How to have a Sufi, healer, and ally/accomplice state of mind
Ameena Meer, brand guru, copywriter, holistic practitioner, and much revered emotional anchor, shares some of her thoughts in our latest Report from the Edge.
T: Being of Indian Muslim descent and grounded deeply in the world of branding and communications you have been incredibly vocal using your voice in numerous groundbreaking campaigns. This is a seminal moment for our society. What are your thoughts?
AM: As the writer, Rachel Cargle says, Black lives matter is not a self-improvement exercise for white people. This is a charged and crucial fulcrum. It’s not about a mea culpa on Instagram. Whether racism or tribalism is innate or inherent is not the point. Your personal bias is less important than structural or institutionalized racism. A system that is designed to keep any group of people down hurts everyone. This is about saving people’s lives. And saving humanity.
Our world shifted (and continues to shift) since March. The months in limbo allowed us as a society, to see the racism and injustice that is so deeply rooted in our institutions that it is painful and difficult.
No matter where we land on that experience and spectrum, we must stand for justice and consciousness in every action. Fortifying ourselves through that process will keep us from fatigue because it is not over.
T: You have always been well-grounded—even during the most complex circumstances. You single-handedly raised three daughters while running a branding agency, you battled and won over an aggressive uterine cancer. What are your emotional strategy and coping mechanism?
AM: In March, I strengthened my immune system and learned to live with less. My physical response to emotional pressure is juicing and eating lots of raw fruits and vegetables, swimming laps and getting out in nature (which can even be a walk around the block).
In the early part of the shutdown, access to food, juice, and supplements was difficult.
Two of my daughters (women in their 20s) panicked, moved in with me, and would only leave our two small rooms if it was unavoidable. Even then, they emerged fully covered in masks, goggles, and gloves and would not touch anything. My older daughter wasn’t sure if she still had a job, my youngest wasn’t sure if she could go back up to her college. My client-base were all battening down the hatches. We were all concerned with paying bills and staying afloat. Obviously, pools and parks were closed.
The news said that if a family member showed symptoms of the virus, they must be isolated in their own bedrooms and bathrooms. As one slept on the sofa and the other with me, our circumstances did not allow any private space.
It was a visceral lesson. We lived a small part of what many working-class or POC communities experienced not just in the pandemic but every day. The combined stress of tight living quarters, fear, lack of access to healthy food, and fresh air create the perfect circumstances for people to become ill. It’s not surprising that a large percentage of people being admitted to hospitals now have been sheltering at home. No surprise that Black, Native American, and Latinx communities are being decimated because they suffer from the illnesses often ignited by overworked nervous systems.
I terrified my kids by taking long walks every day. Eventually, they started coming with me.
Bodies respond to the sun, the water, the air, plants, and animals. Studies show that being in the elements – even if the weather is miserable and the experience unpleasant – quiets your nervous system, increases your ability to focus, strengthens your memory, and brightens your mood. Like others with more melanin in their skin (and I only have slightly more), I need even more sunshine to create vitamin d3 to strengthen my immune system.
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T: What is most important?
AM: To combine what brings you mind-body-soul into a state of health and vitality with being conscious of the lives of others. We all benefit from unplugging and retreating into ourselves sometimes but if we have the resources, if we have the privilege, if we have the platform, we need to come back out and use them to help others.
If you’re an activist, protect yourself and allow yourself to recharge so that you don’t burn out or become discouraged. If you’re black person or a person of color who lives with racism, allow yourself to retreat from the news and social media, especially if the amplification of violence on top of financial concerns is triggering. If you’re an ally or an accomplice, reach out to others who can help you on your path and be sure to give yourself compassion too as you re-examine and dismantle. Ask yourself why you, perhaps unconsciously, chose to be blind to these realities. As a Muslim accomplice and a person of color myself, I work on listening and reflecting back what my black brothers and sisters are experiencing, being a bridge between communities but also connecting with my own heart.
Also, food DOES matter. Make good choices. It affects our immediate moods and our long-term vitality.
T: What is overrated?
AM: Worrying about the ways we can get sick or hurt. Instead, spend more time learning how to get well. In our state of fear, we have shut down Naturopaths, Herbalists, Homeopaths, natural and traditional healers who have much to teach us. The earth is showing us that we are not invincible and we cannot control it. We are rushing around looking for a short term solution, a way to bubble wrap ourselves temporarily rather than planning how to survive the natural disasters to come. We need to come together as human beings and think about the long term health of our entire species. That means creating healthful living conditions for all of us, across culture, country, race, gender, and economic levels. Those healthful conditions include mental and emotional health. Keeping entire groups of people in a state of fear and tension will make us all more vulnerable. Latex gloves, masks, hand sanitizers can never protect as well as consciously strengthening our immune systems. Vaccines might protect us against this virus but what will happen when the next one comes? If people have resilience, let’s learn how to bring that to all of us.
For my body, TV in general, especially the news, is the wrong medicine. I try not to read constant information about the virus or the violence as that can be addicting. For me, that sucks me into anxiety and I lose my own inner compass. And an extrovert, Zoom meetings make me feel even more isolated. (Plus looking at my own face so much is disturbing).
T: Do you have a mantra?
AM: I’m a Sufi Muslim so chanting - even internally – is really a part of me. I have a Sufi chant, “La illaha il Allah.” The literal translation is “there is no God but God.” It’s about remembering that we are all one. My breath represents the breath of the planet. I inhale the trees and plants and they inhale me. All beings are part of me. I am responsible for them as they are responsible for me. When one being suffers, we all suffer. It sounds a little Dr. Bronner, but that’s what works.
T: What do you do when you are feeling adrift?
AM: I always have prayer beads. When I get lost or sad or angry, I have trouble staying in my breath and my body. I keep leaping into thought loops. So I repeat the phrase on each bead while I walk or sit, making the experience of being connected to all life palpable.
T: Tell us about your mediation practice.
AM: As a meditation teacher, I know meditation is crucial to creating space in your psyche. In the midst of chaos, I prefer a walking meditation. My mind gets too busy to sit on a cushion. After 30 years in NYC, I easily walk several miles a day. A walking meditation means constantly getting your attention out of your mind and back into your body. It’s like training a puppy. You walk, you breath, you feel each footstep. You allow all sensory input to enter but you don’t judge or run with it. Of course, because we are human, our thoughts start popping back in again. Every time we notice that we’ve drifted off, we bring our attention back to our breath, our footsteps or chant. Or the sound of the birds or cars or wind. The scents. The sensations. If I could swim, I would because repetitive action is great for meditation. The secret is giving that busy mind something to play with while you focus on feeling the connection with all life. It’s not about cutting yourself off. That connection will help keep you active and engaged.
T: Have you been able to work during the COVID-19 period?
AM: I’m lucky I have so many aspects to my work. I can work on brand strategy and copywriting from anywhere. I’ve always championed anti-racism, integrity and authenticity so it’s a joy for me to see brands, businesses and corporate structures starting to wake up. (Though it’s just a start, we owe a lot to our consumers, we need to give back too). I also work as an intuitive, an energy healer, and a health coach. I do readings or distance energy work over the phone. A lot of people need guidance, insight, and reassurance right now. That said, I love my bodywork practice – I am really sad not to be able to connect with people physically. I miss all my amazing, inspiring clients and friends.
T: What is your advice for people working from home and isolated from others?
AM: Whether you are working from home, back at work or working on social activism, COVID-19 helped us learn to go inside. Not just inside our homes, but inside our souls. We learned that our strength is inside ourselves. A practice of connecting with that Source that is both inside us and in the world, is our best resource. If you have a houseful of kids and pets and adults, how do you find that space despite the distraction? That is mindfulness. In parts of the world where people live close to each other, they are forced to cultivate their inner space. For me in Venice, it’s a walk outside, appreciating whatever nature I experience, sending love and compassion to all beings. It can also be clearing that space inside yourself – while you are cooking, cleaning, homeschooling or entertaining. Clearing is completely is hard but, what you will gain will be a powerful tool for what you do next. It allows you to retreat.
One way to meditate in the midst of busyness is to bring all of your attention to what you are doing. If you are cooking or washing dishes, do it with all of your senses. Clock everything that is happening in your body. Clock your thoughts, without following them. Clock your emotions. I tell people to pay attention to emotions and sensations that come up “without making a story about them.” That means don’t try to figure out why these things arise. Just notice that they are.
T: What can you share with other creatives who are trying to find their equilibrium?
AM: Be tender with yourself. If disappointment or sadness surges in or anger takes hold, there may be time where you get nothing done. That’s ok. Just because you fall off the wagon doesn’t mean you can’t get back on. Be conscious of what you are consuming. Current affairs may not be too hard for your body to process. Or take in a little at a time and sit with it. Sit with your discomfort. Be conscious of what you are eating. Eat more vegetables and drink more water. Many of us can’t afford to overhaul our diets or throw away everything in our cupboards right now, but bring awareness to your choices.
Be gentle with yourself but also be careful not to wallow. You may feel like you are in a hole, but don’t live there. Write, read, exercise, make art and do whatever it takes to get back in the world. We are being given so many opportunities for activism these days. If you’re having a bad day, reach out to your compassion team – have a group of friends you count on - they can help you get back up.
Illustration by Izak Zenou © 2020
One of the main things we are learning in this time is why we are here and what we can do to help others. Working on compassion for the suffering of others is crucial to every one of us – but we need to learn how to do it without selflessness, without losing our love for ourselves. Uncovering our own shadows with love and gentleness will help us bring in more light.
I find myself working with so many people who are using this time to understand their life’s purpose. Your life purpose may not be your job. It may not even be about doing something. It may be simply about being something. You incarnated into this body, into this time, onto this planet for a reason. Once you connect with why you are here, it becomes easier to have patience and see the big picture.
No matter what, wash your hands. Be awake. Be kind. Be well and be safe.
Ameena
See more of Ameena's work.
If you would love to work with her please contact michelleve@traffic-nyc.com.
And don't forget to follow her on Instagram at @brandwallah & @fearlesshealing
http://www.fearlesshealing.net/
http://www.brandwallah.com/
