Decolonizing the Body is a wellness guide to help us get centered. and healed. This book asks us questions and exercises and rituals to help us heal in this fast-paced world; in other words, decolonize our bodies. I like the tone of the book. The author feels present and like she is talking directly to me. I have lots of bookmarks saved, and will reread again and again. I highly recommend this book to those looking to learn to listen to our bodies and heal.

I'm not a woman of color but I was interested in the topic of this book from a health & body standpoint. Blackwell does an excellent job of weaving together personal stories, somatic practices, and theoretical insights to create a book that is both accessible and thought-provoking. It's full of practical advice that can help women, especially women of color, to begin the process of healing from trauma.

I read this book right on time. I really loved the layout coupled with referring to anxiety as a result of disconnecting to your body to survive. And I think any discussion related to rest without including somatic healing is a missed opportunity so bravo to the author for having the foresight to include it.

There is a growing body of books about somatic wellness and how trauma and racism can impact our bodies and wellbeing. This book adds nicely to the growing literature with its own unique niche. Decolonizing the Body focuses on women of color, and is written by a woman of color to help guide women towards healing and reconnecting with what woc need to thrive. Reading this alongside other books such as What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo was an interesting parallel journey.

Decolonizing the Body Healing, Body-Centered Practices for Women of Color to Reclaim Confidence, Dignity, and Self-Worth by Kelsey Blackwell - YES YES YES!! One of the most important books that I have read this year. A MUST for everyone's bookshelf. Kill the white-supremacist in your head. "To decolonize the body is to become whole again, and to come home again. Let this book be your guide on this crucial journey." A masterpiece.

Decolonizing the Body by Kelsey Blackwell starts off with her honoring the legacy of her ancestors. She starts with her reflections on Harriet Tubman and wonders about how Tubman was able to deprogram herself in an evil colonial system designed to kill her spirit. Blackwell then goes on to ask readers to reflect on the harmful legacy of slavery and the ways that we have been taught to "push our anger far down, to disconnect from feeling and sensation 'to get through'".

There is wisdom in our bodies that extends way past anything verbal language can communicate. By decolonizing our bodies we are able to reconnect to them as our home base and to learn to trust the embodied knowledge that is in our bones. Using the study of somatics, Blackwell encourages readers to pay more attention to our bodies, what they are saying and what they have to reveal to us and teach us. Our mental and emotional health is improved when we are connected to our bodies because our relationship to our bodies is where we first come face to face with understanding our innate human needs.

One quote in particular sticks with me: "What is the best way to distract people from accessing their how? By keeping them so busy that they don't have time to notice or take care of what is happening in their body, by making them believe that what they produce is the only way to garner respect for and keep their body safe." In order to decolonize the body we have to reclaim it and in order to reclaim it we have to understand how these systems of oppression directly stand in opposition to our ability to slow down enough to do this work. Decolonizing the body will take work and will take intention. There are practical tools and meditations provided in the text to help us with this as well as guided audio meditation practices available for download.

I'm excited to start building in some of the rituals shared into my own daily practice especially the rituals around connecting with our ancestors and hearing their guidance. When we decolonize the body we honor what it's holding and in doing so we honor our own ancestral heritage. There are also many powerful reflections on building supportive communities and what this requires outside of a capitalistic framework. This might be the part of the book I will spend most of time unpacking. Communities of care save lives and learning to build and sustain them is something I am dedicated to doing more of for myself and for others.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the e-arc copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy. Excellent read. Offers an approach that is as informative as it is approachable. Focusing on those belonging to the global majority I enjoyed the mix of explaining where individual challenges can arise from systemic/historical oppression. The author creates a safe space for understanding where struggles can originate and continue to come in the present. There are also multiple journal prompts and exercises that can offer space for reflection.

I absolutely loved this book. As a somatic practitioner myself, I want to learn about more ways I can help clients and students to feel safe in my presence and offer them techniques that will have a meaningful impact for them as an individual. This book is a loving, caring, and very well informed handbook to begin the process of healing BIPOC identities from the systems of oppression that have kept them in a state of self denial for far too long. The author writes from a place of deep understanding and with every word connects the reader to expressive techniques and historical context, scientific reasoning and emotional validation. I highly recommend it.