Recently, I attended a group yoga class for the first time and it was kind of a big deal. I was able to unlock a new level of freedom for myself. As an adult, I have never felt comfortable with group athletic activities outside of structured dancing. Yoga, Zumba and the like have always been something I kept in my living room. I do not even like frequenting the gym. It is kind of wild, when you consider that I am a burlesque dancer. But performing is different. You just have to believe me.
Anyway, back to yoga class. The yoga event was an exclusively BIPOC event with an amazing instructor. The playlist featured strong voices like Beyonce and Kendrick. At one point, the instructor even said, “you can do anything when Beyonce is playing,” while we held a difficult pose. There is a lot to be said about being in BIPOC spaces where we are all being intentional. It is a powerful environment. One may even say, it is a freeing environment.
Group activities like this have always intimidated me because I am a person who is constantly in her head. I was amazed how I was able to get out of my head in a room full of people. In a group full of strangers, I managed to feel at home and that is something that never happens. Like, I said earlier, it made me really contemplate the freedom within my mind. It's clear I still have some work to do.
It is definitely something I want to experience more and it ties into the purpose of Verbal Tea.
Because my mind is nonstop, the importance of inner dialogue is hard for me to miss. We all have an inner voice and I believe becoming the main source of it is the key to freedom. What do I mean by “becoming the main source?” Well, if we truly inspect our inner voices, a lot of what we hear in there are thoughts and beliefs from someone or something else. Even how most of us define ourselves is based off what others have told us through conversations, media, religion, etc.
We are covering Freedom this month because the days are longer, so we’ve got time. I knew I wanted to cover it in the summer because the holidays and gatherings provide a great opportunity to tackle this topic. I don’t want to lay out all the good stuff just yet because I really want you all to spend some time with this. So let me just give you what you came here for:
This month, I have a diverse panel of people discussing Freedom from perspectives that will reach anyone who listens. Each person on Verbal Tea this month is not just a person with a story, but are people who freed themselves and others by sharing their stories. I have authors, musicians, and podcasters all joining the Tea Party to explore Freedom from a radically honest lens.
If you want to write along with us, here are some questions you can expect to hear my guests and I discuss:
What does freedom mean to you?
Who runs away from being free?
What does my inner child still need to learn/unlearn?
What choices do you make that align with your freedom?
I am in a generous mood so I have an early bonus prompt for you too: Listen to Andre Henry’s EP “Make it to Tomorrow” and write about the song that touches you the most.
I came across a song on social media, binged the entire project and journaled about the song that touched me the most (just for myself). I shared it with a friend and a song hit home for her too. So, I thought I would also give y'all the opportunity for a Feels Trip. I will be sharing a bit of my journal entry later this month, so stay tuned for that.
As always, Verbal Tea is a tea party, so it thrives off your interaction. Write along with us and share some (or all) of what you wrote by clicking the “Contact” button on this website. Or, just share your thoughts on the podcast and blog in general. I look forward to hearing from you. I value your messages, emails and comments more than any of the fancy analytics that we're forced to watch as creators.
You can tune into the episodes live every Thursday at 8pm Eastern Time/7pm Central Time/5pm Pacific Time on Facebook and YouTube at "Verbal Tea." Episodes are published on major podcasting platforms every Sunday. You can also follow us on social media @VerbalTeaTime on Instagram and TikTok or the links all throughout this page.
But the most important thing I need you all to do is to spend intentional time with your thoughts and actively become the author of your life.