Black People Breathe, Zee Clarke
Black People Breathe, Zee Clarke
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Black People Breathe
A Mindfulness Guide to Racial Healing

Author: Zee Clarke

Narrator: Zee Clarke

Unabridged: 6 hr 47 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/14/2023


Synopsis

A thoughtful and inclusive guide to help Black people—and all people of color—heal from racial trauma using vital tools from an expert in mindfulness, meditation, and breathwork.
 
It is your right to survive. It is your right to thrive. Mindfulness and breathwork will help you do just that.
 
Racism is more than just an interpersonal experience. It is a systemic injustice that affects the lives of Black people, and all people of color, in countless ways. Doctors and psychologists have discovered the wide-ranging—and often devastating—effects of racism on one’s emotional, physical, and mental health, from high blood pressure and heart problems to anxiety and depression. Yet studies show that mindfulness, meditation, and breathwork can significantly reduce these issues. This is where Zee Clarke comes in.
 
In this powerful book, Clarke draws on her professional expertise and her lived experience as a Black woman to share mindfulness exercises, breathwork practices, and meditative tools centered on healing from and surviving racial trauma. Filled with deeply personal stories highlighting the many systemic challenges that people of color face, this mixture of guide and memoir offers thirty-three practical techniques based on the emotions elicited from these experiences. Whether you are coping with police brutality, racial profiling, microaggressions, or even imposter syndrome, Black People Breathe gives you the tools to process these complex feelings physically, mentally, and emotionally. Though this collection was created to facilitate healing for communities of color, it also offers allies insight into the discrimination and inequity that these communities face, creating a space for deeper empathy and the inspiration to drive change.
 
Black People Breathe takes a radically inclusive approach to mindfulness, allowing communities of color the opportunity to embark on a journey towards racial healing.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Dee Dee on January 28, 2023

Thanks NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC for an honest review. This book is so necessary for Black people and people of color. As a yoga teacher and a meditation student, I found this book to be extremely informative and specific to the Black experience. Parts of the book felt like I cou......more

Goodreads review by Bailey on April 18, 2023

Wow, wow, wow!!! This book is a must read for EVERYONE! I am so impressed with the author's grace, conviction, introspective, and honesty. Pair that with all of the breathing techniques, mindfulness strategies, detailed scenarios you are told to envision while practicing those and you have a winner!......more

Goodreads review by Potassium on January 19, 2024

This was interesting. At first I was annoyed by her flippant tone “the Black girl version of ‘Eat Pray Love’” merp. But then I rapidly got over it when she started describing my life in exquisite detail. I felt seen. A book literally for me, discussing the issues I face every day. But also it seems......more

Goodreads review by Nicole on April 19, 2023

This book is incredible! It's so rare to read something that is so full of personal experiences, deep societal analysis, and concrete tools on how to take care of yourself- all at the same time! Zee Clarke has given us such a gift with this book. The book is also gorgeous- with the most beautiful il......more

Goodreads review by Sequella on September 27, 2024

4.5 wonderful reference book for mindfulness exercises. Greatly appreciate the key points to remember after each chapter. Along with mindfulness practice toolkit points. The author’s real experiences listed are relatable to most black women across several generations. Many of the concepts discussed c......more


Quotes

“Zee Clarke’s beautifully illustrated book, Black People Breathe, is a go-to reference book for every Black person, People of Color, and ally to understand the devastating health consequences of ongoing systemic racism, microaggressions, and other struggles. Black People Breathe will become a go-to manual, charting a course toward how we can heal ourselves with breathwork and mindfulness so we don’t just survive, but thrive.”—Dr. Corey Yeager, author of How Am I Doing: 40 Conversations to Have with Yourself, Detroit Pistons life coach & psychotherapist

“In Black People Breathe, Zee Clarke captures how we can all be more aware, empathetic, and supportive as allies. She has opened my eyes wider to issues I’ve been aware of and discussing for several years. The magic with this book is that Zee’s personal touch completely expands my awareness and gives me a new perspective that will propel me in my work moving forward. And I plan to implement the breathing techniques into my own life. I am grateful to Zee for her honesty, vulnerability, and strength. I am recommending this book to all of my friends and colleagues, as we will all learn and grow by reading Black People Breathe.”—Shelley Zalis, CEO, The Female Quotient