I am a white female business owner. My life’s work has been centered around providing safe and healing space. For more than 20 years I’ve studied, practiced, and taught about mindfulness and self-awareness. I think I’m a pretty good person.

But this doesn’t mean I don’t also contribute to perpetuating racism and the continued oppression of marginalized communities. Because I do.

It’s tempting to point all my fingers at the racism happening “over there”. But one of our few guiding principles at Asha is, “It starts with me.”

Racism, white privilege, and white supremacy are woven into the fabric of American life and the effects of this system live inside me (no matter how good, kind, spiritual, or well-intentioned I am or try to be).

Taking full responsibility can often (mostly?) be hard to swallow. Like now. But friends…we can do hard things. And we must.

To the good people in the white community,

If you believe that racial bias and racism are only alive “out there” but not inside you and me, please…lean in with me. Place both feet on the ground and take a deep breath: It’s time to get honest and do some deep work. This important step allows our actions to truly serve a mission of equality, which I know matters to you.

Consider with me for a moment how less overt, passive acts of privilege and racial bias might be as oppressive and damaging as those we tend to be so easily appalled by. Because they are.

Less overt racial violence often seems to be less of an issue because we don’t understand the effects. Let’s be willing to learn and do better.

We ALL have work to do. Honest, loving, brave work that can make a difference.

I recommend the workbook, Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad. If you’re triggered by this post and/or the book title itself, warm up with White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo. If you think these books don’t apply to you…I get it, I’ve been there but, my friends, they most likely do.

To all our Friends, Asha will do more. Here’s where we’re starting now.

SALT LOUNGE SPACE FOR DEEP WORK
Asha will donate space for organized study using the Me and White Supremacy workbook.
The salt lounge experience is grounding and settling to our systems. It’s the perfect environment for getting present and digging in. (More info below)

BLACK LIVES MATTER COLLABORATION
We’re donating private sessions at the bathhouse to Black Lives Matter Sacramento to use and give as needed.

This is not enough. But it’s what we’re doing today.

-Cori