Jasmine Marie: Breathing New Life into Wellness
Jasmine Marie is building more than just a brand; she’s leading a cultural shift in how we approach wellness. As the force behind Black Girls Breathing, she’s created a thriving online and inperson community centered on bringing life-changing tools to underserved groups. With a focus on breathwork and the mind-body connection, she’s helping women to slow down in a world that rewards constant motion.
Why was it important to create Black Girls Breathing?
Black women are dying from diseases related to chronic stress at a rate higher than other demographics. Black Girls Breathing is committed to helping Black women heal their taxed and heightened nervous systems and manage their mental health by providing free and accessible mental health resources and tools to combat the various stressors. We plan to reach 1 million Black women and girls by 2027.
What’s a simple way to start breathwork?
I love to introduce Oceanic Breathing. With your mouth wide open, you’re going to inhale and exhale deeply. It’s called the Oceanic Breath because the elongated breathing sounds mimic the sounds of the ocean coming ashore and leaving out to sea. If you can picture that while you’re breathing, it’s an opportunity to connect to multiple senses. Practicing this for even 30 seconds can help bring you back to the present.
What’s your advice for building something meaningful?
Connect to your why and understand that it’s going to be hard. The hard moments don’t mean that you’re not on your path. Prepare yourself for the ups and downs by being very clear on who you are, by having a great support system and grounding yourself beyond what you do. Because, you aren’t your work. As important as this is, I am so much more than what I’ve built and what I’ve done.
