Heal the Healers DC
An Anahata Wellness Collective Initiative
to decrease burnout among community advocates
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About the collective
The Anahata Wellness Collective seeks to support the restoration of divided communities experiencing poverty, extreme violence and racial injustice and address burnout for activists, mental health workers and community advocates. Our work is centered on self awareness, self care, preventing retraumatization and increasing resilience. Partners in the collective have served individuals who are managing the personal impact of retraumatization, supporting people as they recreate a spark of hope in the midst of grief and supporting youth and adults in the creation of a personal practice to support individual needs. We have worked with communities and organizations to build trauma informed policies and procedures and supported them in recognizing and understanding the layers of community trauma. Anahata Wellness Collective supports these individuals through somatic practices to promote healthy boundaries by doing things differently, more effectively, and less destructive. The “heal the healers” is an initiative to reduce stress and burnout through contemplative and somatic practices. Learning to understand the body’s early warning signs of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion.
Why this initiative?
The members of the collective have witnessed the need for activists, community advocates, mental health workers and violence interrupters to have a dedicated space to manage the emotional, physical and spiritual stress of being on the front line. Compassion fatigue and burnout lead to high turnover rates and organizational dissolution and it is imperative that this project counters those effects. To support these individuals, we offer tools such as simple breathing exercises to manage stress, Metta practices to increase compassion and movement/meditation practices to rejuvenate the leaders and organizers experiencing secondary and tertiary traumatic stress.
Dawn Valentine
Of Blossoming Bodhi Tree
Is a teacher and practitioner of meditation and yoga as a contemplative practice to support adults suffering from addiction, anxiety, and other complex emotional states as well as those who are seeking transformation in their lives. She is also a public health researcher and evaluator who engages the community through asset and participatory frameworks
Valerie Rucker-Bussie
Of Priority One Wellness
Is a physical therapist, Reiki practitioner, and yoga and meditation guide. She works with individuals through chronic pain, neurologic disorders/injuries, dizziness, anxiety, depression, and more. She is also an adjunct professor and guest lecturer who covers topics such as social justice and health equity.
Ryan Warwick
Of the Humble Practice
Is a former Special Education teacher of seven years. After teaching yoga as part of the Transformation Yoga Project that guides people re-entering society after experiencing incarceration. Ryan decided to change her life course and dedicated her life to the promotion of ritual work and is committed to assisting others in authentically caring for self by holding safe and sacred spaces for black communities throughout the Washington, D.C. area. Ryan utilizes Yoga philosophy, meditation, Reiki, and Chakra healing to provide energetic wellness services and offers Meditation Mentorship to educators, school employees, families, and those who work with marginalized populations as well as those who experience oppression and marginalization directly.
Charnal Chaney
Of Bold Yoga
Is a community healer & advocate. As native Washingtonian she witnessed the disease of violence, addiction and incarceration in her community. After attending candlelight for an 11 year her life path changed and she created Bold Yoga to offer trauma-informed therapies to teach children age aged 5-17 as well as adults, who have themselves or whose families have been impacted by incarceration, poverty & violence. She uses the yoga practice to teach individuals how to self-regulate, build healthy self-esteem, & prevent violence in neighborhoods when responding to conflict with harmful behavior is the norm. She mentors children and teens on the experience of wellness (physically, mentally, emotionally, & spiritually), understand trauma & triggers, and guides them in using the tools of yoga, meditation & other therapeutic modalities to gain the ability to regulate themselves, develop confidence, increase their self-esteem and contribute to building peace in communities.
Offerings
Workshops
All-day Or Half-day Interactive And Engaging Sessions Of Yoga, Meditation, Education, Energy Work, And Journaling
Retreats
All Day Or Multi-day Gatherings Focused On Themed Services For Improving Overall Wellness
Monthly Meditation Circles
Guided Meditations with Intentional Themes
Get In Touch
Anahata Wellness Collective Initiative
Please feel free to reach out! We would love to hear from you.