An Evening of Planting Intentions

This BIPOC led annual wellness event drives purpose through a North St. Louis City community garden.

"Mommy, watch me do a backbend!" an excited 4 year old, Myah, calls out to her mother, Breana, standing a few feet away.

Both have just finished a beginner friendly yoga session in a lush North St. Louis City community garden. Myah stretches her slender arms high above her head and slowly arches backward. Her tiny frame only a foot above the ground before "thud!", she falls on her side and rolls over on the grass giggling. Her mother laughs and cheers on her effort.

As attendees of An Evening of Planting Intentions (AEOPI), Breana and Myah were among the first to partake in a one of kind wholistic health fair. AEOPI was a whole experience co-hosted by Morgan Williams, founder of women's empowerment blog OoSoSisterly.org

and, yours truly, Dia Rice, founder of nonprofit Big Mama Vegan.

AEOPI was a whole experience!

Things kicked off at 4pm with a welcome from Morgan where she read a story excerpt from her blog. Her reading set the pace for good healthy intentions to take root in the hearts and minds of all the event goers. A 45 minute yoga and meditation flow came next, led by yoga instructor Marnae Chavers.

Intentional breathing paired with static posing stretched our bodies' muscles, loosened joints and calmed our nerves for the following sound bowl meditation. Sound bowl healer Anna Ortiz-Aragon really brought the experience up to its peak! We were provided a lush sound experience that aligned each chakra energy center from root to crown.

Some attendees were so at peace they laid down in the garden for a nap.

Good healthy intentions (took) root in the hearts and minds of all the event goers

Each factor of AEOPI was carefully incorporated with the purpose of healing each attendee in the span of 3 hours. From 4 to 7pm we were immersed in healing energy. In addition to the meditation flow, massage therapist Wednesday Brown provided event goers free 10 minute full body massages. Longtime supporters of her LLC Eccentric Healing Plus describe her massage style, "you feel love moving through the palms of her hands and instantly release all that blocks you from being healed. The care she gives throughout her massages make you radiate long after it ends."

Wednesday Brown, owner of Eccentric Healing Plus LLC massages event vendor Léna Jackson, owner of Doré catering.

Vendors The Self-ish Company and A Good Day to be Black and Vegan rounded out the event with wholesome retail vibes. Both vendors sold, among other items, skincare products, bracelet accessories and t shirts with positive slogans like "Self-care isn't Selfish" and "It's a good day to be Black and Vegan!"

Wellness extended further to the inner wellbeing with our healthy snack vendors. Vegan, allergy free cookies were sold by The Sweet Evannlution, and Doré vended dairy-free sorbets.

Each factor of AEOPI was carefully incorporated with the purpose of healing each attendee in the span of 3 hours

After a short break time that followed the meditation flow, the event was capped with a lesson on "grounding through growing our own food" led by me. First, we held a group talk about how to grow our food as natural stewards of earth and participants in the global shift to food solidarity.

Next, each attendee was instructed to write in permanent marker on tiny sign posts their intentions to better themselves, their surroundings and lives of others. With these intentions set, we dug into the soil with our hands and staked the signs posts into the garden beds. Planting in this manner brought the nerve endings in our fingers directly into contact with energy circulating through the earth's topmost layer, consequently bridging the nature aspect into the mindful meditation activities we performed.

I had a few baby crops on hand: zucchini, green bell pepper and lavender. I gave the attendees one of each to plant. One by one we dropped the roots of each new plant down into the ground, patted the soil and watered them. A final group photo in the newly planted garden brought the event to a close.

Planting (in ground) brought the nerve endings in our fingers directly into contact with energy circulating through the earth's topmost layer

This wellness event was a success for many reasons not the least which being it was BIPOC women led and mostly attended by Black women. We are the most marginalized targeted group in our country, and this event counteracted the traumas we face daily. One of our main goals was to create a space of high vibration where each attendee could be healed of any mental or emotional ailment.

Our attendees received said healing, and I as a healer was so grateful to witness and lead. It is one of my deepest intentions to assist with the healing of our communities in the purest wholistic ways we can create. I wish all the attendees, sponsors, instructors, vendors, and my co-host the best that life has to offer! With all of our intentions planted firmly, this evening will be sure to fruit a future brighter than we could envision.