Reclaiming Wellness

Many of the most popular approaches to mind, body, and spirit wellness are rooted in age-old practices from around the world and come from communities of color. But more often than not, they are primarily marketed to and used by the cultural elite. In Reclaiming Wellness: Ancient Wisdom for Your Healthy, Happy, and Beautiful Life certified wellness expert and author Jovanka Ciares reclaims these time- and science-proven modalities and makes them easy to implement for all, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, income, or social status. “The lack of representation within the wellness industry is palpable, from practitioners and advocates to brands that seemingly cater to only one type of audience — wealthy, white Westerners,” writes Ciares. “Wellness is not for the privileged few. Wellness is a state of living that applies to all living creatures — humans, animals, and plants. And the most popular wellness practices have been practiced for millennia by people all over the world.” Ciares knows firsthand how it feels to bounce from doctor’s office to doctor’s office, drowning in theories, but getting no answers. After years of suffering from IBS, ulcers, and fibroids, she embraced alternative therapies like Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and herbalism. Her personal fifteen-year healing journey became her motivation to inspire and support thousands of others to do the same, especially those like herself — educated women of color who are rarely represented in the billion-dollar industry of health and wellness. Reclaiming Wellness highlights the multicultural roots of a wide variety of popular health trends and shares them to promote solidarity and inclusivity. The book includes fascinating historical context for wellness practices like herbalism, meditation, visualization, hypnosis, yoga, plant-based eating, sound healing, and more. “I have written this book to help address the diversity and inclusion problem in modern wellness,” writes Ciares. “As I highlight throughout, all modern practices have roots in ancient cultures from around the world, and I hope that all people of color will feel empowered to explore, embrace, and reclaim them.” Reclaiming Wellness speaks to everyone, with an emphasis on the people of color who struggle disproportionately with preventable diseases, to offer: ? practical, affordable, and even fun ways to incorporate plant-based whole foods into even the most time-crunched routine ? lazy-proof means of movement that feel more like self-love than the dreaded “exercise” ? techniques of mindfulness, meditation, and visualization that make them meaningful everyday tools ? ways to experience nature, music, and community to heal and connect “Whether you are new to wellness or various specific practices or not, I hope this book provides you with the knowledge to create your own wellness journey,” writes Ciares. “ I encourage you to explore and to question, to increase your knowledge and to trust yourself, as you evaluate what practices might be best for you. Be curious about what could lead to a healthier, stronger, happier version of you, and pursue that curiosity to create just that.” Jovanka Ciares is the author of Reclaiming Wellness and several other titles. A certified wellness expert, integrative herbalist, nutrition educator, and coach, she offers lectures and workshops in Spanish and English. Ciares studied nutrition with bestselling author T. Colin Campbell, PhD, at his Center for Nutrition Studies (in partnership with Cornell University) and herbalism / plant medicine with Tieraona Low Dog, MD. A native of Puerto Rico, she lives in Los Angeles. Visit her online at http://www.jovankaciares.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.