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Onwuama: Death Is Knowing - (de)compost
THIS INTIMATE SPACE USES RAW EARTH AND THE COMPOSTING PROCESS AS A SOMATIC MIRROR FOR GRIEF, INTEGRATING SELF-PACED TRACKING, HANDS-ON SOIL INTEGRATION, AND EARTHPOSTURE RESTORATIVE YOGA TO DISCHARGE WEATHERING AND GROUND DEEP HEALING INTO YOUR BODY. THIS IS A SLOW-PACED, TRAUMA-INFORMED JUNETEENTH OFFERING FOR BLACK AND BIPOC COMMUNITY CONNECTION—ALL GARDEN MATERIALS AND SEEDS ARE PROVIDED.
What to Expect: The Anatomy of Our Space
We begin by lowering the volume of the outside world, inviting your nervous system to land on the earth without the pressure of forced performance or immediate vulnerability. Sitting together on blankets and cushions under the open sky, we will establish our shared boundaries, acknowledge the historical weight of this Juneteenth gathering, and close the door on digital distractions by going completely offline. Once quieted, we will open with a gentle grounding sequence to orient to the land, locate our physical gravity, and settle into the heavy, honest truth of why we have gathered—confronting the law of finality and the somatic truth that what we do not actively tend, dies.
The heart of our time is spent directly on and with the land, bypassing talk therapy to communicate directly with your body's implicit wisdom. You will be invited into a slow, silent tracking walk across the garden to monitor your internal "felt-sense" and select the container and perennial seeds you are personally willing to keep alive in this season. From there, we transition to metabolic soil integration—literally getting your hands into raw dirt. As we work with compost piles and mix soil, you will physically anchor the biological reality of decay, heat, and transformation. Throughout this hands-on work, you hold complete agency; you can work intensely, move slowly, or simply sit with the earth, protected by a fierce boundary of non-interference—meaning absolutely no unsolicited advice, fixing, or forced processing from anyone else.
We devote our final hours to integrating this medicine and safely settling your nervous system. We will transition to the bare grass for Earthposture Restorative Yoga—a slow, low-to-the-ground physical sequence focusing on heavy, supportive postures that press your hands, shins, and feet directly into the earth to soothe and quiet a tired system. We will then gather in our Sovereign Circle to witness one another, allowing each person to voice what they are choosing to tend moving forward, with the absolute freedom to share or remain in quiet, respected presence. Before we part, we will share grounding nourishment—herbal tea, fresh fruit, and light food—to fully bring your awareness back into the physical space, ensuring you are alert, anchored, and safely back in your body before you head home.
this offering is free for members of the Black community, holding space for collective healing and rest. allies who wish to support this work are warmly invited to contribute monetary or in-kind donations to sustain collective access and liberation. in-kind offerings such as bags of organic soil, compost, perennial seeds, refreshments, and planting pots or containers are deeply appreciated and will be put directly to use in the garden.
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CAPACITY IS CAPPED AT 20 MEMBERS TO PRESERVE THE SAFETY AND DEPTH OF OUR COLLECTIVE ENERGY.
THIS INTIMATE SPACE USES RAW EARTH AND THE COMPOSTING PROCESS AS A SOMATIC MIRROR FOR GRIEF, INTEGRATING SELF-PACED TRACKING, HANDS-ON SOIL INTEGRATION, AND EARTHPOSTURE RESTORATIVE YOGA TO DISCHARGE WEATHERING AND GROUND DEEP HEALING INTO YOUR BODY. THIS IS A SLOW-PACED, TRAUMA-INFORMED JUNETEENTH OFFERING FOR BLACK AND BIPOC COMMUNITY CONNECTION—ALL GARDEN MATERIALS AND SEEDS ARE PROVIDED.
What to Expect: The Anatomy of Our Space
We begin by lowering the volume of the outside world, inviting your nervous system to land on the earth without the pressure of forced performance or immediate vulnerability. Sitting together on blankets and cushions under the open sky, we will establish our shared boundaries, acknowledge the historical weight of this Juneteenth gathering, and close the door on digital distractions by going completely offline. Once quieted, we will open with a gentle grounding sequence to orient to the land, locate our physical gravity, and settle into the heavy, honest truth of why we have gathered—confronting the law of finality and the somatic truth that what we do not actively tend, dies.
The heart of our time is spent directly on and with the land, bypassing talk therapy to communicate directly with your body's implicit wisdom. You will be invited into a slow, silent tracking walk across the garden to monitor your internal "felt-sense" and select the container and perennial seeds you are personally willing to keep alive in this season. From there, we transition to metabolic soil integration—literally getting your hands into raw dirt. As we work with compost piles and mix soil, you will physically anchor the biological reality of decay, heat, and transformation. Throughout this hands-on work, you hold complete agency; you can work intensely, move slowly, or simply sit with the earth, protected by a fierce boundary of non-interference—meaning absolutely no unsolicited advice, fixing, or forced processing from anyone else.
We devote our final hours to integrating this medicine and safely settling your nervous system. We will transition to the bare grass for Earthposture Restorative Yoga—a slow, low-to-the-ground physical sequence focusing on heavy, supportive postures that press your hands, shins, and feet directly into the earth to soothe and quiet a tired system. We will then gather in our Sovereign Circle to witness one another, allowing each person to voice what they are choosing to tend moving forward, with the absolute freedom to share or remain in quiet, respected presence. Before we part, we will share grounding nourishment—herbal tea, fresh fruit, and light food—to fully bring your awareness back into the physical space, ensuring you are alert, anchored, and safely back in your body before you head home.
this offering is free for members of the Black community, holding space for collective healing and rest. allies who wish to support this work are warmly invited to contribute monetary or in-kind donations to sustain collective access and liberation. in-kind offerings such as bags of organic soil, compost, perennial seeds, refreshments, and planting pots or containers are deeply appreciated and will be put directly to use in the garden.