The idea of diversity in wellness is a topic that is near and dear to me, and in my view, does not garner nearly as much attentionas it should. Although there have been some studies, it is difficult to have an objective discussion because of sparse data. The anecdotal accounts, however, are abundant. Wellness, as we understand it today, was introduced in 1959 by Halbert Dunn’s article “High-Level Wellness for Man & Society.” Dunn’s writing, from over fifty years ago, began to appreciate the idea that health is more than the eradication of disease but the pursuit of long-term and sustainable health.
Unfortunately, wellness campaigns are quick to grace their magazine covers with images that at times neglect the racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity that makes our country beautiful. This may serve as a barrier to racial and ethnic minority groups accessing and benefiting from wellness practices like yoga. Salma Haidrani writes eloquently about her experiences being the only woman of color while visiting her local yoga studio, and how reading through wellness magazines on display in the studio exacerbated feeling ostracized. A recent sequence of covers for Yoga Journal's popular magazine portrays a middle-aged African American man and a woman in military attire which I admit were different than what I was used to seeing. Although people of color have been featured on the cover before, it was still beautiful to see.
I recently spoke with Nityda Gessel, founder of the Trauma-Informed Yoga Institute for my podcast “This is Mental Health,” who when asked about the portrayal of yoga in the media suggested that “…it’s a reflection of privilege in our society…and it’s sending a message of who is deserving of these practices.” Additionally, Gessel's ideas on yoga and social justice lend boldly to her philosophy that Martin Luther King, Jr.'s work in advocacy were in line with that of a Bhakti yogi, which offers a stark contrast from the image of modern yoga that some may observe. These types of discussions provide rhetoric that serve as an invitation to share various forms of wellness with each other, despite our background or appearance.
[For more on this story by Gregory Scott Brown M.D., go to https://www.psychologytoday.co.../the-colors-wellness]
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