Healing in Motion: Dance, Nature, and Community as Pathways to Wellness for Black and Indigenous Women
- SolFlowers
- Nov 3
- 6 min read
By SolFlowers and SolFlyTravel
Movement heals. From the rhythm of our ancestors to today’s community dance rituals, nature and motion awaken deep restoration.
The Body Remembers: Healing Through Dance
Dance is one of humanity’s oldest languages. Long before wellness studios, our ancestors gathered around drums, rivers, and firelight to move through emotion and reconnect to life itself. For Black and Indigenous communities, dance isn’t just performance—it’s prayer, resistance, and remembrance. It releases stored trauma, regulates the nervous system, and strengthens the heart. Research shows that expressive movement can reduce cortisol, improve circulation, and even rewire pathways linked to joy and resilience.
When we dance, we reclaim the body as sacred space.
Nature as Our First Temple
Modern wellness often forgets what our grandmothers knew—healing begins outdoors. The wind is breathwork. The forest is meditation. The soil beneath our feet holds the minerals our blood once mirrored.
For women of the African and Indigenous diasporas, nature reconnects us to ancestral geography—lands that held ceremony, songs, and systems of care before colonization. Relearning to rest beneath trees or bathe in natural waters is a political and spiritual act.The Earth remembers who we are, even when we forget.
Dancing Together: Community as Medicine
Individual wellness is incomplete without community. Dancing in community activates mirror neurons that enhance empathy and co-regulation—our bodies literally synchronize.
In SolFlowers’ gatherings, this becomes a social wellness practice: laughter replaces isolation, rhythm restores trust, and shared meals bridge stories across generations. Collective movement dissolves stress and builds the kind of wellness that lasts long after the music stops.
💃🏾The Ubuntu Festival Wellness Retreat: “I Am Because We Are”
In Puerto Rico, SolFlowers invites you to the Ubuntu Festival Wellness Retreat, a holistic cultural experience blending African rhythm, Caribbean healing arts, and nature-based movement. Planned by SolFlowers, coordinated by SolFlyTravel, and produced by Aminah Jackson, this festival-retreat celebrates the philosophy of Ubuntu—the belief that our wellness is woven together.
Guests will experience:
Sunset dance meditations by the sea
Nature immersion and ancestral drumming circles
Healing and somatic wellness workshops led by healers of the diaspora
Restorative community meals inspired by African and Taíno food traditions
The Ubuntu Festival is where cultural celebration meets holistic renewal.
🌿The Sacred Renewal Wellness Retreat: A Sister Offering
For those seeking deeper rest in the mountains of Utuado, Puerto Rico, SolFlowers also partners with Amour Getaways for the Sacred Renewal Wellness Retreat—a journey co-hosted with Divine Streams and Sacred Voyages. This retreat embodies the rising movement of remote wellness travel, where silence, rivers, and forest air become the new luxury. Read Amour Getaways’ full article here: Remote Wellness Escapes in Puerto Rico
Why This Matters for Black and Indigenous Women
Many Black and Indigenous women carry generational stress from labor, caregiving, and systemic injustice. These retreats create liberated spaces for:
Nervous system repair through rhythmic movement
Ancestral reconnection through land-based rituals
Sisterhood and safety among women who share lived experience
Holistic restoration through food, herbs, and spiritual practice
This is not escape—it’s return.
Join the Movement
Whether you’re dancing beneath waterfalls in Puerto Rico or stretching beneath oak trees back home, your body is remembering its rhythm. Join us at SolFlowers.org or follow @SolFlyTravel for upcoming retreat details. Together, let’s move toward wellness rooted in community, nature, and joy.
🔗 Links
References
Koch, S. C., Mehl, L., Sobanski, E., Fuchs, T., & Biondo, J. (2023). The Physiological and Psychological Benefits of Dance and its Implications for Well‐Being and Public Health: A Review of the Literature. PMC.Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9234256/ PMC
This review shows that dance offers both physical and psychological benefits across populations (healthy and medically compromised).
Supports the blog’s point that dance is a feasible, holistic wellness practice.
Koch, S. C., Riege, R. M., Tisborn, K., Biondo, J., Martin, L., & Beelmann, A. (2019). Effects of Dance Movement Therapy and Dance on Health-Related Psychological Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis. PMC.Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6710484/ PMC
Meta-analysis finding that dance and movement therapy reduce anxiety/depression and increase quality of life and interpersonal/cognitive skills.
Underlines the benefit of movement + community for mental wellness.
Hatala, A. R., et al. (2024). Access to Land and Nature as Health Determinants: Indigenous Youth Wellness in Urban and Rural Settings. PMC.Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11411752/ PMC
Describes how access to nature and land (especially for Indigenous youth) relates to wellness and cultural health.
Supports the part about nature reconnecting Black and Indigenous women with ancestral geography and health.
Bettmann, J. E., et al. (2024). Nature Exposure, Even as Little as 10 Minutes, is Likely to Improve Mental Health. Liebertpub.Link: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/eco.2023.0063 Liebert Pub
Provides research on how even short nature exposures offer measurable mental health benefits.
Validates the blog’s emphasis on nature immersion in retreats (forest, waterfalls, etc).
The DanceCurrent. The Benefits of Community Dance Programs for Your Body and Mind. (2022)Link: https://thedancecurrent.com/article/the-benefits-of-community-dance-programs-for-your-body-and-mind/ The Dance Current
Explores how community dance supports cardiovascular and muscle health, but also social, emotional and cognitive well-being through group learning.
This aligns with the blog’s focus on dancing together in community as medicine.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. How does dance improve overall wellness?
Dance is a full-body wellness practice that improves cardiovascular health, flexibility, and balance while reducing stress hormones like cortisol. Research also shows that dance enhances mood, body awareness, and emotional resilience by reconnecting mind and body through rhythm and movement.
2. Why is dance especially healing for Black and Indigenous communities?
For Black and Indigenous peoples, dance carries ancestral memory—it is a living archive of prayer, protest, and celebration. Engaging in traditional and communal dance reconnects participants with their heritage, restores cultural pride, and transforms generational trauma into embodied joy.
3. What is the connection between nature and emotional healing?
Nature exposure has been proven to lower blood pressure, improve mood, and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. For women of color, reconnecting to land also carries spiritual and ancestral healing power—reminding us that we are part of a larger ecosystem designed for balance and renewal.
4. How does dancing in community support mental health?
Group dance fosters social connection and co-regulation—when we move together, our bodies synchronize, boosting oxytocin (the bonding hormone) and serotonin (the mood-stabilizing neurotransmitter). This sense of shared rhythm builds belonging, trust, and emotional safety.
5. What is the Ubuntu Festival Wellness Retreat?
The Ubuntu Festival Wellness Retreat in Puerto Rico is a SolFlowers experience coordinated by SolFlyTravel and the festival is produced by Aminah Jackson. Inspired by the philosophy “I Am Because We Are,” it blends African diasporic dance, nature immersion, and holistic healing practices that celebrate cultural connection and collective wellness.
6. What is the Sacred Renewal Wellness Retreat?
The Sacred Renewal Wellness Retreat, hosted by Amour Getaways in Utuado, Puerto Rico, offers remote luxury wellness grounded in stillness and nature. Co-hosted with Divine Streams and Sacred Voyages, it features meditation, herbal workshops, and slow mornings surrounded by mountains.👉 Read more on Amour Getaways’ blog
7. How are these retreats different from regular vacations?
Both retreats are transformational wellness experiences, not just getaways. They integrate ancestral healing, movement, and mindfulness with community, cultural heritage, and self-care. Each participant leaves renewed—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
8. Who can attend these retreats?
Everyone is welcome. SolFlowers and Amour Getaways center Black, Indigenous, and women-identified participants seeking healing and reconnection, but all allies who honor these values are encouraged to join in respect and community.
9. How can I register or learn more?
Visit SolFlowers.org/events or follow @SolFlyTravel for retreat updates, registration links, and travel packages. Spots are limited to preserve the intimacy of the experience.
10. What should I bring to a wellness retreat focused on dance and nature?
Bring light, breathable clothing for movement, a reusable water bottle, swimwear, journal, comfortable walking shoes, and an open heart. Most importantly—bring your willingness to move, release, and reconnect.
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