Rising Stars: Meet Dejr Bostick of Downtown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dejr Bostick.

Hi Dejr, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
After going through a separation and divorce I knew that I needed to become a better version of myself. Meditation had been a practice of mine off and on for years but as with anything at that time in my life it was only for times, I felt like I needed to feel grounded. In 2017 I took the practice seriously and committed to practicing for 1-3 mins every day and those intentional moments allowed me to recreate myself and become clear on what I was and who I was yet to become. I created a process that I called the 5 phases and these phases coupled with meditation allowed individuals to transform themselves as well. In 2019 – 2020 with all of the civil unrest and what seemed to be a target on men of color, I wanted to create a method that allowed men of color from the time they saw the lights in their rearview to the time that the officer was requesting license and registration to quickly reduce stress and anxiety. I started to expand offerings outside of just people of color to working in school districts, group sessions, and partnering with neighborhood organizations. I am currently two months away from releasing my first book titled “Transform Me” and have started booking speaking engagements for 2022

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think the only rough moments were when I had to tell myself that I was ready to fully commit to a life of helping others. There was a period of time where I was selfish and only cared about myself and my needs but meditation showed me how to give of myself to help others.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I love this question because when it comes to meditation and mindfulness I always hear people say “I didn’t know Black People meditate” this comes from our inability to think of getting help as a black thing. I am asked whether I lean more towards “eastern meditation” or “western meditation” and I always reply with ” I teach functional meditation”. I believe that meditation should be more than sitting down cross leg or saying mantras but should be for those moments that you have minutes to reduce stress and anxiety. What I am most proud of is being in the school districts and teaching meditation, mindfulness, and incoporating DEI for school teachers and administrators. This allows me to give tools and techniques to those that watch, guide, and lead our youth. My motto is if help won’t come to our communities, I’ll equip the youth to take them with them to their communities

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
What makes me happy is knowing that I am living an authentic fully evolved life. This allows me to love others in a way that I never have before and be able to receive love from others as well.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.blkmenmeditate.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/blkmenmeditate
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/blackmenmeditate
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/blkmenmeditate

Image Credits
Jeremiah Photography