reach one million Black women and girls by 2025, Black Girls Breathing has been a space for Black women to connect through breathwork and community in order to cope with the unique stress they experience. With monthly sessions—held both online and in-person—Marie affirms that Black women have a space in mindfulness, and it’s a space we’ve occupied for a long time.

“I feel like how mindfulness has been showcased to us would make us feel like Black people don’t do that, but we’ve been doing mindfulness in different ways. Like seeing your grandma humming around the kitchen while she’s cooking—she’s in tune to what she’s doing. Those are mindful moments; being able to just take in where you are,” Marie says. “Those moments of just simple living are so restorative. Nothing reminds me to live in the present moment more than being around my mom, who’s retired, and my grandmother.”

And for the moments she feels burnedout?

“I don’t think that I’ll be able to solve every social issue, but if I can create a space where Black women can experience community, then that’s my work. If they can experience that freedom, then that’s my work. I always ask myself, if everything stopped right now, would you be proud of the work? Yeah, I’d be proud right now.”