[#DecolonizeBookshelves2022] A 2021 Picturebook on Mindfulness

Myra here.

Every Saturday we hope to share with you our thoughts on reading and books. We thought that it would be good practice to reflect on our reading lives and our thoughts about reading in general. While on occasion, we would feature a few books in keeping with this, there would be a few posts where we will just write about our thoughts on read-alouds, libraries, reading journals, upcoming literary conferences, books that we are excited about, and just book love miscellany in general.

My Heart Flies Open [Amazon | Book Depository]

Written and Illustrated by Omileye Achikeobi-Lewis Published by North Atlantic Books (2021) ISBN: 1623176131 (ISBN13: 9781623176136). Borrowed via Overdrive. Book photos taken by me.

While this picturebook may be considered a children’s primer on yoga poses, I feel that it is much more – as can be deduced from the title on one’s heart flying open.

Each yoga pose is described in detail alongside a quiet declaration of one’s worth, an affirmation that one is loved and is of value.

I love the image above with all the butterflies flowing out of one’s being, birthing joy and beauty. While I would rather that the text-narrative ended with, say I am joy and I am love above – with the detailed yoga descriptions probably included in the Afterword, it did not diminish my overall enjoyment of this gorgeous picturebook.

The image above is an example of how the text seemed to be overly-long, and where the yoga description could have been added in the Afterword instead. That being said, I loved reading the Author’s bio where Omileye Achikeobe-Lewis was described to work as a “diversity trainer and gives talks on mindfulness, Indigenous wisdom, and their power to create peace in our world, communities, and school systems.”

I find myself gravitating more towards picturebooks like this that bring forth positivity and peaceful energies. The universe needs more narratives like this one.