Chelsey Luger and Thosh Collins
Native educators claiming the culture of well-being
good for culture began in 2013 as an online project by Chelsey Luger and Thosh Collins, two fitness enthusiasts who were eager to spread the word about nutrition, wellness practices, and indigenous values. Sharing exercise tips, recipes, and cultural insights on social media channels eventually morphed into a new career for them as wellness educators and consultants. Luger and Collins, 34 and 39, respectively, now rewrite modern narratives about Native health while addressing complex histories and ongoing disparities.
“The media portrays indigenous people through the lens of poverty and oppression porn, but we have a culture that demonstrates our strength and resilience,” says Luger, who is Lakota and Anishinaabe, enrolled at Turtle Mountain. Band of Chippewa. “We have a long history of balanced, active lifestyles and a symbiotic relationship with the land before colonialism.”
Before the pandemic, Luger and Collins, who is Haudenosaunee and O’odham and a citizen of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa community, traveled extensively to lead wellness workshops. Most of that work migrated online during the pandemic, and since then they have stayed in Tempe, Arizona, where they are raising their two children. “We don’t teach indigenous culture,” says Collins. “We teach how to live a balanced lifestyle while applying indigenous values and worldviews. The entire conversation about wellness today is rooted in indigenous knowledge from around the world, whether people realize it or not.” Together they adhere to a holistic health model called Seven Circles of Wellness, which focuses on sleep, whole foods, movement, kinship and community, sacred space, grounding, and stress management. all inspired by aspects of the native culture.
“Wellness shouldn’t be about reaching a state of perfection,” says Luger. “It’s not shallow like the Western approach. It’s about knowing that you can get back into balance when you feel ready to do so.” -TENNESSEE
