Rising Stars: Meet Kiana Jackson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kiana Jackson.

Hi Kiana, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My mindfulness journey began in college when I learned meditation and yoga. I started both practices for different reasons around the same time, and I quickly learned that they tie together. They both provided me tools to manage my stress and to maintain a sense of presentness in the moment. Over time, both my mindfulness practice and my yoga practice grew and broadened my horizons.

During the start of the 2020 quarantine, I found an opportunity to take my yoga practice to the next level. I was certified to teach Hatha yoga through Ashley Adams’s Black Prana Yoga Studio. Through that process, I met dozens of amazing POC yoga teachers.

One day, after a group yoga session, one person mentioned the power of writing, specifically forgiveness letters. She went on to discuss the power of the written word as an extension of thoughts and speech. This inspired me to write my own forgiveness letter to myself that night. I read it aloud and burned it to release the energy, and I felt a lightness like I’d not known before. Since that first letter written on humble notebook paper, I thought it might be cool to have handmade paper for the purpose of writing special letters. About a week later, I made my first batch of what I call High Ki Intention Paper.

Each batch of handmade paper is crafted with a custom blend of herbs and spices for their spiritual properties. “Ki” is a form of life energy, also spelled “qi” and “chi.” I envision my handmade paper uplifting the energy of the user. I designed these sheets for use in mindfulness and spiritual practices, like forgiveness letters, love letters, sigils, and moon rituals. They help me focus deeply on the topic I’m writing about and connect me to the moment and my intention, similar to how mindfulness deepens my presence in my yoga practice. And like any repeated practice, each batch of High Ki Intention Paper improves upon the last.

My small paper business grew out of a deeper connection with myself that I gained through mindfulness, meditation and yoga. I invite anyone interested in expanding their horizon to try yoga, meditation, or my paper, available online at Highkiip.com. Thank you for your time. Take care of yourself.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
TW: Suicidal Ideation

While the road has not been smooth, it has gotten me closer to where I’m going. Since the time I started practicing yoga, I’ve had struggles with family, finances, faith, mental wellness, and more. During my darkest hours, I employed the tools I gained from my practices to save my own life.

When suicidal ideation was threatening to destroy me, I used mindfulness, meditation, yoga, and therapy to find my way back to myself. Mindfulness makes me aware of my thoughts and gave me insight to inspect those thoughts without becoming them. Meditation helped me to focus on my breathing and get really deep into the blessing it is to be able to breathe in this moment and breathe out, letting it go. Yoga gave me an opportunity to move and inspect where I felt the tension in my body and allow it to leave. I employed these tools while also seeking therapy when I could afford it.

At the bottom of my experience with suicidal ideation, I sat with those emotions and thoughts. I listened to where they were coming from and acknowledged the challenges that I was going through. I basically gave myself a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on. I wrote letters on my intention paper to let it all go. After that season, I called upon my faith to strengthen me. I decided that I was going to live and live abundantly. I committed myself to live for my own well-being, and since then, I’ve been able to see and appreciate more of the blessings in my life that were once overlooked, like health and the ability to live and breathe in comfort and freedom.

If you or anyone you know is suffering from suicidal ideation, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I work in Communications for the public sector. I enjoy being a small part of something bigger than me. What sets me apart from others is a genuine passion for helping folks from behind the scenes. I compare it to being like a train track switcher, helping content get from one place to another, and when everything is going smoothly, you would hardly know it’s there.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I hope everyone reading this is pursuing a passion, not necessarily for monetary gain, but for their own enjoyment and satisfaction.

Pricing:

• $3.33 per sheet for the classic collection, 4×6″
• $5.55 per sheet for the simply sage collection, 5×7″

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: Highkiip.com
• Instagram: @highki_ip, and @lumenlotusyoga

Image Credits
Aurie Singletary (first image) Kiana Jackson (additional images)