Zel Amanzi

Tell us – what excites you about your work?

What's very exciting for me is being in community with and learning and leading laterally with other multiply marginalized folks. This is equally as exciting as witnessing how the immersion and class participants shift their lives and practices in courageous, vulnerable and nourishing ways.

What feels rich and abundant in your work right now?

The humxnization of teaching that comes with building and emphasizing equitable learning spaces that are dedicated to the protection and upliftment of multiply marginalized folks. The deep and winding nuances of healing journeys. The understanding that there is no version of material, structural or political liberation that is possible without spiritual liberation. The spaciousness of imagining.

Who do you dedicate your work to? Who inspires you?

I dedicate my work to my ancestors, to the spirits who guide me that I haven't met yet, to my chosen family, to the activists who fight for my humxnity, and to all seekers whose journey includes the intersection of colonial divestment, spiritual investment, and community sovereignty.

Who inspires you, who are you learning from, what books are you reading? We are really excited to learn this about you!

I'm inspired by my immersion and class participants who are so willing to share their journeys, their stories, their triumphs, their pain. It's beautiful. Having recently discovered that I'm doubly neurodivergent, I've also been deeply inspired by the more radical folks in #actuallyautistic spaces like @asiatucoach and @livedexperiencecounsellor. I just purchased Michelle C Johnson's Finding Refuge. Tracee Stanley is the teacher who inspired my journey home to myself, and her book Radiant Rest is honey. The book that I always recommend to people is The Courage to Be Disliked by Fumitake Koga and Ichiro Kishimi. I am very inspired by my fiance, Brennon @the_domesticated_artist, my hoodoo reader @IamSatarra, @moonhousenw who I'll be co-creating a 2022 offering with, as well as @spiritgardentarot, @earthwindandflowers_, @shaktaoracle, @queerbirthworker, @tinyparsnip, @pinkopalmagic @rootedinspirit, @gwendolynren, @umabehati, @branchefoston and of course all the members of @transyogaproject and many more!

“For most of us, "wellness" is not a destination, especially for folks with chronic illnesses and folks subject to chronic institutional abuse. "Self-care" and mindfulness teachers that are not directly addressing chronic systemic harm are not “wellness professionals,” in my opinion.”

What is something you didn’t know, that you now understand differently about wellness?

I don’t work with the concept of wellness, especially capitalist wellness. The more I work with disabled, mentally ill and neurodivergent students whose embodiment of disability justice has led me down my own neurodivergence journey, the less "wellness" is a grounding concept for me. For most of us, "wellness" is not a destination, especially for folks with chronic illnesses and folks subject to chronic institutional abuse. "Self-care" and mindfulness teachers that are not directly addressing chronic systemic harm are not “wellness professionals,” in my opinion. Disability justice and ancestor work helped me move beyond wellness. Concepts I do work with are spiritual investment, ritual development of gifts + purpose, ancestral relationship & colonial divestment. These are all available to us regardless of whether we experience wellness as a stable state of being. Through these, I’ve come to understand that our practices must not be generic, but unique expressions of our individuated souls.

What is your own wellness practice? How do you find balance?

I keep a lot of my personal practice private, as the specifics are really just for me and my ancestors. However, I do altar rituals and automatic writing daily. Candle magick is a big part of my practice as well as palm healing, meditation, tantric breathwork, chanting, dance and yoga asana. I also really value card reading, whether it's nontraditional versions of the Tarot or other divination decks.

How can people reading this support the work you are doing?

The best way to support the work is to do the work with me! The best part of what I do is engaging with amazing students and clients. If my current offerings aren't right for you and you'd still like to support me and other multiply marginalized seekers, joining my Patreon will have the most impact. The Patreon money is used to offset the cost of reduced pricing for queer and trans, disabled, and financially poor students who wish to invest in my 6- month immersions. Patreon helps me breathe deeper as most of my students are not paying the full price of the immersions. The Patreon includes a monthly class and I post content to Patreon that I don’t post elsewhere. Folks can always sponsor a spot in one of the sliding scale public classes as well via Venmo (@restinpoweryogareiki), Cashapp ($restinpoweryogareiki) or Paypal (paypal.me/restinpower).

‍