The Right to be Well.
This post was guest-written for Root to Rise by RDY by Rebeca Ortiz (@slowmad_observer).
December 10 marks the anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights signing. It’s a day for those who’ve dedicated their lives to speaking up for and pushing back against all manner of human rights violations - to celebrate the wins and, vitally, recognise what remains to be done. The theme for Human Rights Day this year is “equality,” and as a member of Root to Rise, I think it’s important to reflect on the work of the wellbeing movement - or rather, who we are talking about when we talk about the right to be “well.”
The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights breaks down the right to health, rest, and wellbeing as follows:
Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitations of working hours and periodic holidays with pay (Article 24).
Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and wellbeing of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services…(excerpt from Article 25).
Many have observed that our beloved spaces of wellness have been primarily commercialised and promoted with a specific clientele in mind; the wealthy, predominantly white, and from the Global North. Rather than wellness being a nuanced and diverse arena for all, it sprouted the air of elitism as it grew in the West.
Here at our collective, we recognised this. We understood that in order for our work to be valid and impactful, we needed to do our own work and take deliberate steps to further enlighten ourselves and share our evolution with our amazing community of followers.
One of those steps was/is to continue our efforts to dismantle traditionally held standards in this field and promote inclusivity and equity in what we do. Personally, the way I keep myself in check is by reflecting on/asking myself:
My self-awareness and biases
How am I, not just in my role at the collective, but as an individual, checking in with my own beliefs, which may be outdated and exclusive? And, what am I doing right - how am I already pushing for more diversity and equity in this work?
Who has the mic?
How do I ensure the community Root to Rise aims to serve - survivors of gender-based violence in Mexico, and the local organisations who’ve been serving these individuals, have the loudest voice in our collaborations? One of the collective’s core beliefs is that we are here to share skills. Therefore, I don’t hold all the answers. I’m also a student on this journey to achieving a state of wellness.
Representation
Ensure that I keep placing people that truly represent the world we live in, front and centre. There’s no one type of person who has a monopoly on wellness - we each deserve to be and feel well; it’s not an exclusive space for a specific demographic.
Another significant part of these learnings is all of the trailblazing people, groups, and organisations I’ve come to know and love. Here are just a handful of names of those that are also doing the work to close the wellness gap, and promote our human right to health and wellbeing:
Nicole Cardoza - Speaker, author, and founder of Reclamation Ventures
Exhale to Inhale - US-based non-profit organization leading trauma-informed yoga training
Rina Despande - Yoga teacher, author, and poet focused on the de-colonisation of yoga
Darian Hall - Founder of the wellness space and cafe Heal Haus
Steven Rousseau - Yoga teacher and alternative & holistic health service provider
Jessamyn - Writer and yoga teacher, founder of The Underbelly Yoga
Access to the benefits of meditation, yoga, nutrition, and wellbeing shouldn’t be dependent on your ability to pay exorbitant membership fees at a yoga studio, or on your ability to purchase the latest luxe yoga gear. This grand movement should be anti-elitist, inclusive, and equal at its core.