I had the pleasure of featuring on the official Black Vegans Rock website this week. Amazing to share the platform with so many others who have been on a similar Vegan journey. Here is the un-editd version if you missed it. Njoy!
NAI DAVINA, MANCHESTER UK
‘It’s been 9 years since i ate my last meat based meal and i haven’t looked back since.’
My name is Nai (Naomi) and becoming vegan? Well that was a journey, a very isolating but super rewarding one. Being a dancer/teacher at the time and understanding the importance of what was going on in my body should have been the main reason for this revolutionary movement taking place inside me. But it wasn’t.
It all started on a trip to Egypt, i was currently reading a book which spoke on diets and particular foods, which are harmful to the body of people from black and ethnic backgrounds and also the principles of a yogic lifestyle, something i was very attracted too as one of my passions was to become a yoga teacher and to incorporate what i do with young people and my peers, into my daily work regime, organically. My mother became really ill from a young age and apart of watching her experience made me even more health conscious. Somewhere between the knowledge i gained and being on such an amazing highly energetic part of the earth, i had a light bulb moment.
Although it was a physical mental and spiritual transition, i found something in my later stages that made this transition very easy for me. The effects it was having on our globe, the state of the food industry and the depths of what was taking place in these slaughter houses.
I planned just for one week to cut meat out of my diet, more for a cleansing exercise i was doing with Queen Afua’s book Sacred Woman. 9 years later and i’m proudly writing this for Black Vegans Rock!
What a liberating feeling i got from letting go of something i knew was no good for me and that everyone was telling me was just a phrase, “you won’t survive”. A couple months into my transition the questions started “why you doing this? what you going to eat? where you gonna get protein from?. And yet i knew these questions and statements made no sense but at the time they were questions i didn’t confidently have answers too, all i knew was it felt as though there was a switch in me that permanently went off. Almost like it wasn’t my call. As if something greater than me said ’Nai times up!’ All urges and cravings for meat, chicken, fish, dairy and even sugar disappeared. I stepped into a new world and my whole perspective on life changed.
I’ve made room in my body and life and the energy i embody is super charged. My body is in its natural flow. The bounce in my step has way more spring than before, my nervous system makes sure my immunity is on point and them skin issues, well they packed up and left.
My kitchen and i became best friends. I love creating dishes that when tasted, leaves an essence of complete satisfaction. No meat necessary! Even Grandma loves a nice Vegan Caribbean Saturday Soup every now and again.
My work with young people and the wider community in areas such as history, dance yoga and health continue to be based around my experiences. My personal journey has allowed me to expand and assist others on their journey to elevating their highest potential.
“Its a personal trip you embark on with yourself. Not for approval, not for recognition. Every thing you put in your body is reflected in your physical reality, in your thought process, in your emotional body. Its all interrelated. If you’re gonna eat why not Eat to Live and Eat for Life… Find your balance, listen to your body and just flow!
http://www.blackvegansrock.com/blog/2016/7/9/feature-nai-davina
