A reflection on training, trauma healing through movement, and embodied liberation.
By Fantanesh Attomsa
Hello colleagues, professionals, advocates, students, and community stakeholders,
My name is Fantanesh Attomsa and I am the Regional Physical Activity Consultant (RPAC) for Central Region. I am grateful to share a brief reflection following my recent completion of Kemetic Yoga Teacher Training—and to extend sincere thanks to Recreation Nova Scotia for supporting my participation in this learning.
This unique training offered more than just a technique - it deepened my understanding of something many of us witness across recreation, health, and community care: movement is not an “add-on” to wellbeing – it is a core pathway for processing stored trauma and experiencing true healing and liberation.
Movement as a pathway for processing stored trauma
Trauma—whether acute, chronic, personal, or collective—is stored in different ways throughout the body: in breath patterns, muscle tension, posture, and nervous system activation. For many people, especially those navigating ongoing stress and systemic inequities, the body remains in a state of hypervigilance.
Trauma-informed movement practices can support:
- nervous system regulation and a felt sense of safety within the mind and body
- reconnection to the body (introspection, breath awareness, grounded presence)
- release of chronic tension held in common trauma areas (jaw, shoulders, hips, pelvic bowl)
- improved emotional processing through embodied awareness and rhythm
Movement is an opportunity to create conditions where the body can soften, reorganize, and return to itself at its own pace.
Why Kemetic Yoga matters—especially for Black bodies
Kemetic Yoga is a culturally grounded system rooted in ancient African (Kemetic/Egyptian) philosophy, symbolism, and postures. In the context of community recreation and wellness, it offers something practical and profound as a movement practice that is liberating, identity-affirming, and culturally resonant.
For Black communities in particular, Kemetic Yoga supports healing from racial trauma in ways that are mentally, physically and spiritually healing. Racial trauma—experienced directly and/or carried through generations—shapes how safety, rest, breath, and belonging are felt in the body.
Kemetic Yoga is a practice of:
- embodied regulation through breath, posture, and intentional sequencing that is not focused on performance but rather connection (slow, rhythmic, fluid, visualization)
- cultural remembrance and reconnection—a return to practices that reflect us and our ancient wisdom
- representation and restoration—seeing Blackness depicted as Divine source, and used throughout the practice through visualization and poses that honor our history and spirituality
- liberation through self-actualization—moving beyond survival into joy, vitality, and understanding our true identity
Kemetic Yoga transcends a physical practice and provides a culturally grounded, spiritually resonant, and historically rooted system that invites us to return to ourselves with reverence.
This movement practice offers a unique healing system that reminds us that our history and practices extend deeply into ancient civilizations—into sacred text, symbols, ways of movement, ways of living, and ways of nourishing ourselves that support vitality across this lifespan and the next. Through cultural representation throughout the practice and intentional movement, Kemetic Yoga heals and unifies the mind, body, and an integral piece of Black culture and healing – the Spirit.
The training reinforced a powerful truth: healing is not something we need to create or search for, it is something we can return to. Connecting to our own powerful history and truth allows us to see ourselves for who we truly are, creating the optimal environment for deep, cellular and soul healing. Seeing ourselves represented in ancient texts, symbols, and ways of moving, we can find frameworks that nourish our cultural, mental, spiritual, and physical wellness.
Reflections for our sector
As a sector, recreation holds a unique role: we are often the most accessible entry point to wellbeing. This experience strengthened my belief that culturally grounded, trauma-informed movement belongs in our strategic conversations. Whether through Kemetic Yoga or other identity-affirming practices, representation in physical activity and recreation is not just a trend, but as a legitimate and necessary approach to community care and well-being.
I encourage us all to renew our commitment to:
- centering safety, nervous system support and trauma awareness in movement spaces
- advocating for culturally responsive practices that reflect the communities we serve
- continuing to learn, share, and contribute to culturally-informed approaches within recreation and wellness
Thank you again to Recreation Nova Scotia for their support in my professional development. I’m grateful for the investment in learning that strengthens our collective capacity to serve communities with care, cultural understanding, and integrity.
With gratitude,
Fantanesh Attomsa
If you are interested in learning more about the practice of Kemetic Yoga, feel free to check out these videos:
Pt.1: Sacred Breath:Kemetic Yoga Breathing Exercises to Strengthen Breath & Connect With Life Energy
Pt.2 Sacred Breath:Kemetic Yoga Breathing Exercises to Strengthen Breath & Connect With Life Energy
Kemetic Yoga: T'eken Sequence, Maat Ka, Pose of Immortality, Peaceful Warrior Pose, Goddess Pose
Kemetic Yoga: Sun Salutation, Sesh Pose, & Other Foundational Poses/Benefits