After the past two years, Mari Sierra, OYE‘s Head of Wellness, says that focusing on wellness is more important than ever. “In a world that increasingly pulls us in many directions, feeling fulfilled and complete is a multidimensional process of caring for body, mind and our relationships,” she told The List. “COVID-19 led to an increase in anxiety and depression. People were forced to stay home and hold their emotions in.”
Sierra, who is an embodiment practitioner and creative strategist with a healing practice based on the teachings of Qi-gong, elemental dance and craniosacral therapy, joined OYE to help “create a movement that inspires the next generations to spark their own self-healing journeys by practicing new emotional habits.” She added that even pre-COVID, Gen-Z and Latinx youth were “more likely to have been diagnosed with a behavioral health condition like anxiety or depression.” During the pandemic, Sierra says those numbers doubled.
Those stats — along with the stigma surrounding getting help for mental health issues — is what led to the creation of OYE. “[OYE] was created for anyone who wants to feel better mentally, emotionally, and physically, with a special emphasis on Latin American and bilingual Gen-Z youth,” Sierra explained.
