35PERSONAL JOURNEYS
Stic
Stic (from the rap duo Dead Prez) is an internationally acclaimed hip-hop artist,
songwriter, and producer who has come full circle as a passionate holistic health
advocate. Stic is the founder of the RBG Fit Club, a lifestyle brand and website
fusing hip-hop culture with holistic wellness. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with
his wife, Afya, and their two sons, Itwela and Nkosua.
T.E. Can you explain, from your experience, what the Tao is?
S. It's been simplified as “It's the way.” It's the unfolding of our nature in what
and who we are. It's the understanding that there's a process that is ordered,
even with chaos, that there is a flow and a wisdom to creation.
T.E. Could you could talk about chi?
S. I've learned in the teachings and in my experience that chi is everything.
It's the vital life force, it's the evidence of the vitality in everything. It is also
the evidence of function. So whatever is happening, it is the evidence of what
is real, which is chi. So, the fact that we're breathing is evidence that there's a
vital function that is happening, and the Chinese word for that phenomena is
chi. In India, it’s called prana, and in ancient Egypt, it was called ra. But, it's also
important, I think to understand, that chi is not something that you're going to
put in a jar and be able to quantify in a Western way.
T.E. What is your yin yoga practice like?
S. I do yin yoga on Tuesdays at 4:30 p.m. with my wife. It’s a good supplement to
running a lot. We are holding poses typically two minutes; sometimes we’ll do
five minutes for certain stuff. Again, it’s the real power of being still and allow-
ing the pose to do whatever it’s doing. [laughter] I feel like it’s about trusting.
T.E. What’s your favorite yin yoga pose?
S. Well I’m going to have to say, it might be funny, but it’s corpse pose. [laugh-
ter] Also, sleeping swan, just holding that and feeling that point of tension just
relax at a certain point.
(continued)