Meet Durreyl

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Durreyl. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Durreyl, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

There have been many times when I ask myself “how are the women in my family so resilient?” They have gone above and beyond with their households, taking care of their families, and making sure that everyone is nurtured, all the while striving to live out their own purpose. Especially my Mom. She is someone who’s empathy is unmatched and wants everyone in her vicinity to feel good within themselves, comfortable and loved. Looking at the resilience that moves within me has definitely been sparked from my Mother, and her Mother and her Mother and so on. The infinite gratitude I feel in learning these traits that were pass on to me, truly help me with my healing and wellness journey. As a woman of Jamaican, Guyanese and African desecent , my identity is engraved within the stories of the past present and future of my ancestors. In general, my life so far has been a journey of joyous art-filled miraculous love and moments with a side of pain and suffering. The paradox of beautiful experiences and pain comes from the fact that at the young age of 4, I was diagnosed with Sickle Cell Anemia. A genetic blood disorder that causes my hemoglobin to drop, which then changes the structure of my blood cells, leading to a lack of oxygen transportation within the body thus, leading to blockages and extreme pain. The genetic mutation stems from Africa; a long ago tale of a tribe and their offspring having to adapt to the environmental tragedy of malaria. So you see, my resilience comes from my Mother, Father also and my DNA. With painful experiences, comes triumph in knowing you can overcome any challenge, by pacing yourself, remaining consistent in gradual growth, and not being afraid to ask for help. I have learned to work with the mind body and soul which has kept me afloat in understanding how resilience works. There is always room to grow and with that inner knowing I learn each day that we all experience harships; so being too hard on yourself won’t be the best solution. Being mindful whether that is through practices like meditation, exercise, therapy, art, nourishment can bring forth divine improvement within yourself and your life. My resilience is best friends with the grace I give to myself.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been dancing and singing. I started Ballet and many other dance genres like Jazz, Tap and HipHop at a very young age which became my escape from feeling all the pain I felt from Sickle Cell. Leading into later years, I got to play Young Nala on Broadway for Disney’s Lion King in Toronto Canada with Mirvish Productions, dancing for the Junior Raptors Dance Pak, and even singing a theme song for Treehouse Network Pre School Show ‘Harry and his bucketful of Dinosaurs’. The Arts has always been apart of my life whether they were big roles, background roles or small roles. They’re all important to me when it comes to telling my story. Since dance and music play a huge part of my life, I decided after a while that writing my own music would be an outlet that I could start sharing with the world. My passion for writing music gave me opportunities performing at places like Ontario Place, Lees’ Palace in Toronto, Brampton Square Gardens, Revival NightClub, and even getting radios plays with my Single ‘Know Yourself’. Outside of singing and songwriting, dancing for projects like the ‘Work’ music video featuring Rihanna and Drake, touring and performing in New Jersey for Miss Pakistan world, and dancing my heart out for an A&W ‘Change is Good’ commercial are endeavors that have built me up, preparing me to walk into the next course in life. The arts is an organic aspect in my life that I am now integrating with my wellness lifestyle and journey. Presently, I am focused on learning about ways people heal while enduring chronic pain, and sharing my healing story in a Historical Fiction Book called ‘ FE the Mooncell Alchemist’ which will be published this year. Since the art of dance will not leave my grasp, I have also decided to get back into dance instructing, in a way of teaching movement and body liberation. All of the training in arts that I have done as a child and teenager, has led me to applying said training and tools into lessons, classes and workshops made available to people who resonate with wellness and artistic integration. Between assisting in Mrs. Kay’s Breakfast fundraiser for Sickle Cell, or marketing my company in partnership with my Mom;
RA Naturals www.ranaturalsmoss.com, I am finding balance with everything that I do, remaining integral and passionate about how I view wellness while staying open in all of my artistic expressions.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

That idea that lights your eyes up is not at random. It is an awareness of how capable you are when it comes to what you want to accomplish. I have learned that when you get a nudge of motivation, act upon it. It could be the propelling element that you’ve been looking for. Hesitation does not support your forward movement. So when you have a great idea, move forward with it even if you don’t have the full steps, life will show signs on where to turn next.

Now, when it comes to moving forward, there’s also pacing yourself. I think pacing yourself comes from learning patience. Truly having patience with yourself and others can be a benefit to your success. There is no sense in rushing a process; that is where steps can be overlooked or made incomplete. Take your time even if the world seems to be going fast.

Since everyone is at their own tempo within this world, remember that life will give you a chance to meet people who you can dance with. Staying in rhythm with yourself and people who are genuine, can bring collaborative efforts into incredible outcomes. So how do we all regulate ourselves while we cope with the stresses of the world? One technique that I am learning and getting better at each day is breathwork. There are all different forms and kinds of breathwork exercises however to keep in simple, focusing on your breath, taking deep breaths and becoming aware of your inhales and exhales can assist in regulating your nervous system, keeping yourself more present in day to day life, reducing headaches, improving emotional regulation and can even detox the body. The benefits of breathwork is vast and based on experience in doing it consistently, I have seen how much energy it gives me and how much I can go about my daily endeavors with less anxiety and more agility instead.

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?

My biggest area of growth within the past 12 months has been learning about boundaries. Sometimes, caring about someone or something can become extremely overwhelming. I believe that humans are naturally empathetic and want to feel safe and secure. So, knowing that I care about people’s safety and security, it shows me the beauty and the madness. If you are not careful you can make someone else’s problem your own. I found myself willing to carry my own problems and then some, which is not healthy in any way. I know realize that I will always want to reach out and be a supportive hand for someone and at the same time, I now know my own threshold in any given circumstance. In order to help others, you must help yourself first. In order to pour into someone, you must be sure that your cup is filled first. Otherwise, you are draining yourself without renewing yourself. This goes for family, friends, co workers and acquaintances. Having healthy boundaries, sustaines healthy connections. Fortifying your own mind and emotions leads you into being a guide, a support a friend, or a teacher for yourself and others, without having to overcompensate, overexert or compromise your well being for the sake of something or someone else. Balance is key in almost everything and boundaries is on the list of requiring balance.

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