5 Black wellness influencers to follow right now

Pia Velasco
·10-min read

As the country continues to protest the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and many other innocent Black lives, there are no easy answers. The Black community has been discriminated against and unjustly targeted for far too long, and we collectively mourn those who’ve been lost. But within all the sadness and anger, there is also healing and hope—and Black wellness influencers have long been spreading their knowledge and energy to all those who need it.

Right now, it’s more important than ever to support Black-owned businesses and creatives like these women. Trust us—following their work will change your life for better.

5 Black wellness influencers to support:

1Ev’Yan Whitney

View this post on Instagram

my sexuality/sensuality has been deeply challenged by the upheavals and personal tragedies of 2020, and if it weren’t for me actively seeking out ways to help my body remember the pleasure that is its birthright, connection to my sexuality wouldn’t be coming naturally right now. I know my sexual self well enough to know that stress kills my desire, it disconnects me from my body, it makes holding space for the erotic within me near impossible. I’ve been on a journey these last few months/weeks to walk a balance between numbing myself from what I’m feeling emotionally and forcing myself physically to be where I’m not. it’s been arduous, but I am finding methods to stay connected and true to myself. I am finding ways to reclaim my body + sexuality from the hands of stress, anxiety, and ungrounding uncertainty of this moment. also—this is the first sensual selfie I’ve taken in 2020. I used to take photos like this daily but fell off of my practice due to the disconnection I was telling you about. this photo is an example of one of the ways I actively sought out my sexuality/sensuality today despite feeling sad, angry, lonely, and I’m proud. I am grateful I took this moment to myself today because this photo reminds me of the softness I contain and the power I hold within myself. there is nothing quite like having your sensuality be affirmed by your own gaze. I’m grateful to remember. how has this pandemic experience been affecting your sex life—with yourself or your partner? how has this pandemic experience been affecting the way you feel in your body daily? the way you experience pleasure? the way you experience your sensuality? in what ways are you engaging in ritual, affirmation, healing, and reclaiming to help you come home to your erotic, sensual self? (feel free to answer in the comments below)

A post shared by Ev’Yan Whitney • she/they (@evyan.whitney) on Apr 6, 2020 at 3:33pm PDT

Whitney is a sexuality doula and sex expert who encourages her followers to express their sexuality and sensuality. She teaches that sensuality is the first step to sexual liberation, and preaches that all women should feel confident in their skin to feel the sensuality within them. She’s the creator of the #sensualselfiechallenge, where she encourages people to take photos of themselves where they feel sexy and powerful in their bodies. To Whitney, owning your sexuality is a form of self-care, and we couldn’t agree more.

2Phyllicia Bonanno

View this post on Instagram

I don’t think that people can change. When you think somebody is changing for the good it is really that they are coming back to themselves. They have gone passed the detours, the rocks in the road, the challenges... and made their way back to their truth, to their true self. ⁣ ⁣ What all of us are essentially is love and light.⁣ ⁣ I’ve had times in my life that my truth was covered in anger, pain, and doubt. It was something I wore like a wet coat- leaving my heart cold and sick. ⁣ ⁣ But once I was able to let go of what I no longer needed- my light shined. And there are still times that my light isn’t at its brightest- it’s a life long journey, discovering my inner balance. ⁣ ⁣ What layers are you peeling back to reveal your truth?⁣ ⁣ Wearing @aloyoga 🍓

A post shared by Phyllicia Bonanno (@phyllicia.bonanno) on May 19, 2020 at 6:09pm PDT

Bonanno is a yoga teacher and sound bath practitioner who also holds a certificate in Reiki (an alternative form of energy healing). She constantly shares her life experiences and encourages others to practice self-care, whether through activities like yoga and meditation or simply through sitting with their thoughts. On her page, Bonanno shares virtual sound bath healing sessions and dates of her yoga classes. Catch her also teaming up with big-name brands such as Alo Yoga.

3Lalah Deliah

View this post on Instagram

Are you journeying in grace? Are you loving yourself through it? Are you trusting the reroute when things don’t go as expected? Are you allowing your soul time to relax and simply rest in the process? Are you taking all the time you need? . • Wellness and spiritual health for me, begin here, with these types of introspective questions each day. I’ve found this to be a very centering way to warmly and quickly come back home to myself. It’s an effective roadmap anytime of the day. On the days that feel the most un-flourishing, find the way back home to yourself. How? Be mindful of the inner judging-mind; it leads you further astray from yourself. Use the above introspective questions. (Or any of the ones in my new book.) Look at yourself and your current season without them being in a state of progression or regression. Not every stage in our development needs a judgment or label attached to it. Take good care of yourself and allow the process to be. From here, your soul finds itself safely and peacefully at home. Home becomes wherever you are. . • Achievement addiction is a thing. Truth is, we don’t always meet our goals, achieve what we set out to, or when we intend to. The path that we envisioned doesn’t always unfold as ‘perfectly’ as we had (mentally or emotionally😭🙃) planned for it to. Journey in grace with your life and goals. Modern times promote success and well being as always accomplishing and achieving something new, more, and greater. When we come home to ourselves, we know that we are enough. In a spiritual light, non-attachment is when we journey content, in faith, in peace, and free from having to control any outcome. When we truly surrender to the process, mindfully breathe our way through, seek to vibrate higher daily, live our power, and realize that the process knows best: the best manifests. And most often, better than what we had in mind. Attachment to results and outcomes is triggering within itself. Detaching from needing to always be accomplishing, in control, or 'keeping up' to feel like you’re growing, is soul-freedom. Much soul-freedom to you 💓 . • 📖Vibrate Higher Daily: Live Your Power available wherever books are sold/linkinbio

A post shared by Lalah Delia (@lalahdelia) on Mar 12, 2020 at 11:48am PDT

Delilah is an author and wellness educator whose life mission is to help people vibrate higher. Her most recent book, Vibrate Higher Daily: Live Your Power, she encourages readers to step into their power by teaching them how to aware of life’s vibrations and how to let go of negative energy bringing them down. On her Instagram page, she often shares quotes and excerpts from her book, and they’re all super inspiring.

4Lauren Ash

View this post on Instagram

christ consciousness 🦋 is — ⁣ unconditional love and support. ⁣ forgiveness as a committed practice. ⁣ the embodiment of the fruits of the spirit including love, joy, and peace. ⁣ rejoicing in the Truth. ⁣ leaning into the spiritual, more than the material. ⁣ a consciousness in alignment with miracles. and the manifestation of miracles as natural as breathing. ⁣ and the ability to rise and ascend, even after death. ⁣ ⁣ tomorrow, join me for yoga & chill live on instagram. i’ll be guiding a yoga and meditation flow that embodies, for me, the spirit of my favorite things about the embodiment of one of my favorite Divine teachers. thank you so much to my boo @beanieboamah for the invitation! ✨ i’ll also be sharing an extra special announcement during our chat on the other side of our practice so tune in for the full experience 💋 ⁣ ⁣ see you at @hanahana_beauty tomorrow at 11am EST. p.s. support this black woman owned business by getting yourself, or a friend who is in need of some uplift, a jar of my favorite shea butter! ⁣I lather my entire body with it after every bath and shower. ⁣ p.p.s. any requests for yoga? drop them below 🤲🏾 ⁣ ⁣ photo by @lindseykusterman ⁣ #blackgirlinom #yoga #wellness #meditation #easter #stillwerise

A post shared by my grandmothers’ dream 🕊 (@hellolaurenash) on Apr 11, 2020 at 4:41pm PDT

Ash is the founder of Black Girl In Om, an online community that provides accessible mediation classes to Black women. Her guided meditations are incredibly soothing and uplifting, as her calm voice gently guides you through your meditation and helps you center yourself while thinking about your role in the world at large. Currently, Black Girl In Om has 108,000 Instagram followers, and the page provides both resources and introspective captions. You can also catch Ash on her personal page leading live yoga and meditation sessions.

5Jessamyn Stanley

View this post on Instagram

How I’m Finding Balance & Staying Grounded: 1. Um...I’m not? Shit’s wacky right now- how the fuck would I be feeling balanced & grounded all the time? The only thing I can do is admit when I’m NOT feeling balance & allow myself to feel all of my anxiety, w/o shame & guilt. 2. Start every day with movement and grounding practices like yoga, breathwork, meditation, journaling, tarot, & astrology- and on the days when I don’t feel like doing any of that shit, I try not to give myself a hard time and lean into whatever feels good instead (especially if it’s crying in fetal position.) 3. Look for humor within sadness and grief- honestly, the saddest shit is usually hilarious. If you want to be sad and don’t feel like finding humor, look up the documentary “The Last Laugh” on @netflix- it’s all about using laughter as a survival technique and it’s also all about the Holocaust soooo it’ll still be plenty sad if you’re not trying to find humor. Mostly I’m just trying to enjoy the present moment. No need to worry too much about the future, Jessamyn- it’ll be here soon enough. I talked about all of this & more on @antidietriotclub’s IG story today- follow them to check it out! (I hope your day is going ok. And if it’s not, I feel that, too. ❤️) Throwback to #supyoga in Bali w/ @kbriwashdc 💋 💋 💋 EDIT- I’m pretty sure this suit is v old @forever21plus

A post shared by Jessamyn (@mynameisjessamyn) on Apr 12, 2020 at 10:04am PDT

Stanley is the best friend we all wish we had IRL. She’s unapologetic, fierce, and uplifting AF. She’ll call out people and brands for not doing their absolute best and doesn’t let anybody get away with body-shaming and racist BS. She’s not just a yoga teacher, but an advocate for sexual liberation and body positivity. She spreads her messages through her Instagram, her podcast (Dear Jessamyn), and her book, Every Body Yoga: Let Go of Fear, Get On the Mat, Love Your Body.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest stories