Read my article, “Mothering Yourself as You Grieve Your Mother” on Black Health Matters website
Blog
Join Me for Virtual Community Meditation Honoring Mothers on May 11
Click the button below to register.
Mothering Yourself
It’s May 3rd. Nine days away from Mother’s Day. The first Mother’s Day without the physical presence of my mother Theresa B. Gartin Leeke. Knowing this is about to happen has got me in my feelings.
CONFESSION: I’ve been feeling waves of grief rising up in my heart and body around experiencing Mother’s Day without my mom Theresa on Mother Earth since Easter Sunday.
On Easter, I decided to give myself more grace and space when these emotional waves of grief show up. I also decided to open my heart and seek out new ways of supporting myself. One of the new ways was signing up for grief doula and sound healer gina Breedlove’s Vibration of Grace weekend workshop at Kripalu Yoga Center (her book, The Vibration of Grace is awesome).
SIDE NOTE: I love that gina spells her name in lowercase letters like ntozake shange, one of my favorite African American woman creative sheroes and poets.
gina’s powerful workshop and the community of people I spent time with at Kripalu last weekend helped me get in touch with, reflect on, and express hidden areas of grief with the power of my own voice in singing, chanting, and using affirmations along with rituals, meditation, journaling, reiki, yoga, dance, and mindful walking and movement. What a blessing!
Today, I received a divine download after moving my body with my Barre3 community that invited me to honor and embrace my mom Theresa’s ancestral spirit, love, and legacy by becoming my own mother and exploring how I can use mothering to deepen my self-love and self-care birthrights.
Resource
Listen to the latest episode of the Thriving Mindfully Podcast that discusses how grief can call us to mother ourselves.
Over the past 30 years, I have learned that death, loss, and grief are master classes in surrender.
This year, I have learned how important it is to have a safe and sacred community to share how I am feeling, practice self-care, and receive support in my death, loss, and grief journey.
I am sharing the lessons I am learning and holding space for anyone facing death, loss, and grief during the monthly GRIEF + YOU 2-DAY RETREATS this year.
IMPORTANT: I am offering a special discount for the May 4-5 and June 29-30 retreats: a sliding scale with three options – $85, $105, or $125.
Click the button to get more information and sign up.
MAY NEWS: I am featured on The Greater Women Podcast that discusses how to practice mindfulness in the digital age!
Many thanks to my amazing Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority for featuring me on the latest episode of The Greater Women Podcast.
During the podcast episode, I discuss my Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority journey that started with being the daughter of Cultured Pearl Soror Theresa Leeke, great granddaughter of Soror Florida Jones Leeke (Grand Anti-Gramateus, 1927-29), and the great grand niece of Soror Lillian Jones Brown. I give a shout out to my dad John Leeke for being an SGRho Gent. I also share how joining Beta Tau Chapter at Morgan State University in 1983 changed my life.
The episode features my insights on mindfulness, self-care, and digital wellness. A mindfulness exercise and self-care tips are included.
Click the button to listen to the 16-minute episode.
Virtual Celebration Honoring My Mom Theresa’s 65th Sigmaversary
A virtual community celebration was held to celebrate the 65th Sigmaversary of my mother, loving + wise + well ancestor, and Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Soror Theresa B. Gartin Leeke on April 22, 2024.Watch the video below.
My mom Theresa joined Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.’s Alpha Chapter at Butler University on April 26, 1959.
Click the button to learn more about my mom Theresa’s love, life, and legacy as an African American woman who wore many hats as a wife, mother, aunt, sister, friend, educator, nonprofit and sorority leader, and musician.
Tune into A Cultured Pearl’s Legacy Podcast (9 episodes) and listen to my mom Theresa share her journey as a life member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, reflections on the Centennial celebration, lessons learned, and wisdom as an African American woman who wore many hats as a wife, mother, educator, nonprofit leader, and musician. Click the button to listen.
If you’re looking for a way to honor my mom Theresa’s life and legacy, click the link to make a donation to Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority’s SPEAR Foundation, one of her favorite charities.
Stress Awareness Month + Day (April 16) Tips and Invitation to Spring Reset on April 16, April 30 or May 16
Stress happens when we experience pressure or a situation that exceeds our ability to cope. Stress wears and tears on our spirit, heart, mind, body, relationships, and career.
What’s been stressing you out since 2024 began?
GRIEF stresses me out.
Since it’s Stress Awareness Month and Stress Awareness Day (April 16), I thought you might like to try some of my favorite stress relief tips.
WATCH THE VIDEO below for more information.
If you need support with navigating stress, join me for the Spring Reset on April 16, April 30, and May 16 at 7:30-9 PM ET via Zoom.
CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW TO REGISTER FOR THE DATE THAT WORKS BEST FOR YOU.
What Action Are You Being Called to Take?
Hey there!
Spring is calling me to take ACTION.
What ACTION are you being called to take?
I am being called to be a better steward of my body temple, thoughts around what is possible, home, finances, mindful communication, and business servces.
Part of me is ready. Part of me is not. I’ve been dancing back and forth between these two parts.
Guess what?
The dance has been messy, stressful, and filled with waves of GRIEF followed by GRACE, GRATITUDE, and a few GROWTH opportunities.
The waves of GRIEF showed up when I learned about two family members who made their transitions in March. It popped up again on Easter Sunday when I really felt the physical absence of my mom Theresa on Mother Earth.
The GRACE came when I allowed myself to experience the full range of emotions brought on by the GRIEF.
The GRATITUDE came when I decided to press the RESET button on how I nurture myself. I SLOWED down and asked myself what I truly need right now. I also used the five Thriving Mindfully self-love languages to determine what I needed each day.
TAKE A BREATH AND PAUSE HERE FOR A MOMENT.
If you are interested in learning more about the Thriving Mindfully self-love languages I have used to practice mindful self-care, listen to Thriving Mindfully Podcast S5 EP16: Nurturing Yourself with 5 Self-Love Languages.
CLICK TTHE BUTTON TO LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE.
TAKE ANOTHER DEEP BREATH AND EXHALE. NOW YOU CAN KEEP READING!
Some days were filled with moving my body with yoga, Barre3, dancing, walking, or tennis. Most days I turned to journaling and writing poetry. Other days I shared my thoughts with my therapist and circle of sacred family and friends.
On the ninth month anniversary of my mom Theresa’s peaceful transition to ancestorhood (which was April 9), I used a combination of self-love languages to nurture myself. They led me to meditation, prayer, yin yoga, affirmatons, reiki, wearing my mom’s lipstick and jewelry, listening to some of her favorite music, and reading a poem about her and sharing it on social media (see video below). All of it helped me honor, navigate, express, and release the energy and emotion of GRIEF in my body.
WATCH VIDEO CELEBRATING 9TH MONTH ANNIVERSARY OF MY MOM THERESA’S PEACEFUL TRANSITION
APRIL GRIEF + YOU 2-DAY RETREAT
Join me for the Grief + You 2-day Retreat on April 13 and 21 at 2-3:30 PM ET via Zoom.
CLICK THE BUTTON TO REGISTER.
SPRING RESET BUTTON
If you’re stressed out and/or struggling to take ACTION, watch the video below and find out what I had to say about the power of pressing my Spring reset button daily.
NEED MORE SUPPORT WITH NAVIGATING STRESS, OVERCOMING STRUGGLES, OR TAKING ACTION THIS SPRING?
Join me for the Spring Reset on April 16th or 30th from 7:30-9 PM ET via Zoom. Click the button to sign up.
I’d love to hear what you are doing to take care of yourself. I’d also like to know how I can support you better. Send an email or a direct message on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, or YouTube.
May your life, relationships, and career be filled with love, ease, joy, awareness, acceptance, and abundance!
Love, Ease, Grace, Joy, Peace, Wisdom, Creativity, and Abundance
Ananda
PS: I currently have space for YOU as a Thriving Mindfully coaching or human design client for the spring season.
Finding ways to honor & nurture yourself during Spring
Hey there!
How are you welcoming the Spring season into your life?
I am welcoming the Spring season into my life by celebrating the new Astrological new year, Spring Equinox, and the Aries season that began on March 19th at 11:09 PM ET.
My celebration includes setting an intention to continue my Thriving Mindfully with death, loss, and grief by taking a deep dive into self-nurturing (self-care) rooted in my Akan ancestral wisdom that lives in the Adinkra symbols. The wisdom is a part of my ancestral medicine.
FYI The Akan are the largest ethnic group of present-day Ghana, and the Ivory Coast located in West Africa. My paternal loving + wise + well ancestors are the Akan people in Ghana.
FYI Adinkra symbols are deep truths reflecting proverbs, concepts, and wisdom in a visual form that appear in cloth, clothing, artwork, architecture, furniture, and more.
I picked six Adinkra symbols to guide my self-nurturing through the Spring season. I used them to create affirmations that support my intention. See below.
What intentions do you want to set for the Spring season, new astrological new year, or second quarter of 2024?
What’s one action step you can take to jumpstart your intention setting?
I am also diving deep into some of the traditional Chinese Medicine, astrology, and other spiritual and self-care practices I have used in previous years.
I thought you might like to know more about them.
Read on…
In Chinese Medicine, the Spring season corresponds to the wood element and yang energy. Spring represents the beginning of new astrological year (Aries season) and a time of birth and new beginnings.
The wood element represents a transition from a yin season to yang season, death to growth, and cold to warmth. It is a time of expansion growth, development, and moving forward unapologetically.
Yang energy is masculine, hot, active, and connected to the activity of doing. The wood element is an invitation to cultivate vitality, creativity, and emotional resilience.
Wood is associated with the emotion of ANGER. ANGER can be a helpful and harmful emotion. As a harmful emotion, anger can cause you to become reactive or full of rage in challenging situations. You can learn to be skillful in how you work with anger. As a helpful emotion, anger can drive you to make necessary changes in your life. Wood is also connected to forgiveness.
Wood is associated with the color green. Nurture your wood connection by wearing different shades of green. Use them to decorate your home and office. Spending time near trees with green leaves, plants, and flowers. Eat green vegetables and fruits. Drink green juices, tea, or smoothies.
The wood element is associated with the Anahata (heart and fourth) chakra in the heart center of the body. It is located in your heart center. In Sanskrit, anahata means unstruck, unhurt, or unbeaten. It is associated with unconditional love, compassion, acceptance, and gratitude. It is connected to the colors pink and green. Use rose quartz, rhodonite, rhodochrosite, green aventurine malachite, and green jade gemstones. The seed mantra is YAM.
The wood element is associated with the Ajna (third-eye and sixth) chakra located in between the eyebrows. In Sanskrit, ajna means command center, perceive, and beyond wisdom. It is associated with intuition, wisdom, insight, and concentration. It is connected to the color indigo blue. Use lapis lazuli, soldalite, iolite, azurite, and kyanite gemstones. The seed mantra is OM.
The wood element in the body shows up in the liver and gallbladder.
The liver (yin) is in charge of the smooth flow of your life force energy (qi, chi, or prana), blood, and emotions in the body. The liver controls the tendons. It stores blood during periods of rest and releases it to the tendons in times of activity. You can maintain your tendons with stretching exercises. The liver is connected to proper eye function. Use eye yoga to support this area.
The gallbladder (yang) stores and excretes bile. It governs your planning, decision making, and the courage to take action and see your decisions. It is connected to your stability, boundaries of self, passion for life, inspiration, action, The gallbladder is connected to the connective tissue in the body. Use stretching exercises (yoga) to take care of your connective tissue.
Aries is a Fire sign (March 19-April 19) that offers energetic support for passion, willpower, initiative, and taking brave and new action. It is governed by Mars, the planet of energy, action, and desire. Aries season offers you energetic support in your role as a leader and abilities to initiate, tap into your willpower, and be aggressive and spontaenous.
Aries governs the head.
The head is connected to the sahasrara (crown, violet and gold) chakra. Tap into the crown chakra for being the highest version of yourself. Chant SOHAM to connect to the crown chakra’s seed mantra. Nurture your crown chakra with amethyst, moonstone, clear quartz, and selenite crystals.
Aries’ fire energy is conected to your manipura (solar plexus; yellow) chakra which governs your willpower, persistence, and self-confidence. Chant the the seed mantra RAM to connect with the solar plexus chakra. Nurture your solar plexus chakra with citrine, pyrite, yellow or bumble bee jasper, mookite, or tiger’s eye crystals.
Journaling & Meditative Music
I invite you take a moment to explore the journaling prompts below. Listen to the meditative music in the solar plexus chakra video. May they help begin to nurture yourself in the ways you need.
-How can you nurture yourself during the Spring season?
-What type of support do you need to nurture yourself during the Spring season?
-What 1-3 steps you can take this month to get started on your Spring season nurturing?
Death, Loss, and Grief Resources
Are you struggling with death, loss, and grief right now?
Click on the video below to listen to the latest episode of the Thriving Mindfully Podcast that discusses how I am learning to understand, deal with, and nurture myself while experiencing grief in my body.
Grief + You 2-Day Retreat Series
Do you need more support with your death, loss, and grief journey?
Join me for the 2024 Grief + You 2-Day Retreat Series on April 13-14, May 4-5, June 29-30, July 27-28, August 24-25, September 28-29, October 26-27, November 16-17, and December 14-15 at 2-3:30 PM ET via Zoom.
Click the sign up button below to register.
Happy New Astrological New Year & Spring Equinox
Reflections on Self-Care I Practiced to Cope with Death, Loss & Grief During Pandemic Years of 2020-2024
While I was sitting in the Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas yesterday (which was March 11th), I remembered what happened four years ago.
As you may recall, our lives were disrupted and changed forever on March 11, 2020. That’s when the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. The pandemic and its impact on our spirit, heart, mind, body, and life continues.
I also began thinking about the how I have struggled during the past four years to cope with death, loss, and grief.
How have you struggled during the past four years to cope with death, loss, and grief?
What have you done to take care of yourself?
Redefining and deepening my self-care practices have helped me cope with and embrace Thriving Mindfully with death, loss, and grief.
Over the past four years, I have developed a self-care practice of tapping into the ancestral medicine of my loving + wise + well ancestors.
I learned ancestral medicine is my birthright. It’s yours too!
Getting help and support from my therapist, ancestral healing coach, life coach, and business coach over the past four years helped me lay a foundation for defining and accessing my ancestral medicine.
I define ancestral medicine as the love, protection, and wisdom I receive from my loving + wise + well ancestors.
This year, I decided to create a series of Thriving Mindfully Podcast episodes that share how I am using self-care practices like ancestral medicine and creativity to cope with and embrace Thriving Mindfully with death loss, and grief.
If you are struggling with death, loss, and grief AND/OR interested in learning how I am using self-care to embrace Thriving Mindfully with death, loss, and grief, listen to the Thriving Mindfully Podcast episodes below.
Here’s a list of the episodes. Clink them to access the episodes on YouTube.
-S7 EP15: Tapping into Ancestral Medicine When A Loved One Dies
–S7 EP16: Grief Self-Care – Writing Love Letters to and from Death, Loss & Grief
–S7 EP17: Death, Loss & Grief Reflections Four Years After the COVID-19 Pandemic Began
Do you need more support with your death, loss, and grief journey?
Join me for the 2024 Grief + You Retreat Series on March 17, April 13, May 5, June 30, July 28, August 25, September 29, October 27, November 17, and December 15 at 2-3:30 PM ET via Zoom.
Click the sign up button below to register.
Ananda Leeke 