(L-R) Victoria Gonzalez, Nzingah Oniwosan and Daniel Higuera. (Photos courtesy Maven)
ORLANDO | Maven Leadership Collective announced June 1 the launch of a new digital platform that will increase health resources for queer and trans people of color.
Maven Wellness Hub provides free online access to a variety of health-related videos including yoga, tai chi, breathwork and meditation as a way to help improve the quality of life for LGBTQ people of color and allies.
“This is not just wellness, this is wellness as resistance,” said Corey Davis, Maven’s co-founder and executive director, in a press release. “We don’t just want this to be a series of videos, we want this to be a space where queer and trans people of color can see ourselves reflected in the instructors and know there is a space for us to reclaim our right to thrive.”
Maven’s focus on yoga, tai chi, breathwork and meditation — practices long associated with positive health benefits — may be helpful for those living with heart disease, breast cancer and HIV, common conditions for LGBTQ communities of color which have only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Maven, which began offering free community yoga and meditation in 2017, plans to return to in-person classes in Central and South Florida but will also continue with its new digital platform allowing for greater access to people outside of those areas while offering a hybrid model to those within the area. Since its inception, Maven’s meditation and yoga programs — Maven Moves and Maven Vibes — have been attended by more than 300 individuals each year.
Maven Wellness Hub can be accessed at MavenLeadership.org/Wellness. The free digital platform offers classes in English, Spanish and Kreyòl.
