Bodies, Breath, and Bone Workshop: A Collaboration with Naya Jones & Ona McGovern
Collage from left to right: top left corner, Naya Jones; bottom left corner, pink and yellow flowers; right side, Ona McGovern.
On Thursday, November 12, Naya co-facilitated an ancestor meditation called “Bodies, Breath, and Bone” with Ona McGovern at the National Young Farmers Coalition Annual Leadership Convergence. The Black, indigenous, and people of color-only space focused on reconnecting with ancestors and on reimagining the meaning of “ancestors.”
With chapters across the United States, the National Young Farmers Coalition supports and mobilizes the next generation of famers. This year’s 6th Annual Convergence took place virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic. The theme was “achieving equity through agriculture.”
Naya and Ona’s workshop began with a ceremonial opening, continued with meditation and movement guided by Naya (bodies), and moved into a reflective journaling practice with Ona (breath). The session closed with a collaborative reflection on what resonated deeply (bones), along with space for Questions and Answers.
For many BIPOC, multiple forms of trauma mean we are not able to name our lineages with ease. Throughout, facilitators and co-healers (aka participants) honored ancestors broadly defined, from family members and historical figures, to plants, places, and the elements.
Slide from workshop: with tree in light green and the word “Bodies” in purple.
Ona (they/them/theirs) is a Blaqueer artist and earthworker living in Austin, Texas (occupied Tonkawa, Comanche, and Lipan Apache lands). As part of building deeper relationship and resilience with the land, they ally with plants, make zines, and cook with and for people as a tool (and resource) for healing. Ona has also been a Community Healing Arts & Design Apprentice with Naya for almost 2 years, co-learning about holding space, ancestor work, and building a healing arts practice.
Naya (she/her/hers) has been guiding meditation and holding ceremony primarily with fellow BIPOC since 2008. She is a Blaxicana geographer and cultural worker who works where research, activism, and healing arts meet. She is a descendant of African-American and Xicanx earthworkers, among them farmers, gardeners, and migrant farm workers from. In 2018, she started an apprenticeship via her private practice (Rootwork) to share back and to keep learning. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of California Santa Cruz, on unceded territory of the Awaswas-speaking Uypi Tribe.
Click here for a PDF of further resources, including readings, audio, and recipes/recetas.
Learn more about Ona’s work and updates on Instagram @honeysuit_.
Join Naya for a monthly e-letter, and follow her journey where research and healing arts meet on Instagram @rootwomxnarts.
And for more about what’s next for the National Young Farmers Coalition, visit their website and visit their Instagram @youngfarmers.