My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Mending of Our Bodies and Hearts

by Resmaa Menakem

—BODY PRACTICE— Find a quiet, comfortable place where you can be alone for a few minutes. Bring with you a piece of string (or rope or yarn) at least ten to twelve feet long. Stand in an open area. Take a few deep, slow breaths. Using the string, create a circle on the ground. Adjust its size so that when you stand in its center and you imagine someone else standing on the circle’s edge, you are a comfortable distance from them. Once the circle is the right size, take your place at its center. Breathe in and out a few more times. Think of someone you know who is caring and supportive. This can be a friend, a relative, a neighbor, a partner, or a friendly acquaintance. Visualize this person walking slowly in your direction toward the circle. As he or she crosses the circle’s edge, pay attention to what your body experiences. Does it relax or constrict? Does it want to move forward or backward? Does it want to reach out, or protect itself, or move in some other way? Now clear your mind. Take three or four more slow breaths. Now visualize someone else you know, someone who is not particularly caring and supportive. This shouldn’t be someone who is outright violent or dangerous, who has threatened you, or who is your sworn enemy. Instead, it might be a boss or coworker with whom you have some friction, or a slightly standoffish neighbor, or perhaps a relative who disagrees with you on several political or social issues. Visualize this person walking slowly in your direction to...