"If you love yoga or have an on-again/off-again relationship with it, I highly recommend you take private lessons with Selena. From the assessment in the first session, to each session after, she really listens to what you want to achieve for yourself, physically and mentally, and creates a practice to get there. She’s not afraid to push you, but know that she will be right there to adjust you, place the blocks or mat in a better place, and support you as you continue to grow from session to session. She has a warm spirit that is welcoming and encouraging and you automatically want to accept each challenge willingly just to get the hug or high five when you surprise yourself! "
/ @rocksolidmel /
"Selena instructed a private class with my cousin and I. She was timely, friendly and professional. She has a very welcoming presence and was open to any questions before and during the session. She also made a point to ask about any injuries or concerns so she could tailor our session accordingly. I am a yoga novice and my cousin is at an intermediate level. Despite that, Selena was able to craft a course that accommodated both of our levels. During the session, she explained what each of the stretches/poses were and remained mindful of both my cousin and I – helping us re-adjust ourselves through any stretches and poses as necessary. I felt great after our session! I thoroughly enjoyed my time and would highly recommend Selena! "
/ @afrokanomics /
"From the start of my first yoga lesson with Ms. Selena Brown, I immediately sensed I was in the presence of a true Leader. In addition to her relentless attention to the proper positioning of my body, Selena facilitated my learning by constantly offering me visual references & audio cues, by sharing personal and useful insights from her own yoga experiences whenever I found myself challenged, and by maintaining a uniquely warm and soft spoken demeanor while she gracefully lead me towards a space within which I have come to love revisiting as often as possible through Yoga. I recommend Selena to anyone seeking to explore the boundaries of their own physical, mental, and spiritual well-being through the study of Yoga. She is a wonderful human being, an exceptional Yoga Instructor, and I’m honored to call her a friend. Namaste."
/ @Allan.arturo.terran /
"I highly recommend Selena as a yoga instructor. I attended a class of hers and it was a great experience to be pushed to new limits in my practice."
/ @quotesperdiem /
“Looking back at the notes in my journal, I see just the motivation I needed to get out of a place of uncertainty and doubt in my own abilities and what I envision for my future. Not every day’s exercise was pleasant, as several of them conjured up some memories that I had buried. However, every day’s exercise was incredibly valuable, forcing me to be honest with myself about prevalent fears and areas in my life that I could address using the tools shared during this experience. I am using the journal entries as motivation for me to start living the life I want now, to love more deeply and not allow the opinions of others to influence what I know in my heart is right for me. Thank you for inviting me to partake in this experience.”
/ @STONEBAYSOL /
Months and weeks preceding the first reported case of the COVID virus in the States, I was naïve to the amount of impact, if any that the virus would have on the day to day life of myself and the rest of America. The virus was initially reported in China and I assumed that it would be contained there until a vaccine was developed. In a short period of times news of the virus spreading to other parts of the world and an increase in the amount of reported deaths globally gained more of my attention. Prior to the shelter in place I recall my uncle warning me to commence stocking up on food and household supplies which I never committed to as part of me held on to the belief that this virus could and would not spread exponentially amongst Americans as were the case with our nations. In my head this wasn’t World War Z or Outbreak or any other type of movie with plots based on lethal viruses that go viral that lead to pandemonium – this was reality, the real world if you will, and a vaccine would be developed before an actual pandemic arose in the States (after all our nation had fear warning). Subsequently the first reported case of the virus in America was announced and quite frankly, that’s when sh$t got real for me. Based on media reports of how the virus could spread and those individuals who were considered high-risk, fear and anxiety arose, not necessarily for myself but my grandmother who, due to her age and current breathing issues, could easily fall victim if exposed to the virus. Consequently, I changed my commuting time, traveling to and from work anticipating that I would encounter less people on the MTA transit system – disappointingly I always managed to still be in a train car with someone coughing. Taking time during the work day to exercise and frequent the sauna to detox became mandatory. Weekend visits to my grandma decreased from hours spent talking, laughing and watching Law and Order as well as BET to 10-15 minute check-ins with me wearing a mask and having plenty of distance between us – there were no hugs or kisses good bye which pained us both.
On Sunday March 15th I received the official email from my job’s crisis management team that our office would be closed as of Monday March 16th and that all staff would be working remotely until further notice. That Monday we learned that this was not only prompted by the impending shelter in place to be imposed by the city and state local officials but also due to the fact that it was brought to the firm’s attention that an employee who had been present in the office had come in contact with the virus. Despite the employee’s identity being kept anonymous (only specific teams that had direct contact with this particular individual was made aware of his identity), my fear and anxiety heightened. I consider myself to be a very analytical person and the only thoughts that crossed my mind were – who was this person? Could we have passed each other in the hallway (our office is small)? Could I have spoken to him in the pantry? Was he in contact with someone on my team (hello, the concept of six degrees of separation) at any point over the last two weeks?
Coping being quarantined in the subsequent weeks was a struggle for me. I’m single with no children and as such felt alienated from my friends and family. It was even more depressing and overwhelming knowing that my refrigerator and pantries were now stocked with groceries that I had no idea on how to cook and preserve for the weeks to follow (don’t judge me lol). As the amount of cases and resulting deaths due to the virus increased, especially in the POC communities, and the uncertainty surrounding the timing of a vaccine to combat the virus continued to linger, I began to lose hope of escaping this crisis. Stress, anxiety, worry and experiencing subtle symptoms of the virus (perhaps caused by the stress, anxiety and worry) made me sick both mentally and physically. I became depressed and couldn’t bring myself to work out or practice yoga. The conspiracy theories surrounding the virus - involvement of the government, Bill Gates, population control, 5G – became overwhelming to the point that I didn’t know what to believe and who to consider a reliable source of information. The only realization that I knew was that I had no control over what was happening in the world and without control, the feelings of fear and hopelessness continued.
REWIND – prior to the onslaught of the pandemic in the States, I was introduced to Selena Brown, M.A. M.Ed, RYT of pramanawellness as she was featured in an Instagram post in February commemorating Yogis of Color during this past Black History Month. To my amazement she reached out to me individually to formally introduce herself and compliment my IG page which is comprised of inspirational posts and pictures taken during my travels. Subsequently our conversations continued as Selena became a huge resource in terms of answering my questions pertaining to the development of my personal yoga and meditation practices and how to cultivate with more POC yogis as well also in the practice. These insights actually served as outlets and bursts of motivation as I coped with the life of being quarantined as well as lack of communication and physical presence with friends and family.
When Selena announced that she would be leading an Oprah and Deepak 21-day Meditation Experience based on the premise - Hope in Uncertain Times it was beyond a doubt that I should participate especially given the negative feelings I was experiencing during the pandemic. Furthermore, for years I’ve been wanting to have a strong meditation practice and 21 days would be a perfect opportunity to develop the momentum, patience, consistency and accountability I lacked in attaining this goal. The 21-day experience consisted of a ten minute teaching of the day by Oprah and Deepak centered around eradicating fears from the past and worries for the future as well as discovering your inner strength to cope with and handle difficult people and experiences. These teachings were followed by the introduction to a new Sanskrit mantra by Deepak and 10 minutes of silent meditation.
This 21-day experience was transformative in ways that I never anticipated. Oprah and Deepak’s teachings were resourceful in providing guidance to me on how to respond to uncertain times by first and foremost primarily reconnecting with my core self and using my inner strength to change my focus on the negative connotations associated with uncertainty. I learned to view uncertainty as an opportunity to learn and create new realities in my life irrespective of the outcomes. However, although my initial intent was to focus on the mediation aspect of the experience, my true transformation was derived from the journaling prompts orchestrated by Selena throughout the entire process. These exercises required true introspection and a level of honesty with myself that I had to endure if I wanted to obtain all the benefits of gaining wisdom through these acts of self-reflection. They engaged me to be more mindful of my thoughts throughout the day and further revealed how these thoughts often bring more awareness to the stories I tell myself about me and the world we live in. From these practices, I learned that I need to spend more time focused on controlling my own narrative by eradicating these thoughts and shaping the person that I inspire to be.
I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to have participated in the 21-Day Hope in Uncertain Times experience with Selena. Although we’re still experiencing the pandemic, a new sense of hope and optimism has been restored in me. I am looking forward to revisiting the teachings and implementing the resources taught in navigating uncertainty as well as experiencing all of the self-discoveries I continue to make along the way.