Obari: I tried Yoga once years ago to impress a woman. I felt so out of place. It wasn’t for me. I never did yoga again until I met you. Have not been doing it every week for months. I can’t say that it has totally transformed my life yet, but I can see how it could.
Our MANifest men’s wellness Sundays at The Quarry have benefited tremendously from your contributions. Can you share a little about why you think it’s important for Black men to do Yoga?
Mike: Yoga is an ancient practice, an art, a healing tool accompanied with breathing techniques to bring the mind to peace. Anyone and everyone can benefit from yogic practices. However, let’s face it. There is an agenda to disenfranchise our Black communities our men and mostly our natural way of life.
Yoga is a way to heal from trauma. The breathing techniques, for example, are a key to life and fulfilling Yoga practice. Breathing teaches the body to decompress stress. Focusing the mind on the rhythmic process of deep diaphragmatic breathing changes our thinking. Targeting only the movement of the abdomen releases mental tension and stress.
Emotional responses correlate with breathing patterns. Fear, anger, and sadness have similar breathing rhythms originating in the chest. Courage, bravery, duty, and a patient mind are originated mainly in the lower abdomen.
Observing these breathing techniques with the use of Yoga keeps the Black male grounded not in speech but in natural self-awareness. Power then is generated through deep abdominal breathing.
Obari: Yes, the emotional part is real. I cried once during a session, during Auset’s embrace, and you said something about self-love. I realized in that moment that I needed that. How did this path start for you, how did you get into Yoga?
Mike: My mother had VHS tapes with yoga by Rodney Yee. I was a busy body young man always expressing myself. I got up early one morning at 6:00 a.m. and my mother was practicing Yoga. I was interested and popped the tape in when she was gone. I became in love with yogic practice. It wasn’t until a Muata Ashby Smai Tawi Yoga video on DVD that I was introduced to pyramid breathing with Tai Chi and Qigong. In my mid- twenties Neter Ankh Ahku, in Florida at the time, certified me in the Smai Tawi (Kemetic Yoga) tradition.
Obari: How has it benefited you personally?
Mike: I was in a chaotic part of my life at 24. I was in my senior year at Columbia College of Chicago for Music, with focus on composition for the screen. My last assignment was to go to Los Angeles to take a 5 week class on film scoring. The excitement, the projects and the celebrities who came to talk to us put a lot of pressure on my mind. I wanted to do well, so I stressed a lot.
Once I was introduced to deep abdominal breathing through Dr. Muata Ashby, my stress level went way down. I was thirsty for a chance to cling to something natural and edifying, so I practiced in the morning before I started my day, and in the evening before bed. When I finally got to practicing yoga again with Neter Aunkh Ahku, I felt strong right away because of my previous dedication to deep breathing.
Obari: You’re saying all these foreign-sounding names. Can you say more about the style you teach and how it’s different from whatever “regular” Yoga is?
Mike: I was certified in 2011 in Smai Tawi (Kemetic Yoga), also known as Egyptian yoga. The yoga I practice/teach is from the studies and oversight of Neter Ankh Aakhu and Author Muata Ashby. Both men have traveled to Egypt. Neter Ankh is the Head
Basu and a student of Muata Ashby’s studies. Neter Ankh has molded and built a Yoga system based on Ausuarian principles.
Ausar is associated with the spine, being stable and incorruptible. Becoming Ausar is accessed through deep breathing and movement and is one of the goals when studying smai tawi. Smai Tawi Yoga is very different from popular yoga because of how the system is built around the spine. The spine is a symbol of how individuals, families, and communities can learn how to be divine.
Smai Tawi doesn’t practice flow, it is a calculated system with deep breathing as it’s a catalyst for internal and spiritual healing. Yoga from India and China focused on poses for flexibility. Contortion is a big part of modern yoga and also has a body type. What does this mean? Smai Tawi doesn’t focus on body type or a particular gender.
Obari: What is the significance of using that approach with Black people?
Mike: We are emotional and passionate people which sometimes become unbalanced and misdirected. I have seen when our people find peace within themselves through yoga. We stay balanced and are happy inside not because of what we have. We develop inner strength through knowing our power and because of consistent practice in exercising it.
Obari: What community problems could we solve if we figured out how to get more Black men to do yoga consistently?
Mike: Our health would progress, and we could catch the young men before they start habits that will be hard to break. Communication between strangers is a start. Couples and friends can practice Yoga to heal the energy between themselves without words, likes and dislikes. We could strengthen our homes and build a truly strong foundation with the practice of Smai Tawi Yoga as one of our foundations of structure.
Recently we have faced a common threat to our health with Covid-19. The practice of Smai Tawi alone is not enough to strengthen the immune system. What we eat, how much and the type of stress we are exposed to affects the immune system. Spring and or alkaline water is preferable to tap water in keeping the body hydrated.
Practicing deep abdominal breathing and restricting breath to the nostrils helps with clearing airways of pollution and Covid-19. Fluid breathing keeps the nervous and circulatory system fresh and ready to discard waste.
If anyone has pre-existing health conditions seek natural remedies that involve exercise. Increase consumption of green leafy vegetables and fruits. Get out in the sun and take in deep breaths to cleanse the lungs. In conclusion, whether you are flexible or not, Smai Tawi is a yoga system that will keep you fit, healthy mentally and physically. When one is ready to study ancient literature of ancient Kemet (Egypt), spiritual health can be obtained.
**We will resume Black Men Do Yoga sessions every Sunday at 11:30 a.m., starting August 2nd at The Quarry, 2423 E. 75th St.** Follow Mike Wilson on Instagram: @ptryyoga
