This past weekend I went to a new yoga class and realized that unconsciously there are two things that I ask myself whenever I enter mindfulness/meditation/yoga spaces that are new to me: 1) Am I going to be the only Black Woman, 2) and/or the only Black Plus Size Woman.

When I get into the class and start to prepare with deep breaths, I hear my inner thoughts repeating these 3 affirmations:
1) You are safe.
2) You are grounded in your body.
3) You belong.

A few months ago, at a beach yoga class, I found my way to the beach dressed in my “vacation yoga set,” had my towel, water bottle and made my way to the beach following other people dressed in yoga wear with towels and water bottles.

I get to the class standing “around” the other people, answering the question in my mind, with a look of curiosity and readiness for the class. The teacher, after greeting everyone else with a good morning, turns to me and says, “Oh, are you here for the beach yoga class?” I looked around at the people closest to me looking at me, looking at them, and just lay out my towel and closed my eyes and repeated these 3 affirmations:
1) You are safe.
2) You are grounded in your body.
3) You belong.

In this picture, watching as one the greatest athletes of my time, uses meditation to navigate the noise outside of her and maybe even more so the noise inside to prepare her to show up the way that she does let’s me know, that we all need a moment, a breath, a reminder:
1) May you be safe.
2) May you be grounded in your body.
3) May you belong.