As a Black woman, I understand the importance of representation and advocacy for our community. We need to be seen, heard, and respected in all facets of life – from leadership positions to everyday interactions.

Systemic oppression has been an obstacle that we have faced throughout history; however, through resilience and determination, we have overcome many challenges to create meaningful change within our communities. Now more than ever, it is essential that people recognize the value of investing in Black womxn’s wellbeing as well as our success.

A few years ago in April, NPR ran a story titled, "The Slow Internet Movement." It reported that hipster cities like Portland, Oregon, are sprouting Internet cafés that only offer dial-up access to the web. These cafés give customers, "Slow pours and slow Internet. Here, you can order your coffee and spend four hours checking your email, all for .99 an hour."

I thought: "Wow! That's just my speed!" (No pun intended.) But the story didn't just run in April. It ran on April 1st and was NPR's little April Fools' joke at the expense of gullible people like me. It got me thinking though. Life would be less stressful and my anxiety levels would be greatly reduced if I embraced the spirit of The Slow Internet Movement. So here are four tips for slowing down.

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s the importance of taking care of yourself amid anxiety, uncertainty and stress. For Black women, who often face a disproportionate burden in society, self-care can also be a tool to counter the effects of systemic racism and trauma.

In a new book, Black Women’s Yoga History: Memoirs of Inner Peace, Georgia State professor Stephanie Y. Evans highlights how Black women have historically used yoga to practice self-care. The book, which will be released in paperback in July, includes the personal self-care stories of dozens of Black women, including Maya Angelou, Rosa Parks and Tina Turner.

“The pandemic emphasized, more than any other prior time, that self-care can sometimes be effective community care,” says Evans, who leads the university’s Institute for Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies.

Here, Evans discusses why self-care is so important for Black women and how yoga has fortified Black women for centuries.