In celebration of Black History Month and its 2022 theme, “Black Health and Wellness,” NAMA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee is spotlighting some of our Black members.
Black History Month is a special time of year to recognize and acknowledge those in the Black community who are making a difference in their homes, their communities, and the world. And as an organization devoted to equity and inclusion and to bringing attention to the profiles and voices of people of color, we want to take this opportunity to spotlight some of NAMA’s Black members and the work they are doing in the world.
So, we asked them to share their stories and what practicing Ayurveda and living its truths means to them.
Waverly Pierce-Kemp, CAP
Waverly Pierce-Kemp, CAP, of Sacramento, CA, is a NAMACB board certified Ayurvedic Practitioner, Panchakarma Specialist, and licensed Esthetician. She helps others navigate the myriad of choices for anti-aging treatments, health and skincare therapies, and lifestyle recommendations. She is a graduate of the California College of Ayurveda and Citrus Heights Beauty.
At a young age, I felt a connection between the environment, diet, lifestyle, illness, and disease. Certain times of the year triggered my brother’s asthma attacks. I suffered from certain foods that I ate. I watched sadness overcome my grandmother after the passing of my grandfather. Studying diseases from an Ayurvedic perspective later helped me bring clarity to what I observed and experienced.
As a licensed Esthetician, I often marvel at how during a facial, some people drift off to sleep; while others just laugh and talk or become impatient and eventually share how difficult it is for them to relax. It wasn’t until I attended an Ayurvedic skincare training that I discovered how the doshas inform behavior. I wanted to learn more and soon discovered the California College of Ayurveda.
During my internship, I met a doctor who was also a spiritual healer. My mother had “terminal” cancer, and I was told I should take her home and put her affairs in order. Instead, we went to have her seen by this doctor/spiritual healer. He and I talked and prayed about my Ayurvedic journey. As we prepared to go home, I asked him; “So. This is it? What should I do after we get home?” He smiled and said, “You know what to do.” He was right. I had a good Ayurvedic education. My mother celebrated her 90th birthday in April 2021.
For quite some time there’s been a “forgetting” in this world of our connectedness with God/Spirit. A sensory overload about what’s right and wrong, leading to challenging emotions and “failure of intelligence.” If each one of us completed a comprehensive Ayurvedic Assessment early in life, we could use this knowledge to better understand ourselves, others. and the world around us.
Tesia Love, CAP, LMT
Tesia Love, CAP, LMT, 500-RYT, is a NAMACB board certified Ayurvedic Practitioner from Charlotte, NC, and a graduate of the California College of Ayurveda, Duke Integrative Medicine’s Integrative Health Coach training, and numerous other programs. She served as chair of NAMA’s Membership Committee, Continuing Education Subcommittee, and Diversity & Inclusion Committee (www.tesialove.com @tesialovewellness).
Complete this sentence: Ayurveda is…
Ayurveda is wisdom. Ayurveda is beauty. Ayurveda is a path and an approach that is for anyone anywhere, because it is for humanity, and that's one of the things that I love about it.
What inspired you to practice and share Ayurveda?
Ayurveda’s simplicity and Ayurveda’s beauty are what inspire me to practice and to share Ayurveda. And by that I mean when people are out there looking for solutions to better health and well-being, it can be really confusing because there are so many different approaches and so many different aspects . . . whether it’s nutrition, herbs, bodywork, et cetera.
I've found that people get confused, but Ayurveda brings together all the different aspects of wellness and makes it make sense for YOU . . . for the individual. So, it (Ayurveda) has a way of bringing clarity to how one can get and achieve better health. So that's definitely one of the things that inspires me to share Ayurveda.
Ray Booker, CAP
Ray Booker, CAP, native to Louisiana, is a NAMACB board certified Ayurvedic Practitioner, graduate of The Ayurvedic Institute, and holder of Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy and Food as Medicine certificates. He is a professional musician and founder and director of the Jazz Fighting Hunger Project, which has helped to serve over 450,000 meals.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
One of my musical mentors, Mr. Clon Von Fitz said, “If you don’t know what to play, don’t play anything.” This perspective may seem to be counterintuitive when we are faced with challenging or unknown situations. We often have a compulsion to DO something. There is a saying that “Nature abhors a vacuum.” So does Grace. By creating space within and without, we allow for the flow of Grace, which is life changing. Compulsive and ego-driven behaviors are dissolved in the simple act of Surrender. Sometimes you just don’t play anything.
What book, website, or person MOST inspires your life and practice?
Roy Eugene Davis, the founder of Center for Spiritual Awareness and a direct disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda, has most inspired my life and approach to Āyurveda. The 25 years I spent with Roy observing and experiencing how he lived his life, taught, and shared his knowledge with others freely (purely on a donation basis), and how he was a living example of Truth were truly a gift. His inspiration and influence are profound, and my gratitude is joyful and endless. His book, Life Surrendered in God (The Philosophy and Practices of Kriya Yoga), is my “rock” when questions arise and for continued study. It is also a wonderful commentary on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.
What inspired you to practice and share Ayurveda?
When I discovered that many of my practical and spiritual approaches to living were based in Āyurveda, I was hooked. After spending two years at The Āyurvedic Institute I knew that Āyurveda would be woven into the fabric of my life.
Kadiatou Sibi, CAP
Kadiatou Sibi, CAP (she/her), is a NAMACB board certified Ayurvedic Practitioner and a Reiki Practitioner and founder of Los Angeles-based AWOW, A Web of Wellness.
I founded A Web of Wellness, a health and wellness practice that helps people achieve and sustain optimal health because these practices help my family thrive.
My roots are held in Julangel, The Gambia, West Africa. and reached the U.S. via New York City. I am a mother of three children, two of whom have special needs. My lineage of healers originates from my family in Mauritania and The Gambia, West Africa.
In college, I found my voice (literally) and traveled the country as the lead singer for the band Belizbeha. Following a successful career in media, entertainment, and teaching, I focused on entrepreneurism to launch A Web of Wellness.
The journey of recovering from childhood trauma led me to formally study Ayurveda at the Southern California University of Health Sciences. Currently, I am inspired to codify Traditional African Medicine.
My practice is located in the Historic Landmark, Leimert Park Village, in Los Angeles, CA.
Chara Caruthers, CAP, C-IAYT, ERYT-500
Chara Caruthers, CAP, C-IAYT, ERYT-500, YACEP; Level 2 Yoga Teacher (Yoga Australia), is a passionate and outspoken voice for the power of living your truth. She has studied, practiced, and taught yoga and Ayurveda around the globe and has inspired a global community of people to live juicier, more connected lives by embracing the responsibility we all have to know and love ourselves.
Ayurveda is…
Ayurveda is empowerment. I believe that what’s missing in our approach to healing and well-being the world over is a sense of agency. Ayurveda is a framework for empowering individuals to know and love themselves. At its core it offers a sense of empowerment to all that live and practice its principles. There’s nothing more inspiring to me than that!
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I’ve ever received is to live in the questions. One of my favorite yoga teachers told me this at the end of my yoga teacher training. At the time (a long time ago) I didn’t know what she meant. Now, years later, it’s something that I endeavor to do every day and something that I invite my clients and students to do as well.
How do you believe Ayurveda can shape or change the world?
I believe Ayurveda has the potential to change the face of healthcare as we know it. I often call it the ancient healthcare of the future. Given the current state of health around the globe, a shift in the way we look at well-being and longevity will be required to change the trajectory that we’re on. Moving from a symptoms management mind-set to a prevention mind-set will require an approach and set of tools that start with getting curious about who we are as individuals, what we care about, and how and why we make the choices we do. Ayurveda is the perfect blueprint for supporting this way of thinking, living, and being in action, starting with small things that we do every day.
get involved
A fair, equitable and diverse world starts with YOU. NAMA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee invites you to join us in our efforts to promote and reflect equality, empathy, allyship, and love in the ways that we live and work. You can take a step toward embracing anti-racism awareness and action by taking our free DEI training for NAMA Members.
Thank you.