For Those Who Reach Within
BY DJ YAMZ
A breath and a pause, and the biggest love from Tema! 💚🧡
I’m noticing a change in how I’m approaching the different facets of my life. More and more, I find myself seeking to do things from a place of wellness and self-belief as opposed to my more dated approach of doing things/operating from a perspective of forcing things to happen or doing things with a point to prove or in search of some external validation.
On the topic of validation, here are few questions I’d like you to think about as you read this piece:
What internal voices are you listening to?
Why do you do what you do?
What and who drives/motivates what you do?
Living through a myriad of experiences over these past few years, has helped me become more mindful of which inner voice(s) I pay attention to. The more attuned I’ve become with the internal voices within me, the easier it has become for me to treat myself better and gain clarity on situations in my life and work. Of course as with all things in this world, some days are better than others.
As someone who navigates bouts of anxiety and imposter syndrome, I’ve also been learning more recently, that life can be very different when you live as if you are already what you’re looking to become/attain. I say this not in a ‘confidence is everything’ dogma but rather to say that moving through life with confidence/self-assuredness is often times a better posture to adopt than living in caution/fear. And moving in self-assured/confident ways need not always be loud, you can do it in your own way—however, it comes to you and at whatever moment or point in time you find yourself in.
So whether you’re in a moment where you’re feeling super good about yourself and how things are going for you or you’re feeling doubtful or you’re struggling through life, here’s a friendly reminder that you’re already a Champion and E DEY YOUR BODY! There is power in continuing to show up for yourself, however, big or small that is 💪🏿
Its these thoughts that helped me start Mbari Wellness, a venture that taps into my love for wellness-based activities and one that feels very much in alignment with the current version of myself. This venture also channels the values, practices and energies that best shape/represent the person I am now and gives me a platform to share my experiences in the wellness space with others.
For this issue, I’ll talk more about the backstory behind Mbari Wellness, where I’m currently at in my wellness journey and a bit about my future plans in this space.
Happy reading!!
Love,
Champion Yamz
“Just check am deep down, then you go see
Sey e dey your body…”
~ Burna Boy, Cheat On Me
Mbari Wellness: The Backstory
Wellness & Wealth - What’s The Connection? 🤔
You’ll notice in the logo we came up with, the byline reads: Your Wellness, Your Wealth. For quite some time now, I’ve always thought of wellness and wealth going hand in hand and I’d like to elaborate a bit more on this connection.
In the world we live in today, different people have different metrics for success or what it means to have/live a good life. For some, it’s having the financial means to do what they want, when they want. For others, being able to spend time with loved ones is really all they need to be happy. There are probably an infinite number of ways for how people define wealth.
For me, having a good/wealthy life, first and foremost, means living well and feeling healthy within myself. Then a step beyond this feeling is sharing this love for living well with others so that they too can feel good about themselves as they tap into their inner wealth and hopefully, share that wealth with others/the world around them.
My Wellness Journey
Until my trip to Kenya last October, I’d never considered venturing into the wellness space as a career choice. You know how there are certain habits or practices you have that you don’t pay attention to until others point them out to you? That’s how this wellness light bulb came on for me.
I’d like to add here that I think everyone goes about their wellness in their own way. I’ve found that for me, movement is how I tap into my wellness. I also prefer movement-based activities that don’t require much (ie. activities that mostly require my body and/or using simple things around me or in nature).
A bit about my wellness habits:
🧘🏾♂️ Yoga/Stretching: For about five years now, I’ve been practicing yoga on a near daily basis. In the last three or so years, I’ve found myself introducing or leading friends and family in informal yoga sessions. No matter what you think or have heard about yoga, it is definitely a practice that offers tons of physical and mental health benefits and I think building up a consistent stretching routine is one of the easiest gifts anyone can give themselves.
🏋🏿Working Out & 🏃🏾♀️Running: I’ve been working out and running consistently for close to a decade but I probably started putting more time and a different level of focus towards these two activities over the past four years. [Friendly Tip: Also consistent walks are great!]
🏊🏾♀️ Swimming: I picked up swimming in 2023 and it’s something I wish I’d picked up years ago. There are just so many positives to swimming that if I wanted to list them out, I’d probably need multiple posts. If you’re looking for a cardio-based/low-intensity workout that feels good/relaxing, works your whole body and leaves you with a feeling of calm within yourself—consider becoming friends with water 😉 🌊.
💆🏾Mindfulness Practices: I’m a big advocate of mindfulness practices, especially meditation, and here too, I’d say that for probably close to a decade I try to make a little time in my day to breathe, unplug and meditate. [Friendly Tip: I usually meditate for after I shower.]
Yogi Yamz
I share all this to say that it was only until that trip to Kenya, where I took stock of how much time in my day-to-day over these years, has been dedicated to some form of wellness-based activity. It was also on this same trip that a cousin of mine, whom I led in a few yoga practice sessions, suggested that I look into becoming a yoga instructor. To top it off, while on that same trip, I tried out Bikram Yoga for the first-time ever and even though each of those hot yoga sessions nearly floored me, I was in love the experience!
By the time I came home from that trip, I knew that I wanted to commit more of my time and energy in service to others in the wellness space. So the first action I took towards this desire, was to sign up for a Yoga Teacher Training course with Bliss Yoga Accra (by the way, I’ve began the course and I love it!). Seeing how I've found myself teaching or introducing people in my circles to yoga, I want to be formally trained to better guide people in their practice.
Coach Yamz
A few weeks into this year, I also got into offering personal training with a focus on fitness and yoga. I'm hoping I can do more in the PT space while I work on my yoga teacher certification.
Cheers to a New Evolution 🥂
So if there’s anything to take from this issue, it’s that changes agwarn! For the most part though, I’m trying to take my time with this new venture, have fun, learn as I go and do my best not to overthink things.
Stay tuned for more updates on my wellness journey!
Until Next Time! 👋🏿
That’s it for this issue!
Until we link again! Breathe easy!! 🐉