If you enjoy this article please share and if you are interested in more of my writing at the intersection of Yoga and AI (specifically Yoga Teaching and AI please consider grabbing my book “The Yoga Teachers Guide to AI: Second Edition” Available on Kindle, Apple and most retailers or you can order directly from me at dannyspeakspeace.com

Our relationship to attention is arguably in a crisis.

More notifications, opinions, images, information and demands on our awareness are being made daily than any generation before us.

Devices are additional limbs of bodies, work for many of us is not separate from the life of our homes and many of us have become accustomed to living with a nervous system that isn’t regularly reminded to slow down.

It is common to wake up and check what the day is demanding of us before we acknowledge both our inmost being and our own wellbeing.

Our day is filled with responding, scrolling, and consuming.

Underneath all of that is our body-mind. I say body-mind here because in Yoga, body and mind are not separate but are one and Yoga practice helps open one up to that oneness, allowing for a personal practice of support.

Yoga has always been a practice of returning to the present moment; the present moment is the only place where our life is actually happening.

In a time when our attention is constantly being pulled outward, yoga offers a pathway inward.

The Practice of Intentional Pauses

A powerful practice found in Yoga happens in the moments of intentionally choosing to pause. This can happen on and off your yoga mat.

Conscious breathing before opening an email.

Moments of stillness before engaging with another application.

Placing your hand on your chest and belly for a few moments to notice both your heart beat and your breath.

These are seemingly small actions but in truth they are powerful anchor points of awareness.

Awareness is the one constant in a world, and life of ceaseless change.

Remembering awareness is part of the liberation journey found in a Yoga practice.

So the more you can come back to awareness the more you are not only coming back to yourself but you are practicing an ancient science that finds liberation / freedom within embodiment.

Embodied Liberation is something that I have studied and practiced across spiritual and contemplative disciplines and yoga is a powerful form of embodied liberation.

Rather than some dramatic, light from the sky, cinematic, levitating posture accomplishment, Yoga teaches us that transformation happens through repeated moments of presence.

Every time we pause and notice we strengthen our relationship with ourselves.

In Sanskrit, the word yoga comes from the root, yuj, meaning to join or unite.

Yoga is the practice of remembering our connection between the body and mind, between ourselves and others, and between our individual experience and the larger web of life.

Intentional breaks throughout the day are opportunities to restore that connection.

Its a reminder that we aren’t machines designed to endlessly process information.

We are living beings who need rhythm, rest, movement, moments of reflection, moments of stillness, moments of mindfulness and movements of mindfreeness.

The latter is something that I could write about endlessly and I’ve put it in every one of my books to date.

Mind-Free is where it’s at but thats another post for another time.

Movement Meditation: Finding Yoga Beyond the Mat

Many people experience yoga as a series of physical postures, but the deeper practice of yoga has always included the way we move through the world.

Walking can become yoga.

Dancing can become yoga.

Stretching in the morning sunlight can become yoga.

Any movement done with awareness is mindfulness and can become meditation.

When we walk without rushing, feeling the ground beneath our feet, noticing our breath, observing the movement of our body, we return to ourselves.

When we dance and allow the body to move without judgment, we reconnect with joy, creativity, and freedom.

When we stretch and listen to our bodies we practice a deeper form of care.

The body is always communicating.

The question is whether we have created enough space to listen.

Nature as a Teacher of Presence

Before we had screens, our ancestors looked toward the natural world to understand timing, cycles, and balance.

The sunrise taught beginnings.

The seasons taught change.

The earth taught patience, connection and reminded us that we are nature too.

Today, many of us spend most of our days surrounded by artificial environments and digital landscapes. We can go hours without feeling the sun on our skin, hearing birds, touching the earth, or allowing our eyes to rest on something that is not asking us to consume.

Nature reminds us of something essential: Life is deeper than urgency and rushing.

A walk among trees can regulate the nervous system.

Sitting near water can create space for reflection.

Feeling the wind can bring us back into relationship with the present moment.

These experiences are forms of remembering.

The natural world invites us back into the same wisdom that exists within our own bodies; the wisdom of rhythm, balance, and renewal.

Yoga in the Age of AI

As we continue to enter an era where artificial intelligence can create, analyze, communicate, and produce at incredible speeds, one of our greatest responsibilities will be protecting what makes us human.

AI can process information.

But awareness is something we cultivate.

AI can generate images.

But presence is something we experience.

AI can imitate creativity.

But embodied creativity comes from a living relationship with ourselves, our communities, and the world around us.

The future will require more than technological advancement. It will require deeper connection to our humanity.

Yoga offers a practice for this moment.

It teaches us how to be with one another and most importantly with ourselves.

It teaches us how to breathe.

How to listen.

How to move with intention.

How to pause before reacting.

How to remember that beneath all the noise, there is still intelligence within us.

Real intelligence.

Ancestral Intelligence.

Intuitive Intelligence.

The body already knows how to return.

The breath already knows how to guide us to the home within ourselves.

The practice is simply learning how to listen.

During this month of September, consider creating intentional moments of yoga throughout your day.

Put the phone down for five minutes.

Take a mindful walk.

Stretch between tasks.

Dance without needing a reason.

Spend time outside.

Breathe.

Make presence a practice.

Presence is where healing begins.

Next Up: Rested Author Weekly Issue No. 2

I’ll share the insights and benefits from both In-Person Yoga Teacher Trainings and Online Yoga Teacher Trainings and offer my advice.

What you won’t find is me discouraging one choice over the other because I’ve seen that in the past and it’s baffling to me because choice exists and there’s more than one way to lay the foundation for your education in yoga, yoga practice and yoga teaching.

The first thing I’ll say is that whatever yoga teacher training you choose, whether it is at a local yoga studio in your neighborhood, a yoga training in Rishikesh India, or an established well reviewed virtual platform, that you go into it with an intention of laying a foundation and that whatever you accomplish is not the end all be all.

Hopefully, in time you will see that Yoga is not something that takes several weeks or even a half a year (the time frame for many 200HR Yoga Teacher Trainings ) .

The lineages, schools of thought, philosophy and practices envelope many life times and because of this its worth exploring for your lifetime as well if, (and its a big if) its something you feel led to.

Yoga isn’t for everyone and I’ll be the first to tell you that it’s not necessary. I’ve written about why I don’t believe Yoga is necessary in my book, Yoga and Healing for Black Embodiment but in short, the wellness industrial complex and capitalism as a whole wants improvement, optimization, transformation. Yoga is not necessary because there is no caveat to being. There is nothing to do or become in being.

Yoga is a beautiful science and tool and ironically it took Yoga to show me the simplicity of life and my enoughness and your enoughness in all moments that exist.

In Person Training

In ancient times Yoga was passed from Guru to student and the student would usually spend many seasons of their life receiving from their Guru. Today thats rare and most Yoga teachers aren’t Gurus. Most yoga teachers are sharing one aspect of Yoga’s ineffably vast system for forty five minutes to an hour a week; doing so for many people at once, not one on one.

It’s the reality of our modern context.

In person trainings provide the benefit of being in the presence of one or more instructors and learning with others who are also seeking to go deeper into Yoga education, practice and laying the foundation for teaching.

You have the benefit of physical presence, co-regulation, group practice, learning and asking questions in real time.

Online Training

Online Yoga Teacher Trainings became really popular during the pandemic. For folks who have full and or busy schedules online yoga teacher trainings can provide a Yoga education access point that is more conducive.

Study can be done at varying times which is helpful for full or non traditional schedules. Videos can be accessed, paused and played multiple times. Follow up with yoga schools and yoga teachers can be requested, through email. For folks who travel, and or who may be unable to meet at a central location for multiple weekends/weeks at a time, they can do so from the comfort of their own home. Online trainings tend to be more cost effective than in-person trainings as well.

Global access, on-demand format, and flexibility tend to be the more appealing draw for online yoga teacher trainings.

Hybrid Training

YTTs that combine both In-Person and Virtual components provide another layer of accessibility. When I made the decision to create a Yoga School within my non-profit, Black Boys OM, I saw the benefit of my own experience (I’ve done nearly a dozen YTTs most In-Person) but also some online especially during the Panasonic. )

I made a point to give students the freedom to practice at a yoga studio or with a yoga teacher of their choice and even incorporated an option to take Vipassana which is about 100 hours of meditation over the course of 10 days. I combined this with video instruction from 10 phenomenal teachers across the Black wellness ecosystem.

Hybrid trainings are also more cost effective and can provide the best of both worlds.

Invitation : Self Assessment to support YTT Decision

How is my discipline in completing things on my own?

Considering my introversion /extroversion which type of training will be most supportive for me?

Can I devote time to an in person training (taking off for several weeks/weekends at a time to complete a certification?

After reading the descriptions above which format resonated most with me and why?

This book is thoughtfully created to walk alongside you literally from your books idea to your book being out in the world. Its title is not hyperbole I can assure.

For 24 Hours only, today, August 28th this course price has been lowered from $175.00 USD to $42.00 USD .

One paid subscriber who subscribes from this post will be randomly selected to get the course for Free99

Access the Course here : https://stan.store/AuthorDanny/p/from-idea-to-publication-self-paced-course

I’m excited to announce that next week, Rested Author Weekly Issue No.2 will drop.

Here’s a snap shot of whats inside From Idea to Publication

Module 1: Introduction

Why am I writing this Book?

Clarifying your Book Concept

Identifying Your Audience

Developing your Vision and Purpose

Bonus

Module 2 : Understanding the Publishing Landscape

Traditional Publishing

Self Publishing

Choosing Your Path

Understanding Publishing Costs

Copyright Template

Module 3: Planning and Writing Your Manuscript

Creating and Organizing your Structure

Write Your Table of Contents

Build Your Milestone Calendar

When You Get Stuck

Creating Your Writing Environment

Research Notes

Module 4: Editing and Preparing Your Book

The Three Stages of Editing

Finding and Working with Editors

Preparing your Manuscript for Publication

Understanding Beta Readers and Sensitivity Readers

Module 5: Book Design and Formatting

Your Book Cover

Interior Formatting

Preparing files for your Platform

The Importance of Book Positioning

Module 6: The Self Publishing Process

Choosing Your Platform

ISBN’s, Meta Data, Categories, and Keywords

Uploading and Publishing

Understanding Book-sales and Royalties

Building Your Author Business Infrastructure

Module 7: The Traditional Publishing Process

Understanding Agents and Publishers

Writing Your Query Letter

The Book Proposal

Navigating Publishing Contracts

Understanding Your Platform Before Querying

Module 8: Building Your Author Platform

Read more

A few years ago I was talking with a colleague , encouraging him to start writing his book and he said “you make it sound so easy” and I reflect on that. I understand for some producing even one book is a huge deal and it is.

Another colleague told me this week that I’m Alexander Hamilton writing like I’m writing out of time and that is partly true and the other part of that is thats just how my brain works.

I do recognize my mortality.

As a meditation teacher I recognize that part of my practice is preparing for death. My teacher, Dr. Christopher Wallis said it like this, (I’m paraphrasing) our days are full of ordinary moments and death will happen in a similar unannounced ordinary moment.

For the purposes of this article I just want to highlight that we all have a multiude of books in us.

Multitudes are in us because multitudes have made us.

None of us are just one thing and all of us can speak in depth about more than one thing.

So my intent is to encourage the writer who has that one book to complete that even in that one there is many more.

If you are up for it I want to share my personal created library : past, present and future and instead of giving descriptions of each book I’m going to share briefly my head space behind each, although some may still contain descriptions.

Source : https://www.amazon.com/author/dannyangelo

Special note: My books are at various retailers including Mahogany Books and Barnes and Noble and you are always welcome to order directly from me dannyspeakspeace.com

A Healing Journal for Black Men (My first book 2022)

My first and only traditional book deal so far. I was asked by a major publisher to create this resource because they saw my work with Black Boys OM and said there was a market need for Black men’s journals. Funny story. They wanted part of the title to be “You Matter” and I said “absolutely the fuck not” , lol. I’m grateful they gave me the creative freedom to create from the heart. Including naming the journal which I would realize later is part of my writing style. I name a thing for what it is right away. I don’t like to code things or take the scenic route.

I really made something special that came right on the heels of a deeply heart opening and soul connecting experience with my ancestral plant medicine Iboga.

Reparations and Wholeness ( My 2nd Book)- Available Now

I tried to pitch this to an agent and when I didn’t hear back I gave myself permission to self publish because I am passionate about reparations, and reparations theory and I believe I brought a unique and often over looked portion of the conversation on reparation to the table. True repair must address the mind-body-and spirit of Black people. This book was featured in Forbes and I’m so proud of that. My dream of a National Foundation for Black Healing will become a reality in or after my lifetime.

The Yoga Teachers Guide to AI (1st & 2nd Edition ) Available Now

AI touches everything and I was captured about what AI means for human transmission, consciousness and what role yoga teachers will play in an AI disrupted world

Self Discovery Daily - Available Now

This was my attempt to recreate another healing journal but this time I wanted to create something that any demographic could use and I created it in such a way that it would be a companion book alongside any journal. You actually don’t write in it, you read it and write in your personal journal. So it can be used across many seasons of your life.

Barbershop Meditations - Available Now

I’m a meditation teacher at heart and I teach meditation more than I teach yoga and the barber chair is fertile ground for learning and growing a practice.

A Walk in the Night Sun Books 1 & 2 Available Now

Over fifteen years ago I got a download about the descendants of Black Americans five hundred years in the future and three years ago I decided to bring that story from an old blog and place it in a book.

Yoga and Healing for Black Embodiment Available Now

This was my love letter to the Black Wellness Ecosystem and my attempt to create an entry point to folks in the Black community who might be unfamiliar and or have misconceptions about Yoga

The Auspicious Life of the Whites - Available Now

I was inspired by a woman a met on Sapelo Island, and I also wanted to make commentary about taking the case for Reparations to the Supreme Court and I wanted to try my hand at a multigenerational Black Family story with Black Liberation Theory at its heart.

Called to Teach - Available Now

I wish I had a road map for my first year as a yoga teacher and I created what I hope will help first year yoga teachers today.

Mindful Crash Out - Not Released

I am intimately aware of the energy of anger, I have some unique stories, including two separate instances with cops, where one cop pointed a gun in my face and another crashed out on me and how I met that energy for better or for worse.

I share practices, research and insight, all within my scope of practice.

Write What Heals - Not Released

Love letter to the writing process and a ton of practices and insights that I hope will be a beautiful offering to the creative writer

A Walk in the Night Sun Book 3 - Not Released - Still Writing

the epic conclusion to my first Afro Futurist novel.

Everyday Black Healing Not Yet Released -Still Writing

a sequel to Yoga and Healing for Black Embodiment and a more comprehensive look at healing practices and insights for us by us

Agile Insights - Not Yet Released - Still Writing

My attempt to give hope and insight into just how adept humanity is for the road ahead even with all of the disruption of AI

Protect Your Attention - Not Released- Still Writing

I share the practices that I use to protect my attention which I believe is all the more needed today.

Heal and Build - Not Released Still Writing

My thoughts on practical Afro Futurism for our Communities

Defining Reparations for Ourselves

first published on Substack for free in 2025, I’m bringing it back in 2026 in a very unique way its going to be really special.

Two words : “Community Authorship”

Deconstruction Dialogues - Not Released - Still Writing

I deconstructed from Christianity over 10 years ago and I wrote a book for Christians and Non Christians alike, through a series of short stories

Ancestors of the Sun - Not Released Still Writing

My first Afro Fantasy novel, its a bit different from Afro Futurism and its pretty epic and it will make it to the big screen mark my words

Ori Yoga - Not Released

The Philosophy, Framework and Practice behind a form of Yoga that emerged naturally from Black Boys Om and I’m excited to share this with the world

The Sky Won’t Open - Not Released

I don’t think Jesus is literally coming back and I write in-depth about Preterism, Ontology, and the responsibility of humanity toward one another and this planet.

African American Mystic - Not Released

I have a pretty magical life and I’m excited to share all of the mysticism and mystery that I’ve experienced over the past forty two years

Thanks for reading!

If you have grabbed one or more of my books already please leave a review! Paid subscribers get their pick of up to four already released books, one for each month they are subscribed, and get to read portions of my unreleased books early in exchange for online reviews as well as access to my all past and future paid posts which includes author support resources.

If you wonder how and why I write multiple books at once I’ve written about that in my Substack article

TDLR- I write in portions as puzzle pieces and I don’t play about energy leaks.

As always, I have authorship support resources including a self paced course. Check out my website for my details

https://dannyspeakspeace.com

Congratulations to Juan Walker for winning free access to “From Idea to Publication” Self Paced Course.

This week I have a new incentive for paid subscribers, paid subscribers will automatically become early readers for my upcoming books.

I have two books coming out at the end of the year. November 4th, (Mindful Crash Out) , December 27th (Write What Heals). As they come close to release I am seeking early readers to see how the book lands before it’s out in the world and also to get early reviews online and on social media.

If you become a paid subscriber you get up to four of my books delivered to you, access to all paid (past and future) Substack posts including “Rested Author Weekly’ and now you will have early reader access to my unreleased books which I have seven over the next three years.

I am passionate about supporting writers to become authors and I will continue to preach from the roof tops “let me help you with your book!”, 😉

You can hire me, or you can take my self paced course to do it on your own.

Let me be a resource. Visit dannyspeakspeace.com

Because of how I approached early readers in the past, my process now has two potential phases. I’ll send a digital copy of the entire book to early readers in exchange for honest reviews online when the book is released publicly. This is something that I share in the marketing portion of the Self Paced Book Publishing course, “From Idea to Publication” Book reviews are so important.

However on Substack I’m considering a different approach. You may get two chapters of Mindful Crash Out one week and one chapter of Write What Heals the other week and once both those books are out you will have your choice to request that book for free and in turn I’ll ask for a review.

Mindful Crash out will be available November 4th 2026

Write What Heals will be available December 27th 2026

I’ll continue this with my other unreleased books throughout 2027 and beyond.

My dream is that my Substack posts will continue to be my normal musings on Ontology, Mind-Body-Spirit Practice, insights into Yoga, in addition to highlighting the authors I have supported in bringing their books in the world. I know that will take time and I look forward to the day where I can say “Angela Greenthumb” self published her book on micro greens and urban gardens and she utilized my self paced course to do it.

I’ll leave you with one of the most important pieces of advice I could give for any writer, creative and author.

Identify your energy leaks and eradicate them. Do it compassionately, ruthlessly , whatever you need but get rid of them.

I’m grateful to Ashlee Preston for writing about it and interviewing me, the Forbes article is available here.

The primary premise of the book lays out a vision for a National Foundation for Black Healing that is part of a comprehensive answer to the call for Reparations. I earnestly believe that this foundation is possible in our lifetimes.

There are over 49 million Black Americans and true redress needs to account not only for the wealth gap but also the inter generational trauma and harm perpetuated by the legacy of chattel slavery and ongoing systematic racism.

Image: M. Goldberg sharing his purchase of Reparations and Wholeness: A Path to Healing Justice

Source: TikTok bibarchichandler

Source: jaredvaneducation on IG

I’ve noticed a decline in my own mental health and wellbeing after hearing about the lynchings of Black men and woman in the United States. There was another yesterday as well.

I don’t have anything to say other than , it’s angering and saddening and I still believe in my vision for a national foundation for Black Healing.

I’m grateful to be part of a larger Black ecosystem that sees the value of amplifying mind-body-spirit modalities in our communities. It’s part of the larger push for Black Liberation includes Black healing and all of humanity will be better of when we have both.

For the first time in human history we have created something that out thinks us and humanity is allowed to engage with it through trial and error. That trial and error will look different for each and every one of us. So virtue signaling and purity tests at someone else’s process with a world interrupting emergence is wasted energy in my opinion. It’s better to make decisions for yourself with how you personally will or will not engage with AI.

What I’m not saying is to discontinue advocacy work.

If you are fighting to keep data centers out of areas that are negatively impacting peoples health and environment continue that.

I personally think there should be greater education on how to run AI locally at a smaller scale and for the bigger data centers to utilize green energy in remote regions like deserts the way China does.

For instance right now you can take free courses on how to run AI locally on your laptop. Take a few moments and research it if you haven’t already.

If you are advocating for AI regulations, mental health interventions and protection of youth continue that.

What I’m saying simply is your personal choice to use or not use AI should not be impacted by the general public because the general public operates on a pendulum.

We may well be entering into a world where AI’s influence reaches beyond education, surveillance, the military, health, medicine, and into governance and where universal basic income becomes a reality that is (hopefully) paid for by the wealth of the major AI giants because the wealth that they have built is generated from us.

So the more AI becomes disruptive the more we individually and collectively will have to adapt to what that means for us and no one can decide for you what adaptation means for you so flex that self sovereignty muscle now.

There is so much peace in minding the mind that is your own.

Update: I wrote this article on my own but added Baratunde and Sinead as guests because I admire their work.

I’m finishing a book now that will be out in December called “Write What Heals:World Building as Healing Practice” and one of the themes in the book is the power of enjoyment in imagination in the writing process. That’s exactly what I did recently in creating the short story below. Enjoy.

Bunene and the Priest’s Daughter , A Short Story

There was a time when Bunene drove the chariot of Shamash, carrying the Sun God across the heavens each day as light entered the world. Bunene knew the paths of the sky, the gates of dawn, and the places where the sun disappeared beyond the horizon.

Among the people who served Shamash was a priest whose daughter captured the heart of Bunene. Though Bunene was a being of the divine realm, he desired a life connected to the world of humans. He went before the priest and asked for his daughter’s hand in marriage.

The priest agreed, but he wished from Bunene a gift that carried the greatness of the Sun God. He journeyed into the caves of the Zagros Mountains and returned with a great stone of lapis lazuli. The stone was deep blue like the night sky and carried the beauty of the heavens within it.

The priest gave the stone to Bunene and asked him to place the power of Shamash into it. He told Bunene that with the blessing of the Sun God, the stone could become a vessel for endless possibilities in the world of man.

Bunene objected and said that man already had the capability of creating endless possibilities already within them.

The Priest insisted and said that having an object to make petitions to would be all the more sacred and special.

Bunene carried the lapis lazuli back to the house of Shamash. During the time when Shamash bathed with his wife the Goddess Aya, Bunene placed the stone within the sacred waters. The warmth and radiance of Shamash and Aya entered the stone, filling it with a power beyond anything found among men.

When the stone had received the blessing, Bunene returned it to the priest. The priest kept his promise and gave his daughter to Bunene, joining his family with one of the greatest servants of the Sun God.

Bunene and his wife built a beautiful palace upon the earth. It was a place where the worlds of gods and humans existed together. In this palace, they had a son who carried within him the blood of both divine and mortal ancestors.

The priest then took the lapis lazuli to the king’s goldsmith and asked that a diadem be created. The goldsmith worked the stone into a crown of great beauty, surrounding it with gold and shaping it for one who desired to rule.

When the diadem was finished, the priest placed it upon his head and spoke his wish. He asked for a kingdom of his own.

The power within the diadem answered.

The priest was given wealth beyond measure. Lands came under his name, people gathered beneath his banner, and a kingdom was formed not far from the place where he had once served Shamash. For seventy years he lived as a king and ruled over all that had been given to him.

During this time, the son of Bunene grew into a thoughtful young man. He was fascinated by numbers, the movement of the stars, and the patterns hidden within the heavens. He spent many days studying mathematics and astronomy, seeking to understand the order Shamash had placed throughout creation.

As he grew older, he traveled into the kingdom that had been granted to his grandfather, the priest who had received the sacred diadem. There he met a local woman and fell deeply in love with her. She admired his wisdom and gentle nature, and he brought her back to his family palace where they were married.

His wife loved him deeply, but she was accustomed to men who worked with their hands, men who labored in fields and built with their strength. Her husband carried a different kind of greatness. His hands held instruments of study and knowledge.

Wanting to impress his wife and show her that he too carried greatness within him, he attempted to take his father Bunene’s chariot and ride upon the path of the Sun.

The chariot carried the power of Shamash within it.

The moment he touched the chariot, the hidden fire of the Sun God awakened. The divine power that allowed Bunene to guide Shamash across the heavens was too great for a mortal body to contain.

The young man was consumed by the power of the chariot and died.

Bunene, his wife, and his son’s wife grieved the loss deeply. The palace that once held joy became a place of sorrow.

The priest king, who was the grandfather of the fallen man, could not accept his grandson’s death. He carried the sacred diadem and used its power to call for his grandson’s return.

The diadem answered, but there was a law older than kings. The dead could only return if they were released from the underworld by Queen Ereshkigal.

The priest king entered into the presence of Ereshkigal and spoke on behalf of his grandson. He knew the underworld was a difficult place for human souls, and he wished for his grandson to experience the peace of the divine realm.

He told the queen that his grandson carried the blood of Bunene and was connected to the gods. He asked if his grandson could be released from the underworld and allowed to enter Dilmun, the paradise realm of the gods.

Read more

So I changed my bio.

Yoga and Meditation Teacher. Author. I write often about Ontology, Mind-Body-Spirit Practices and I support writers in becoming Authors | dannyspeakspeace.com

There isn’t a lot about Literature even though I have published a number of books. I’ll share some of my non fiction books below as well.

Ontology is a philosophical study of being, nature and reality. All of these things consume my waking thoughts and as a Meditation teacher, Tantrist, African American mystic, and a descendant and adherent of Bwiti , my approach to being, nature and reality have many forms.

Bwiti is my literal paternal ancestral and spiritual heritage. Thanks to African Ancestry I know that I am descended from the Kota, Ateke, Mistogo, and Fang people of Gabon. Bwiti means “Study of Nature” though it means a lot more than that but it is beyond the intent of this article to articulate all of what Bwiti is and means. Iboga is a sacred plant that is essential in the spiritual and literal ecology of Bwiti. Iboga has been a huge part of my healing journey and reconnection with my ancestors and is also one of the anchor points to my authorship journey. I will write about this in detail at another time.

If you have read any of my previous articles here on Substack, especially recently, I’ve had touch points of reflection on my personal ontology.

My goal with this article is to propose self inquiry through the medium of journaling to invite readers into some of the ways in which I engage with Ontology in the hopes that it might support the exploration of your own personal ontology.

But first I want to share three of my non fiction books.

A Walk in the Night Sun Book 2 is part of a three book series where I explore the world 500 years from now through the lives of one family living in a sacred West African Village. This series is my first exploration of Afro Futurism and was birthed in my mind an idea almost fifteen years ago and I finally brought it to life.

You can listen to Book 2 on Audible here.

As a gift (this is first come first serve so if you are reading this now I would take advantage) you can use one of these two promo codes to listen on Audible for free. My only ask is that if you use the code that you please leave a review of the book on Audible and share with a friend who might hopefully purchase the book and or use the audible credit for it.

Code 1 : 4GPP622X3USXB

Code 2: 6ML3HUXYFZRZ5

Codes can be redeemed here: https://www.audible.com/ep/acx-redemption?bp_o=true

The Auspicious Life of the Whites is my first Black Americana novel and its a multigenerational story of Black Liberation told through the eyes of one family.

Ancestors of the Sun is something I’ve worked on for almost a year and it will be out next Summer and it’s my first Afro-Fantasy Novel. My goal is that A Walk in the Night Sun and Ancestors of the Sun will both be adapted for Television and or film.

Now on to Ontology.

Choose one or more, all or none, of the ontological self inquiry questions below that resonate with you.

But first, what follows is for educational and inspirational purposes only and does not constitute professional mental health and/or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. These reflections and journal prompts are offered as tools for self-exploration, awareness, and personal inquiry. They are not intended to replace the guidance, care, or support of qualified professionals. Engage with these practices at your own pace and honor your own needs, experiences, and boundaries throughout the process.

Take a moment to think about the place from which you experience life. What is that place for you and if you could locate that place in your body where would it be?

After you spend some time thinking about where you experience life and where that place might be located shift your attention to what you experience from life in this moment. Maybe this is the senses that you are engaging as it relates to your environment and felt experience.

After you spend some time reflecting on what you are experiencing as it relates to the whole of your senses shift your awareness to what you perceive of life, maybe its this the screen in which you are engaging this article or maybe its something in your immediate vision field, a room, a tree, another human being. What is it that you are are perceiving of life.

So with these first three inquiries we have briefly explored the place from which you experience life, what you are experiencing from life and what you perceive of life.

Now here are some more straight forward questions.

‘What is it that knows my experience?’

‘What cannot be removed from me?’

‘What remains continuous throughout my life?

In my experience, because I don’t believe that I am static person. I often go about my day aiming to experience life directly beyond any thought about what I’m experiencing. I don’t always succeed, sometimes my analytical mind and cascade of thoughts absolutely do take over. But when they don’t then I am recognizing the place where I am experiencing life, what I’m experiencing from life in my senses and what I perceive of life in my environment as one unified thing. I make a practice of feeling into the unity of all three because in my Tantrist world view it is all one thing. That’s my ontology.

I invite you here to think about yours.

“What is divinity?” In your own words.

“What is humanity?” In your own words.

“What is reality?” In your own words.

Thanks for engaging these thought experiments.

Until next time.

PS- Substack says this article was six percent written by AI and 94% written by Human which is a lie lol, maybe it’s flagging the audible codes(first come first serve!) but I did not use AI to write this. It’s all me.

Normally I would post the Issue No.2 today but I’m going to wait two weeks before resuming.

I have another special offering for paid subscribers.

But before I share that let me tell you what you get when you subscribe.

You get your choice of up to four of my books, one for every month you are subscribed mailed to you if you are in the US.

I have published over eleven books and have six more on the way over the next three years.

You also get access to my previous paid posts where I share the story behind Black Boys Om and future posts including the first and all following Issues of Rested Author Weekly.

To sweeten the pot I invite you to check out my Self Paced Book Publishing Course, thoughtfully designed so that by the time you finish the course your manuscript will be ready to self publish and or ready to pitch to publishing houses.

Check out that course here.

So for 24 hours only starting August 20th. Anyone who subscribes to my Substack will be entered into a raffle to get access to “From Idea to Publication” for free.

If you want to be entered into the raffle but not able or ready to pay for a subscription to my Substack you can still have a chance to win by restacking and or commenting on this post.

After August 20th the free course offer will expire however, paid subscribers will still have all the perks I mentioned above.

That’s it!

I will message the raffle winner directly here on Substack sometime on or before August 23rd!

Thank you for reading! I hope to have you as a paid subscriber and good luck on the raffle!

Image: dannyspeakspeace.com

I’m also excited to announce that the Epilogue of Called to Teach is the Yoga Credential Project White Paper!

Image from Yoga Credential Project

Chapter 2 : Mentorship and Community

The Sramanas were the ancestors of the various lineages of Yoga that have shaped Yogic history and continue to impact yoga as a practice today. They were early seekers who used their breath and body as instruments to explore the vastness of consciousness, transmitting their embodied liberation through lived experience, practice, and relationship.

The guru-student relationship in Sanskrit is Guru-shishya parampara (गुरुशिष्यपरम्परा), which refers to an unbroken lineage of transmission of traditional spiritual and practical knowledge. This relationship was built through proximity, devotion, observation, service, and time. Knowledge was given through instruction; and it was cultivated through a relationship where the student witnessed the teachers embodiment and slowly integrated the teachings into their own life .

The wellness industrial complex and many yoga schools as we know them today, which produce yoga teachers en masse, do not primarily operate through this same model. There is no judgment in this observation, simply a recognition of the reality of modern yoga teaching compared to how transmission originally occurred. Today, one teacher often holds space for many bodies at once, usually within the context of asana sequencing, trainings, workshops, and educational offerings. This structure creates different opportunities for learning, but it also changes the depth and nature of the teacher-student relationship.

Modern adaptations that may reflect something akin to the guru-student relationship of the past are community (sangha) and mentorship.

Both community and mentorship are meaningful pathways that can lay a strong foundation in your first year as a yoga teacher and continue supporting you throughout your journey.

Community provides fellowship and socialization, along with opportunities for service, personal practice, accountability, and networking. A healthy community reveals that yoga exists beyond a personal practice. It has always been cultivated through relationship, shared experience, and collective exploration.

Mentorship provides access to wisdom and years of experience through relationship, conversation, and observation. A mentor can offer perspective when you encounter challenges, reflect back what they see in your growth, and share lessons that often come only through time and practice. Mentorship allows you to learn from someone’s journey while still honoring your own unique path.

You may find both community and mentorship available within the context of where you experienced your YTT, or it may be at a yoga studio in your community that demonstrates authentic connection, care, and commitment to the people it serves.

Look for consistency in service and care. Pay attention to how people interact with one another. Talk with community members. Notice what you experience when showing up to offerings, classes, and events. Explore online spaces and social media reviews as additional reflections of how a community holds itself.

There are also sanghas that exist outside of yoga studios. Traditional sanghas connected to specific lineages may be available in your area and can offer a deeper connection to the philosophical, spiritual, and communal aspects of practice.

If you gravitate toward traditions outside of yogic lineages, such as Taoism or Buddhism, there are also sanghas and communities that exist where you can build meaningful relationships and continue your exploration. I found a sangha rooted in the Trika lineage of Kashmir Shivaism and an international community of souls that help me ground in a beautiful non-dual worldview and myriad of Classical Tantrik practices.

The first years of teaching yoga are often filled with questions. You may find yourself wondering how to teach authentically, how to deepen your practice, how to navigate the responsibility of holding space for others, and how to continue learning after your training has ended.

Hold and Breathe here for a moment: Reflect and or journal how you would answer the three questions stated in the previous sentence.

Community and mentorship can be anchors during this transition because they reveal that becoming a teacher is also engagement with relationships; these relationships also include practice, study, and service.

A yoga teacher without community can easily become disconnected from the very essence of yoga, which is union and relationship. A yoga teacher without mentorship may spend years discovering lessons that could have been offered through guidance and shared wisdom. The path becomes richer when we allow ourselves to be students even as we step into the role of teacher.

The ancient model of transmission reminds us that transformation happens through relationship. While the modern world may have adapted the way teachings are shared, the heart of the process remains the same. We grow through witnessing, practicing, serving, and connecting with others who are walking a similar path.

Practice: Mapping Your Yoga Ecosystem

Take a piece of paper or open a blank document and create a mind map with yourself in the center. Around your name or symbol representing your avatar, create branches for the relationships and environments that support your growth as a yoga teacher.

Create branches such as:

• Community: Who are the people, spaces, studios, or groups where you feel supported and connected?

• Mentorship: Who are teachers, elders, or guides whose wisdom you respect and would like to learn from?

• Practice: What traditions, philosophies, or personal practices help you stay connected to your own foundation?

• Service: Where are opportunities for you to offer your gifts and contribute to something larger than yourself?

• Learning: What areas of yoga, spirituality, anatomy, teaching, or philosophy do you want to continue exploring?

After completing your map, spend time reflecting on these questions:

Where do I currently feel supported in my journey?

Where do I desire deeper connection?

Who are the people I can learn from, and who are the people I can serve?

What type of community do I want to help create for others?

Your yoga journey will continue to expand through the relationships you intentionally cultivate. The teachers, communities, and sanghas you connect with become part of the living lineage you embody forward.

Additional Insight

Community is an opportunity for formation that happens after the foundation set by your YTT.

Community provides years of small corrections, hard conversation and modeling that shapes character. Community comes with proximity to people who may be further along, and able to walk beside you because they have been in similar circumstances as you.

Trying to build a practice in isolation tends to either stagnate or lead to burn out. Community provides an opportunity for a mirror that can reflect back what may not be seen if one is by themselves.

Community is about finding people whose relationship to the practice you trust enough to let them tell you the truth.

Action items

• Find at least one teacher you respect and directly ask for mentorship. Ask confidently.

• Observe experienced teachers regularly, as an ongoing part of your development.

• Build real relationships with other new teachers who are figuring this out at the same time you are. They most likely understand things your mentors may have forgotten they once did not know.

• Attend workshops, trainings, and gatherings beyond your YTT. Your training is without a ceiling and this path can lead to life long studentship if you allow it.

• Create a small, informal group of people, whether teachers, students, or peers, who you trust to support your growth and tell you the truth when you ask for it.

Reflection questions

• Who are the teachers whose presence inspires me, and what specifically do they do that I want to learn?

• What qualities do I want to cultivate in myself as a teacher over the next several years?

• Am I seeking validation from this person, or am I seeking genuine guidance?

Practical takeaway

The lifelong student remains available to the transformation inherent in sadhana. Build the relationships now that will keep you open and expansive.

I hope you enjoyed this free excerpt. You can order directly from me at dannyspeakspeace.com. Please allow up to two weeks for US. Shipping. International shipping will be available in September and through retailers as well as Kindle.

If you need support with your own book, I have a Self Paced Book Publishing Course as well as Author Support Resources. Message me or visit my website to learn more.

Naturally, anyone who believes this is going to stand by that conviction and devote their lives to it. Heart, mind, soul, strength. Logic and conviction… all of it.

The world is big. God is big. God is nothing. God is everything. Humanity is as diverse and as expansive as life itself, and we are all trying to figure it out as best we can. I’m going to choose what I want to figure out and where I fit within the figuring out of it all.

Naturally, anyone who believes this experiential approach to life is going to stand by it.

Speaking to the middle is easy because the middle exists. We live in a world where both Jesus is Lord to billions, and humanity is diverse, expansive, and attempting to understand the complexity of life through infinite ways and perspectives.

Both exist. Simultaneously. Right now.

Kind of like how quantum fields and collapsing wave functions operate.

A Christian and a Spiritualist can sit in the same room, and the trillions of cells in each of their bodies can literally be in flux with the quantum field of the room in which they appear separate from, and yet they are also inseparable from, the environment they inhabit, an environment that is also inhabiting them.

So the stories we tell, and the beliefs we inhabit and that inhabit us, and the energy we experience in our minds and bodies around those stories, are also existing in flux with the dynamism of a life that is ceaseless in its emanation.

Bless Jesus, King of Kings.

Bless humanity in all of its figuring out through the infinite number of paths.

Bless it all.

And may we each speak to the middle ; speak to the one that is simultaneously differentiated in unity.

May we know that unity through direct experience beyond our concepts, judgments, and naming of it.

May we know that our naming of the sun is not the sun itself.

May the Christian and the Spiritualist know that what they name is just a name, a series of stories, and beliefs built around a name.

Existing beyond that name is a human being who is part of an infinite, connected, ineffable pattern that is ceaseless in its emanation, like the many flickering sparks of a flame.

Bless it all.

King Jesus, and the enslaved woman who gave her family strength through the power of her ancestors.

Bless it all.

The Church and the Garden of Plant Medicines.

Bless it all.

Each week we will explore insights for sustainability in creativity, cultivating bodies of work and book building.

This special offering is an extension of my literary journey and my commitment to educating through the areas I have studied, practiced, and deeply care about. It is exclusively available to paid subscribers.

Each Rested Author Weekly will have one, some, or all of the following.

Rest Practice : A short reflection, breath practice, or restorative ritual.

Writing Desk: One focused craft or productivity insight.

Sustainable Author: Publishing, platform, and business guidance.

Creative Sabbath: Encouraging spaciousness, play, or recovery.

Weekly Invitation : One simple action

But first let’s get into the heart of the Rested Author Series for this week.

Every week we will explore a different dimension of the creative writing and publishing path.

For our First Week | Issue No.1, we explore the Anatomy of a Query Letter.

I’ve spent years on both sides of this process, placing my own first book with a traditional publisher, self-publishing several more through my own imprint, and helping other authors shape the letters that get their manuscripts read. This week I want to walk you through a fictional query letter from start to finish, the way an agent actually reads one, so you can hold your own letter up against it and see exactly where it’s working and where it may not be.

Query Letter Definition : a short, professional pitch letter that an author sends to literary agents or publishers. When a query letter is accepted, it typically means the recipient (often a literary agent, publisher, or editor) is interested in exploring the work further and will usually request additional materials, such as a book proposal, manuscript pages, a full manuscript, or a conversation about potential representation or publication.

Here’s the letter in full.

Dear Agent/Publisher,

I am excited to present my manuscript, “Growing Roots: The Untold Stories of Black Boys Who Garden,” for your consideration. This 75,000-word non-fiction book (approximately 300 pages) explores the transformative power of gardening in the lives of young African American males, challenging stereotypes and fostering personal growth, environmental stewardship, and community engagement.

Through intimate profiles and vibrant narratives, “Growing Roots” delves into the lives of ten Black boys aged 8-18 from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds across the United States. Their stories reveal how nurturing plants has helped them cope with adversity, develop entrepreneurial skills, reconnect with their heritage, and become leaders in their communities.

Enclosed are sample chapters 3, 6, and 9, which showcase the diverse impact of gardening on these young lives.

As a landscape architect and community organizer with over 15 years of experience in urban gardening initiatives, I bring a unique perspective to this work. My articles on youth gardening programs have been featured in Ebony, The Root, and National Geographic. This book is the culmination of my decade-long project documenting these inspiring stories.

“Growing Roots” targets parents, educators, community leaders, and gardening enthusiasts. It will particularly resonate with those interested in youth development, urban agriculture, environmental justice, and African American studies. The book’s unique advantage lies in its focus on an often-overlooked demographic in gardening literature, offering a fresh narrative that intersects race, youth, and environmental stewardship.

Comparable titles include “The Good Garden” by Katie Smith Milway and “Farming While Black” by Leah Penniman. However, “Growing Roots” stands out by specifically focusing on young Black males and the multifaceted impact of gardening on their personal and community development.

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction: Sowing the Seeds of Change

2. Jamal’s Urban Oasis: Transforming a Food Desert

3. Marcus and the School Garden Revolution

4. Terrell’s Roots: Reclaiming Family Land in the South

5. Brandon’s Blooms: Healing Through Horticulture

6. Darius and the Green Entrepreneurs

7. Kwame’s Heritage Garden: Connecting with African Traditions

8. Tyler’s Tech Garden: Merging STEM and Nature

9. Amir’s Community Table: From Garden to Food Bank

10. Zion’s Green Therapy: Gardening and Mental Health

11. Malik’s Garden-to-Table Café: Youth Empowerment Through Food

12. Conclusion: Harvesting a Brighter Future

Sincerely,

T. Greenthumb Mayers

The Opening Hook

Pay close attention to the first paragraph: Title, word count, and premise, all in one sentence.

“I’ve always loved gardening since I was a child.” is no where to be found.

There’s just the clear direct message of what the agent needs to make a first judgement.

Is this the right length?

Right category?

Right Idea for what I represent?

Writers want to earn the reader’s interest before stating what the book is. Agents really don’t have time for all that if we are being completely honest. Lead with the premise. Earn the interest in the next paragraph.

The Narrative Promise

“Ten Black boys aged 8-18, diverse socioeconomic backgrounds across the United States.” That’s a lot of specificity packed into one line, and specificity is what sets a query letter apart.

Compare it to something vaguer, like “several young people from different walks of life.”

When you’re drafting your own query, look for every place you’ve written something general and ask whether a more specific detail exists that you’re leaving out.

Why Chapters 3, 6, and 9

Your opening chapter is often doing set up work rather than showing your range.

Chapters pulled from the middle of the book tend to show more variety in tone, structure, and stakes. An agent reading chapters 3, 6, and 9 gets a wider sense of what the whole book can do than an agent reading chapters 1, 2, and 3 would.

If you’re choosing sample chapters right now, resist the urge to default to the beginning.

The Credentials Paragraph

“Over 15 years of experience... featured in Ebony, The Root, and National Geographic.” This paragraph is doing real work., sharing with the agent that this is someone who has already been trusted by major outlets on this exact subject.

If you have credentials, even ones that feel minor to you, this paragraph is not the place to be modest. If you don’t have major bylines yet, this paragraph can point to lived experience, direct access to your subjects, or years spent on the project itself. The goal is the same either way: answer the question “why are you the person to write this.”

Audience and Comp Titles

Naming two real, specific comparable titles, then stating in one sentence how your book differs, shows the agent you understand where your book sits in the market. It also shows you’ve actually done the research instead of assuming your idea has no precedent. Notice the letter says exactly how “Growing Roots” differs from each one. That specificity is doing the same work the opening paragraph did: proving this book couldn’t be mistaken for another.

Where I Would Push Further

Part of learning to write a query well is learning to keep pushing a good draft toward a better one.

The “transformative power of gardening” is a little soft compared to the specificity in the rest of the letter. I’d also want one sentence naming what happens in the book’s final act, since right now the letter promises transformation without showing us where the ten youth end up.

I would also raise the emotional stakes at the beginning. We are living in a (continued) dire time for Black Boys and Men and I would unapologetically highlight the significance of this story, the stakes and the time we are living in.

Read more

Right now there is a Live Google Doc where you can share your experiences as well as join a WhatsApp group. Four hundred people have read the White Paper so far and I’m so grateful. The next step is to meet virtually and after that to meet in person. I’m working on the latter now. I have plans for 2027 that I will announce sometime in the Fall.

One step at a time.

Register for Virtual Call here.

The $15 registration supports Black Boys OM on going Summer Fundraiser.

This conversation will bring together yoga teachers and yoga schools to explore the future of yoga education and the idea behind a Digital Transparent Credential, Decentralized Credentialing System, and discuss next steps, and envision what’s ahead for 2027 and beyond. Please join and please share.

More often than not my thinking is non typical and I realized that I should probably create a simple name for my idea moving forward. So I came up with something simple and in three because three is my favorite number and I see 33 and 333 every day multiple times day (like I seriously see it about 20 times a day and this has happened every day since I was 33…. But I digress..

YCP: Yoga Credential Project

Reimagining how yoga knowledge, training & transmission are recognized
Exploring Digital Transparent Credentials
Building the future of decentralized credentialing.
The future of trust in yoga.
Digital credentials. Transparent transmission. Collective evolution.
White Paper + Conversations

Websites will be live in November.

If you are on Instagram please follow : YCP

https://www.instagram.com/yogacredentialproject/

The Authors Way Workbook is a 30 page downloadable PDF and can be printed and written in.

When I completed the From Idea to Publication Self Paced course, I created a separate workbook as a companion to the course. I ended up keeping the workbook separate because I knew I would use the workbook for another offering.

I have my second to last Book Publishing workshop of the year coming up this weekend, Sunday August 16th. You can learn more about and register for it below

One update about the workshop is that if you purchase the From Idea to Publication Course, your access to the workshop is free. Just shoot me a message with your course purchase receipt and I’ll be sure to grant you access to the workshop this Sunday.

The Author Workbook

From Idea to Publication

This workbook is a tool evinced structure to bring the wisdom, stories and the meaningful things you have to share to life.

The Author Workbook is a practical guide designed to support writers through every stage of the author journey, from developing your initial idea to preparing for publication and building your book launch.

Created for aspiring authors, educators, entrepreneurs, and visionaries, this workbook provides the templates and resources needed to:

• Develop your book concept and reader promise

• Organize your chapters and writing process

• Prepare professional publishing materials

• Build your author platform

• Plan your marketing strategy

• Move confidently toward publication

A book is an extension of your knowledge, your experiences, and your legacy.

Create the roadmap with this workbook available for free to paid subscribers accessible directly after the paywall.

The Author Workbook is your companion from the first idea to the final publication.

As always you can hire me to do the heavy lifting for you, you can learn more about that here

Read more

Remember the best parts of humanity as something to sustain in yourself.

When we witness acts divorced from the best of humanity it’s painful, angering and worth grieving.

That’s what I’ve been experiencing lately.

Pain.

Anger.

Grieving.

I’ve committed to feeling it even though the contraction in my spirit, heart and mind is palpable.

This morning I laid in bed thinking about errands and work deadlines and I thought about Nolan Wells and Taisa Fortune.

I thought about lynchings.

Trees which are life giving are being used in tandem with terror.

Humanity is supposed to be life giving. and yet the world witnesses bodies on a tree.

Crucifixitions in our news feeds.

I recognize the need to sustain myself through remembering the best parts of humanity because God is always bigger.

Bigger than our forgetting. I try to not forget when I directly or indirectly experience someone else forgetting who God is in them.

God in them is the best parts of humanity.

The best parts of humanity are one of the many ways that God is experienced.

Humanity harms itself because it forgets attunement, compassion and expansiveness by contracting on themselves and acting against others in that contraction.

God is always bigger in us.

I stayed in bed a little bit longer

I stretched and ate a cold orange

I meditated.

I use my mala to say the name of God while brining my attention to the area around my heart.

I moved my body and cooked.

I talked with my partner about my sadness.

Doing what I could to remember.

God is always bigger than our forgetting

Thanks for reading.

I’m excited to release

“Rested Author Weekly: A Creative Field Guide for Writers building books, Bodies of work, and Sustainable Creative Lives.”

A special offering for paid subscribers. Dropping in a few days.

We will cover the creative process, manuscript development, seeking an agent and pitching to publishing houses.

The workshop is two hours via zoom and there will be time to explore our primary topics in depth, workshop what is learned in real time and we will even make some progress on your current manuscript and publishing goals in the workshop.

There will also be a chance to go over any questions you may have. As in previous workshops my aim is to be extremely thorough so that you can truly be supported in your process and I will also make myself available for up to a month after the workshop for participants that want additional support.

I’ve supported over two hundred creatives in their book development and publishing process through my workshops and author support services.

The Workshop is August 16th, 12-2pm EST via Zoom and is a $200.00 Investment.

If you are unable to make the workshop and still want support I encourage you to check out the self paced course I created, “From Idea to Publication” that is designed to be completed as you go throughout the manuscript development and publishing process. By the time the course is complete your book will either be out in the world and or ready to submit to agents and publishing houses.

Testimony

I took Danny’s workshop to support a friend who I knew had been wanting to write a book for a long time. I had no idea how inspirational, practical, and helpful the workshop would be for me! I had an inchoate idea that I might begin to write a book sometime in the future. However, Danny had us start outlining our book, writing proposals, and researching agents during the workshop. He inspired me to start writing my book during my Jamaican vacation that was starting in just 3 weeks, so I researched the market, read competing titles, and am on my Jamaican vacation writing my book at this very moment and feeling very empowered. Just take the workshop.. those two hours under Danny’s thoughtful tutelage will change your life!

-Juan W

I also want to take a moment to share that publishing your book can be incredibly rewarding and fulfilling. Your lived experience, your unique perspective, your expertise, your creativity through story, your you-ness on the page, out in the world is an incredibly beautiful thing to experience and I would he honored to be part of helping you make your book a reality.

So take the workshop, or the self paced course or hire me to do the heavy lifting for you. Whatever you decide. I’m here and happy to help.

Here is the link to work hire me : https://dannyspeakspeace.com/authorship-support

It can feel overwhelming to see the relentless nature of structures divorced from humanity doing everything against what it is to be human, everything against connection, attunement and collective care.

Power in the People is a call back to the phrase “Power to the People” vocalized by the Black Panther Party in the 1960’s when many in the movement called emphatically “All Power to the People”

They were no doubt calling for structural power and material and systematic wellbeing for the masses, and yet they were able to call for and act toward this power from something within them, something rooted in heart, spirit and the intangible aspects of being human.

I think about personal power daily because it’s something that I’ve learned through Meditation and Yoga to be inextricable from humanity. Humanity can literally be crushed and yet this inherent power is ineffably ceaseless.

This article is a simple reminder. Power in the People is reflected on in many ways.

Power in the People as Remembrance of Self.

The adage, “remember who the fuck you are” is something countless people are doing. So many people are sick and tired of being sick and tired and part of that disillusionment and seeing through the fuck shit of broken social contracts, white delusion, and national illusions of grandeur is a very palpable sense of self.

A self that is unique. A self with a lived experience that no one else shares and that individuality cultivates a granulated awareness of personhood that is known. Remembering self is remembering agency, wisdom and insight from life, and a centered axis of place in a sea of million and one things.

Power in the People as the Ability to Care

Fucks are given. That’s why so many people are mad because people care about what happens to other people. Caring for people affected by ICE, Lynchings, murder that entire families and towns try to cover up, failing safety nets, wealth gaps, environmental neglect, genocide, the list goes on.

That ability to care, for empathy, compassion and attunement is Power in the People.

Power in the People as the Ability to Recognize Personal Capacity

For all of the faults of the Wellness Industrial complex and even the failings of mental health and healthcare system, we live in an age where many recognize the need for a care of their wellbeing. People recognize their capacity when it comes to work, what they can and cannot commit to in their responsibilities and commitments. This recognition and occasional follow through is a marker of empowerment in judgements, decisions and actions that shape the direction and preservation of personal energy. Energy that can be used in ways that honor individual value. Remembering the value of personal energy is power in the honoring of capacity.

Power in the People as Action

Every moment is new. Life is constant change. Our power to act in an uncountable number of ways in any given moment should give us hope. There are billions of us around the world, compounded actions in an infinite web of possibilities. Yes corruption exists. Yes trillionaires that worry about Black women being cast in Greek story telling instead of making material conditions for those suffering a priority is a reality. But so is the reality of an uncountable series of moments where we can act. Acts in compassion, acts in coordination, act in solidarity. And for those moments of inactions there is someone else who can act on someone else’s behalf. One rests while three act. Three act, while nine rests and so on.

The world is brighter than we imagine because there is action and the ability to act despite fuck shit.

Remember your power.

Remember our power.

Take heart.

The power in the people is power that does not end, just as energy is not destroyed neither is our power.

Power in the people is indomitable and ineffable.

Remind yourself of it.

Remind someone else of it.

For as long as you, I and we have breath, and even when we don’t. Power will still be in the people.

Tirumalai Krishnamacharya’s work in 1930s Mysore exemplifies this evolution. Under the patronage of the Maharaja of Mysore, who was deeply influenced by the physical culture movements of the era, Krishnamacharya developed a dynamic, vinyāsa-based āsana system that incorporated traditional Haṭha Yoga postures alongside indigenous wrestling exercises, such as daṇḍs and baiṭhaks, and elements of modern Western gymnastics. This synthesis created a rigorous physical training method that would go on to influence and shape much of the postural yoga practiced throughout the world today.

Here is a quote from Roots of Yoga by Mark Singleton:

“Krishnamacharya’s distinctive style of yoga practice is not as unique as one might assume but is a powerful synthesis of Western and Indian modes of physical culture, contextualized within ‘traditional’ haṭha yoga.”

— Singleton, Mark. Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010, p. 175

Many yoga teacher trainings take after the rigorousness of these influenced Western approaches to embodiment exercises.

SRI T. KRISHNAMACHARYAS, source Google Images

What this looks like in a yoga teacher training may involve several hours of the 200HR training being dedicated to repetitions in sequencing, group practice, peer-to-peer teaching, and intense embodied experiences with a myriad of postures; each with its own expression, function, history, mythos, and application within the larger choreography of the practice. Through rigorous application, students learn to embody and understand these postures so that they can eventually articulate their own sequences during their practicum, evaluation, graduation, and later as teachers in the world.

This equates to a lot of mental, energetic, and physical demand on the body-mind.

Body-mind is used here because in Yoga, the mind and body are not two things but one. Yoga allows for the felt sense of that oneness through various moments of integration through the practice of presence to embodiment.

Self Photograph, San Jose Costa Rica 2021

An example of how this plays out practically in certain trainings might mean morning, afternoon, and evening asana practices for those trainings that involve living at an ashram and/or retreat center for a period of time.

For trainings that are centralized to a yoga studio, it may look like evening practices during the work week and/or weekend-long intensives where the muscle memory and ingestion of asana practice are packed into students’ time together.

My very first yoga teacher training was grounded in Power Vinyasa at a major national franchise yoga studio, and for months during the week and weekends we packed these practices in and even when months of this training had ended I still had to complete 60 independent yoga classes at that same yoga studio to receive my certification.

Shiva Demonstrates Primary Series Asanas by Sayaka Yamamoto

I’ve since taken other training sessions that had different (and in my opinion more preferable) approaches. My aim here is to acknowledge the very real reality that many yoga teacher training sessions are physically demanding and that potential students should take this into account when assessing their capacity for taking a YTT.

It is common to be warned ahead of the beginning of the physical demand, as students are often encouraged to get proper rest, nourishment, and hydration in preparation for the overactive expectation.

Ironically, the word Asana means seat and many of the postures, as evidenced by the 15th Century sacred text the Hatha Yoga Pradipka, contain a number of seated postures.

The seat here is important because the movement of Āsana practice becomes fertile soil for the stillness of meditation, which is the foundational gift of the Śramaṇas, the ancestors of the various lineages of Yoga that would later emerge throughout the world. The Śramaṇas were early seekers who stepped away from the elaborate rituals of their time in order to pursue direct experience of the body-mind, breath, and consciousness. They were the forerunners of countless spiritual teachers, including Siddhārtha Gautama, most famously known as the Buddha.

With the primary question of this article answered I’ll end with my personal encouragement to anyone considering their physical capacity before taking their first Yoga Teacher Training, (YTT) to reflect on the necessity for healthy rhythms of rest, especially given the ceaseless “on” and “go” culture of the West.

Healthy rhythms of physical, emotional, mental and energetic rest are critical.The cycles of capitalism and societal pressure is physically demanding as is.

If you are a person on the margins or part of a community that has experienced generational and present collective harm; then the need for embodied restoration is understated.

A Systematic Review of Black People Coping With Racism: Approaches, Analysis, and Empowerment

Consider alternative trainings (restorative yoga, Yin Yoga, Meditation Certifications ) or commit to the demand of a physically taxing yoga teacher raining for the time if you are called to it and prepare for an additional period of integration, rest in tandem with a personal yoga practice that is less physically exerting.

Wishing you peace and fulfillment in your YTT journey.

Recent Weekly Sales from “A Healing Journal for Black Men”

I’ve written before about my desire to get a new book deal that will allow me to create another Healing Journal for Black Men but this time with royalties because I don’t receive royalties from the first journal. I’ve actually already written a large portion of the journal and it’s a work I’m really proud of. I found out recently that I may not get that new contract that I hoped for so now I’m pitching my journal idea to other publishing houses.

Fingers crossed.

Walkgood LA , You Good? Photo by Kavi Pictures

So now, what’s up with my title?

I’m not a journalist and I have no idea how to write a proper exposé so this will almost certainly read like a vent because it is.

This nigga is not real.

The AI photos.

The account based in Algeria.

It’s just disheartening man.

It feels like I’ve spent a decade of my life in service to the wellbeing of Black boys and Black men, creating resources for Black boys and Black men rooted in lived experience, research, and expertise, and then I see something like this.

Seeing books created in Algeria by someone presenting themselves as a Black man, profiting off of Black wellness, while there are so many people actually doing the real, necessary work in our communities, is deeply frustrating. What’s even more maddening to wrap my head around is that these books appear to be selling well, with countless highly rated reviews.

And it leaves me with a difficult question: if the fraud is still producing something people find valuable, does that mean it’s still serving? Or does it reveal how much people are searching for healing, guidance, and representation, and how vulnerable that space can become when authenticity is removed?

Anyway. The nigga ain’t real.

End rant.

I’m gonna end by showing love to brothers who have created healing journals for Black boys and Black men that are real.

First, shout out to Brennan Allen Stelle

Shout out to Jor-El Caraballo

Just to name a few.

Thanks for reading.