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The essence of Jasmine Marie’s work and her company’s name is encapsulated in three impactful words: black girls breathing. Since 2018, she has committed her life to helping Black women heal their nervous systems as a breathwork practitioner, CEO, and speaker. Despite the challenging nature of her work, Jasmine finds humor in the creation of her first book.
“I’m laughing because I didn’t see myself writing a book,” she admits. “Honestly, publishers approached me in the past, and I consistently declined. I was deeply focused on my work. I thought writing a book would distract me from the current work I needed to do.”
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A publisher managed to pierce through Jasmine Marie’s skepticism: Balance, led by another Black woman. By emphasizing through VP Nana K. Twumasi that a book could extend her mission, Jasmine Marie embraced authorship. Her debut work, Black Girls Breathing: Heal from Trauma, Combat Chronic Stress, and Find Your Freedom, offers Black women a guide to the transformative power of breathwork, highlighting her path from stressed individual to wellness leader.
Amidst political tension and hostility towards the community Jasmine serves, her unforeseen book proves crucial. Across the nation, Black women aim to focus on their health, aligning with her recent release. She is determined to share it widely.
“I did my part that I felt compelled to do,” she states, modestly hoping it reaches those in need.
Black Girls Breathing: Heal from Trauma, Combat Chronic Stress, and Find Your Freedom by Jasmine Marie
Jasmine Marie discusses how societal systems benefit from individuals feeling detached from their bodies. Breathwork reconnects the mind and body, being a pivotal resource. It activates the parasympathetic nervous system, vital for ‘rest and digest’ processes, countering the ‘fight or flight’ stress state common in people of color, particularly Black individuals. With ongoing trauma and stress, their default state often remains in constant alertness.
This condition leads to issues like depression and frustration, with bodies unable to manage additional pressure. Through breathwork, individuals can recalibrate their nervous systems and develop capacity to handle everyday stress, relying on the parasympathetic response during anxious moments.
However, like exercising a muscle, a chronically stressed body might have an underused parasympathetic system. Employing breathwork helps turn on this system, enabling more balanced responses to stress. Feeling grounded and making rational decisions enhance overall functionality and equate to a form of activism.
The book Black Girls Breathing includes three main focuses: Healing from Trauma, Combating Chronic Stress, and Finding Freedom, paralleling Jasmine’s own experiences. She describes her progression from dealing with stress in New York City to discovering breathwork as a coping mechanism, eventually leading to her formal training and initiation of black girls breathing as a platform for group sessions.
Her journey involved confronting and processing past traumas, breaking free from societal norms regarding success and stress. She realized that true freedom lies in understanding and following one’s individual truths rather than pursuing external validations.
Jasmine Maria emphasizes that while collective Black freedom remains unattained, internal freedom serves as a vital tool, akin to ancestral resilience. For those attending her breathwork sessions, she aims to provide a moment of personal liberation.
The book opens with analysis on the intergenerational impacts of chronic stress, stressing its heritage rather than personal origin. Considering lineage is crucial when addressing one’s nervous system, Jasmine Maria explains.
Epigenetics shows trauma passing through DNA, yet reprogramming is possible. Previous generations, particularly grandmothers and great-grandmothers, lived in fear of repercussions, influencing current fear responses to change and uncertainty.
She acknowledges the challenge for those advancing self-care concepts when past generations lacked such resources. Encouraging individuals to exercise grace and not blame past selves for absence of knowledge, she also fosters understanding for previous generations’ circumstances.
The book tackles the misconception of self-care as a luxury. Breathwork, universally accessible due to our innate ability to breathe, provides a contrary perspective. Jasmine Maria teaches methods to enhance breathing awareness, improving responses to stress by activating the calming parasympathetic state.
Her favorite method is oceanic breathing, involving inhaling and exhaling through wide open mouths, simulating ocean waves. This method allows stress reduction without needing additional resources.
She concludes with considerations for possibility and taking space. Reconnecting with the body through breathwork frees capacity to envision new futures, breaking from past patterns and letting healing open the door to dreaming.
Given today’s divided climate, Jasmine Maria offers practical advice for Black women encountering distressing news: limit exposure while staying informed, and practice oceanic breathing for tranquility.
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