Creating space for Black and Brown wellness through yoga and meditation

By Sydney Jackson

Sun beams from both the sky above, and its reflection off layers of bright snow blanketed the ground, rooftops, and cars, as we awaited entry with yoga mats, water bottles, pillows, and blankets in tow. Just a few blocks from the house I grew up- and still live in- I was set to experience a Saturday dedicated to communal healing. I felt grateful and filled to the brim with anticipation for what Daryl and Natalie had in store. 

The gathering a ‘Yoga, Paint, & Sound Meditation Retreat’ was the most recent event in a series of similar events- and its attendees exuded a subdued, yet present and energized aura. As one of the event curators Daryl Wilmer Satcher echoed while guiding the yoga segment, each of our intentional dedications to showing up and actively participating in a healing, collaborative space brought both power and light into the church basement where we convened. Deep breathing encouraged us to free our minds from outside stressors; contracting and releasing through the yoga poses Daryl demonstrated both empowered and liberated our minds, bodies, and souls. 

Together, Daryl and Natalie Johnson curated an experience prioritizing the simultaneous comfort and strengthening of the predominantly Black and brown intergenerational crowd of attendees- which exemplifies the true meaning of healing. Their degree of intention when planning the event is what made it clear in advance that I would be missing out on not attending this event in my community. While registering, the adult ticket included not just our admission, but reserved a spot for a BIPOC youth to attend who might not otherwise have the means to do so. That MORE than matters- it speaks volumes. 

The four hour event also included a catered warm vegan meal from a Black owned business, a take home self-care basket with all sorts of goodies to promote overall happiness and wellness, and our own paintings to take home that we made alongside one another. From beginning to end, we were catered to and cared for communally. 

Daryl started his business, A Leading Man, to enlighten and empower young people through yoga, meditation, creative writing workshops, wellness retreats, theatrical interpretations, masterminds, and more. Daryl is a theater and Wellness Specialist who collaborates with his clients to create and cultivate a positive, healthy, and balanced wellness lifestyle. He is also the creator of Grown Ass Man Yoga to help men with self-care.

Natalie Johnson is a practitioner and facilitator of paint meditation. She describes her intention for these paint meditation sessions to be twofold- the space it provides each of us individuals to simply sit and take time with ourselves and our imaginations, just being, is freeing. Some adults noted during this portion of the retreat that as grown men, they hadn’t had the chance to paint and create in such a manner since their childhood decades ago. Second, paint meditations provide the opportunity for us to fellowship and build community based in joy with those sitting alongside us. We cannot underestimate the value in either of these experiences. 

At this retreat, she and Daryl paired our paint meditation alongside a performance of live music by a band of young men, who jammed collectively to a bunch of oldies and soul-feeding hits. When talking with Daryl and Natalie after the retreat, they both emphasized their overarching goal of creating a real experience for all attendees, one that we can carry forth with us even as we part ways and return to our ‘normal’ work lives. 

This intention was also evident in the gift baskets they assembled and gifted to each attendee. These self-care baskets were filled with shea butters and other artisanal products, all from Black women-owned businesses from the West side of Chicago! Yet another testament to the commitment of people who are in many ways the most marginalized providing the most support (or what can be considered mutual aid) to those in need. To top it off, Daryl and Natalie fed all attendees with a nutritious meal from another Black woman-owned business, Chicago Style Vegan (CSV), founded by Qia Carswell.

My most cherished memory of the retreat was when we took a reprieve and thanked our bodies with a healing sound bath post-yoga. Natalie and Daryl’s mindfulness as event coordinators continued to shine, as everyone curled up with pillows, blankets, and other items to experience one hour of sonic healing. Our yoga mats successfully transformed into hammocks, our bodies reverberated and rocked with the waves of the sound bowls and instruments. 

Collectively we turned our attention toward the healing waves oscillating from head to toe, hand to hand, front to back, heart to heart. It was an experience I will never forget, but rather will seek to emulate for myself and those around me out of an awareness of how truly valuable it is for ourselves. Value which we deserve.