Inside the Supernatural Wellness Pop-up: Interview with Yeradmi Gomes
Healer, energy worker, yogi, community builder, and teacher are just a few words used to describe Yeradmi Gomes.
As owner of Yera Healing and one-third of the Supernatural Pop-up Tour, Yeradmi’s work allows her students to find empowerment through the actions of self-exploration, stillness and movement. If you’re not following Yera on Twitter, you’re missing out; her daily motivational messages are just the boost you need to get through and conquer your day.
Yeradmi is a seeker and innate healer who learned at a young age the art of defying cultural norms around trauma. She has dedicated a decade of her life to learning the meaning of self-acceptance. During this process, the lack of support and safe spaces available to decompress in her community became very clear.
Soon after, she was introduced to yoga, meditation and reiki; allowing her to reconnect with herself in the most powerful way yet. Yeradmi combined all three modalities to create the essence of her work: meditation, movement and touch. She also has a wellness space in Dominican Republic, Santiago Guest House where she hosts annual retreats and welcomes tourists from all over the world.
Yeradmi’s journey to wholeness did not come easy, but despite receiving pushback from family early on, battling with depression and self-doubt — she persevered. Her story is one of transformation and reminds us all that we have the ability to change our circumstances for the betterment of ourselves and others. PUSH THROUGH!
It is often said that the journey through life is our physical catching up to our spirit/soul — in other words we’ve been here before. Tell us about your journey to finding your purpose.
Yeradmi: Where to begin? I experienced a handful of essential turning points during my late teens, early 20s that redirected my attention to the healing arts. Growing up I always felt like the odd ball, I didn’t play sports, I’d travel constantly with my family and by the age of thirteen I looked like a mature young woman. I had a strong personality and whenever I was upset, everyone around me knew. I had my set of reasons to back up any negative emotion whenever it crept up. Symptoms of depression kicked in when I moved out of the predominately white town I grew up in and relocated to Dominican Republic for a period of time. I was bullied because of my weight for two years, switched schools again, then moved back to the same town I had originally left. As an early teen this was the biggest deal in the world! I blamed my parents for making my experience “difficult” so whenever I was angry, my dramatic self believed it had good reason. These habits shaped how I would react to challenging situations including my issues with body image. I got to a point where I despised looking in the mirror. I identified with being a victim of my circumstances.
After getting the opinion of what felt like hundreds of doctors and specialists, hiring personal trainers, eating “healthy” meals and buying all the right clothes, l still felt helpless. Instead of welcoming the help of my mother I blamed her for my current state.
Fast forward to my acceptance to Umass Amherst. I was the first in my family of about 50 cousins to live away from home. I was ready for a fresh start here and begin a new chapter. I studied abroad in Thailand — this was one of the turning points I mentioned before. I completely immersed myself outside of my comfort zone and I was hooked. When I returned home, I began seeking ways to mirror how I felt while traveling in Asia. I chased learning about myself, doing new things and taking risks. This landed me in some not-so-safe spaces and having my entire world flipped upside down. The divine storm many teachers talk about was at my front door.
In 2012, I had a huge mental breakdown in between leaving the stability (and misery) of my corporate job, traveling non-stop, leading my first shit show of a retreat in the DR, losing my business partner and everyone around me thinking I had lost my mind. My head had been completely in the clouds and my feet were far, far away from being grounded. I learned the lesson of a lifetime of what it means to be human. I was either going to let myself drown or find a way to allow this mess to somehow become my message. I chose to find a way.
You talk about dealing with depression and battling suicidal thoughts. How did you manage to reframe your thinking and eventually convince those around you to accept your new path?
When I hit the lowest point, and contemplated giving up, I was face to face with myself for the first time. Everything externally didn’t make sense, so the only ultimatum was turning to my inner world. I made a promise to listen and nurture myself instead of trying to fit and control my external circumstances. I developed my home practice, cried for months, began to write consistently, created vision boards and found mentors. I knew I needed support from like-minded individuals who had been through similar experiences. I knew I wasn’t the only one dealing with this kind of confusion. I immersed myself in programs, cleanses, practicing yoga, meditation and focusing on healing. Once my new habits began to take shape, my outer world shifted as well. I never tried to force anyone to “accept” me because all I wanted was to learn how to do that on my own. And of course, once I did, there was no convincing needed.
Many people know the wellness influencer Hey Fran Hey from her YouTube videos that cover DIY home remedies from haircare to skincare as well as Maryam Hasnaa - whose spiritual teachings help people step into their full power to create transformational healing. How did you link up with these two powerhouses and what exactly is the Supernatural Wellness Pop-up Tour?
In 2013 I had a crazy idea of wanting to work with Fran because of the similarities in our healing journeys. I had it written down in my journal for months to reach out to her about leading a retreat together at Santiago Guest House, my retreat home in Dominican Republic. For whatever reason, it wasn’t the right time to work together until 2015. I proposed leading my 4th retreat with her and she accepted.
Fran had the brilliant idea of inviting Hasnaa to join us and within a matter of weeks I set it all up and we were sold out in just a few hours. We were all amazed at how easy the pieces fell into place. After only a conversation or two, we finally met in DR, the day before we began our journey together with 13 other women. The retreat was such a beautiful experience and during our final day together we asked the group how we could support them moving forward. They suggested we take the retreat to their cities and without hesitation we said YES. Within a month after DR, we planned and executed a one-day retreat in Brooklyn, New York and shortly after, a two day retreat in Los Angeles. We officially birthed the Supernatural Pop-Up Tour, connected with sponsors and sold out 11 cities within weeks of launching our website.
The bond we created during our first retreat set us up so perfectly for all the manifestation that followed. It was almost as if we just needed to confirm we were all on board for it to come to life. Needless to say, working together is definitely a Divine union, we are so grateful to be supporting each other and our community.
Since you're constantly working with people and picking up on the energy of others, what are ways in which you find balance?
Taking time to tune inward is a daily ritual. I begin my day with meditation and prayer, I practice at least one form of movement throughout the day and I spend time outside — whether it’s a five-minute break or a long hike. It seems so simple and yet we tend to put these things aside for “days off” or when we “have time.” We set ourselves up for a clearer and calm mind when we give ourselves the space to connect internally. Recharging, as I like to call these practices, allows me to be more productive with my time and tasks at hand.
A lot of us are new to this journey of self-exploration, what tools can you provide people just starting out on this mission?
Take your sweet time and be easy with yourself. There is no place you “should” be. The experience you’re in is exactly where you’re meant to be, because if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be happening. When strong urges come, pause and ask yourself if the desire is driven from fear or love. Write. Take at least five minutes in the morning to notice how you feel, your breath and maybe even express what you’re grateful for. It’s a simple action with such great reward, the rhythm of the day is different when we begin with this awareness.
Set a timer for a minute throughout the day, close your eyes and take five long, slow, steady breaths. Ask yourself often, how do I want to feel today? In this moment? Our experience is always a reflection of our inner world, and every thought has an effect on some level. Choose to lean on the power of love. Oh and, find mentors, volunteer, enroll in courses, training or workshops you’ve been considering. You’ll start to connect with people who think and see life the way you do. Remember you are never alone.
Stay connected with Yera through Yeradmi.com and her FREE guided meditations with Insight Timer. Yeradmi is also open to meet virtually for one on one reiki sessions, yin + restorative yoga, and/or guided meditation sessions.
