Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So welcome. Welcome to our pilgrimage in Puja for September. I can't believe we're here at a full moon moment, heading into a full moon.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and also just after the turn of the season.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and it is a very profound time with within sort of the
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): the energetics of the cosmos. I'm not a Vedic astrologer, but I do. I've studied a little bit of Vedic astrology, and so
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): so just paying attention to the signs and the energies in the cosmos right now. There's a lot happening. And I'm just looking at my notes so I can.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I can share the specifics.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And as we're
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): coming together. I also want to invite you if you would like to have a candle
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and everything. some kind of water. I like putting water in a bowl, and lately I've been really wanting the need for grounding. So I put a rock or like a stone. This is a
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): a grounding stone in my water, and so you're welcome to have that you can also just have like water in a water bottle, you know some have to be fancy.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and if you don't have those things, that's okay.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): we'll be working with them energetically as well.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): okay, so let me just look at my
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): notes.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Hmm.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): we have those really powerful.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): powerful energies
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): happening. Okay? Yes.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah. It's a powerful time to
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): connect to the energy of truth.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): particularly around this full moon. This, this one is a a transitionary, full moon. And so we're connecting with the blessings of Vishnu, and also the goddess of learning and art and creativity. And then Vishnu, who is like the preserver? If there's something that we're wanting to be
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): in creation with or in relationship with, it's a time to let that support come. It's also a fiery time.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and so often with Satya.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): You know it's courageous to speak our truth right, and it's courageous to listen deeply to others. Truth.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): it's kind of like one of those mastery level things to be to be working with truth. It's not just, you know, kind of the one on one.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): It's deeper.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And it's also fundamental right, like
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): we learn. Many of us maybe here learned to tell the truth, to not lie
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): as part of our socialization and our family systems or in our relationships. And you know, I also just wanna normalize like, there may be some folks here. This may be you or happened to you, where really important folks in our lives
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): controlled the truth, withheld the truth. Maybe constructed relationships based on falsities or mistreats. Right? So there's our politicians do this. Our government does this like, there is a lot of untruth systemically and for some of us interpersonally around us.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So it's actually, incredibly radical. It's almost like swimming upstream to be committed to the truth like, what is my truth? What is your truth? And then what is the truth of this situation, this relationship, this friendship? Right? It's ever evolving. There's not only one truth.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): but a commitment to describing it, to discovering it to exploring. It
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): is part of what it means to be a devoted Yoga practitioner. So we're gonna explore that today, I'm just gonna pause and see if there are any, we'll do a practice in a moment. But and having that, the intuition that
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): there could be
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): some things here where you're like. Oh, I have something I want to share. I have a question. And and I wanna just create this based on the context for that. I also just wanna name.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): 2 questions came in, and I actually want to address them. So 2 folks sent in questions to us.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and I'll address them after we do our our drop in. And one was about like.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Hmm.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Gendering in Yoga spaces like women's empowerment space or divine feminine space. Goddess spaces kinds of things. So we'll talk about that. And like furthering community support and connection community. So we will share about that.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): But just any anything generally. and on your mind or heart.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Particularly since we're exploring truth. Just want to create some space for that
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): well, you're welcome to drop it in the chat or share out loud at any point if you would like
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I also wanna say, for folks who are newer into yoga class curator, usually in pilgrimage, and we gather maybe I give a kind of like preamble or preface, like I've been doing a little bit on a theme that we'll be exploring. We do a practice, and then we share, and we get into. Sometimes it's very nourishing conversation with one another. It's not just, you know. What's the word like pinballing through me.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): W. Folks here will comment, support each other, interact right? So inviting that energy of
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): not showing up feeling like you have to look a certain way or sound a certain way or participate in a zoom class, right? But like.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): who are you? Truly right? What are you struggling with? What are your toys? How can we resource one another like allowing the space to be one of those spaces? That's
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): We can just be you. And that means like you might have your last night I attended a meditation. I had my
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): from my sofa so tired, so I just laid there on the sofa, and sometimes I timed in, and I talked from the sofa, and people got to see me, you know. Just however, I was today. It's different, like I put on some cute earrings and solipsic right? But it's like, you know it. It's the real, the real me. I came from a morning of practice, and really, having been in
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): a container of working with Satya, you know, one of the boons and the joys of being in a program like this, like what you said yes, to
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): with this program is being held in the energy collectively of Yoga ethics, and we may be focusing on different ethics at different times. And I may speak to something today like Satya that you're like, oh, I did that last month, but it's like right we can. We can do it again. We could circle around to all of them again and again and again.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): hmm, yeah, Justine asked. Clarifying question for tech. You should receive email reminders for meetings to access the same link.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): maybe other folks can let me know if if there was a glitch and you didn't, or if you did, because we we should have that set up.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): so you get email reminders. Always the same. Zoom link, zoom link. So you can look back.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): oh, interesting. Okay.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): so if you ever have any tech issues, just thank you for dropping that question, I'm gonna drop the any tech issues like that please email support at ignite be? Well, our tech person is Tuana.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And to wanna is so great at getting those types of things sorted out. If it's just one individual person.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Amanda. Hi!
Amanda Halls: Hi! I can everybody hear me?
Amanda Halls: I'm just honestly using these new ear buds. And speaking of tech, it's not my strong suit, but I did actually have a truth that I'm struggling with a little bit.
Amanda Halls: as someone who is has a multitude of disabilities.
Amanda Halls: and who piled on top, and someone who struggles with chronic illness.
Amanda Halls: I'm having a difficult time
Amanda Halls: with the reality. the truth of
Amanda Halls: Yoga being inaccessible to me in a lot of different ways. Also because of my skin tone and because of my body size.
Amanda Halls: And I'm also struggling with the fact that I'm
Amanda Halls: part of that space as well. Right? I'm
Amanda Halls: I guess I'm struggling with the truth that Yoga is both what we talk about it being here
Amanda Halls: in this space as well as we're living in the truth that for people like myself it is still really unaccessible.
Amanda Halls: especially because I can't drive. There's a lot of classes that there's not a lot of online. Yoga,
Amanda Halls: there is, and there isn't, you know. I mean it. It's a little bit better than it was.
Amanda Halls: But
Amanda Halls: yeah, I'm still. I'm just struggling with that truth of being in this space and being a practitioner in this space.
Amanda Halls: and
Amanda Halls: and also realizing that Yoga's still wildly inaccessible for so many people.
Amanda Halls: And I just I'm not sure what to do with that that truth. It just holds me in a weird space. And I just I didn't know if anybody had, or if anybody else is sort of experiencing.
Amanda Halls: experiencing that as well. So
Amanda Halls: yeah, that's just
Amanda Halls: I'm also struggling with the financial part of it, too, like how inaccessible Yoga can be financially for people regardless of whether it's an online space or not.
Amanda Halls: So there's just all those layers that I'm really struggling with when we came
Amanda Halls: to talk about Satya
this month.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Thank you, Amanda. I wanna just invite. If anyone else has had those struggles or is having them now, just to maybe share like with a hand, or yes, like a reaction or a comment.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): so you are not alone.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): not alone. And
yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I don't necessarily have answers. But I have like an experience on Monday or one of the yeah. This Monday night I went to a yoga space in person, and I haven't done it. I haven't gone to yoga spaces in person. Kind of conventional. Yoga spaces
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): much in a while. and it was so challenging it was beautiful because one of my colleagues and friends mix Puta, was performing with Sharon Kirtem with devotional chanting.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and I went with some other South Asian colleagues and friends, and that was beautiful. But then there were so many things that were inaccessible, right, and so many microaggressions, and so much harm actually, to to many of us.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And I was like, what are we doing like? What? What is this world that we're calling Yoga.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): in order that we accept as Yoga.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Oh, and not even though we accept that most people, that's what they know like. That's what they know Yoga is.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And then there's
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): all, all of this other stuff that I mean, especially on behalf of my colleagues and friends I was thinking about like they. They don't get recognized, so they don't get seen, or they don't get their practices and teachings don't get access.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So I've really been feeling into it. And I actually had to go home that night, and I was up late processing it, and I processed it through writing some poetry. Hmm, cause that just kind of helps me get it out. But it's also
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): clearly calling out some of the folks who were putting on this space. So it's not something that I will share publicly. Right like I'll sharing. But my experience. But I would not
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): share the specifics, because for me. part of my truth is being responsible with my
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): with it right like wh, and and knowing that I could cause a lot of harm and hurt and I wanna try to bring in this dance.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I want to try to bring more healing than harm, but I feel like it. Is this dance between kind of like the relative truth and the absolute truth, like relatively
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): South Asians, are excluded folks of color excluded. You know folks with disabilities, folks who are poor like on and on and on so many identities dial up folks folks like trans folks queer folks, you know, bigger body folks like we're excluded.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And then there's the absolute truth of like, and yoga for everyone, and you can do Yoga, regardless of what your body looks like, and regardless of what you know like
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): there's so many ways to practice. And so I'm like
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): flowing in a good day. It's weaving between these shoes in in a hard day like this week earlier this week I feel Ping Pong, you know, in a out of my control. Between those shoes.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So that yeah, just sharing my experience and resonating with you.
Amanda Halls: I appreciate that. Thank you. Cause. Yes, that's exactly it. It just feels like what Yoga has become. I don't even want to just say Yoga cause it's wellness in general, and prior to becoming ill, I was a healthcare practitioner and coming. It's just. It's just
Amanda Halls: the truth of wellness, of healing, of health.
Amanda Halls: It's so
Amanda Halls: inaccessible
Amanda Halls: to the people who need it the most.
Amanda Halls: And I feel like I'm fighting like I'm the single person screaming in a concert, you know, with everybody drowning out
Amanda Halls: that reality. So I appreciate the
Amanda Halls: that I'm not the only one in feeling that way.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Amy has a comment there. same. Thank you for sharing them. Feel so validating to my experience lately as a bigger body teacher, seeing microaggressions play out or being blocked from opportunities to teach in spaces I thought were inclusive. Yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): navigating my truth lately, has look like trying to decipher what is attached to my ego and sense of entitlement versus honoring my experience. And I wanna really validate that and also kind of like spiritually highlighter the
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): the blocked like.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I'm gonna use this example again because it's so visceral. At this event
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): a few people recognize me right, which is also weird and new. Although I'm used to it because I used to teach high school. So I'd be in target or rei, and be like a student from 5 years ago, Miss be Hi, you know, and that was always so sweet here. It was interesting because it was like.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Oh, Susannah Barketaki, we're doing this diversity equity thing, and we have South Asians on a panel. Can you share it like it? Wasn't that sweet like.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): you know, because it was sort of like, oh, you're you! Can you help us be better? But we're not actually being the hands
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): one, the one of the the decision makers because of the event. I didn't know this, but was partly promoting a festival that's happening locally in California.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): He came up as a white man, and his eyes, literally like slid off me. You know the person introduced like, Hey, this is a a wonderful Yoga teacher. Nothing. I'm gonna go. And then there was a moment again when he was there. And I'm like, there with my colleagues. These are wonderful teachers. You should know them right like I don't really wanna teach it festival. They do, my colleagues do. I'm like they're here, you know, and
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): eyes slid off them like, walked away.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): literally walked away while we were talking to him
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): like this.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): This is not our imagination, but we at least I, you know, think a lot of the time. Oh, maybe I'm being too sensitive, or you know, it's almost like a gaslight myself.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And so just really underscoring and and underscoring for all of us that
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): so you we're not wrong, right? Like those microaggressions really are there. And they're huge. So they're not. I mean the word microaggressions like
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): like to me. It feels like cultural erasure. so having spaces like this where we can speak our truths
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and experiences and validate those
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): for me, it's so healing? So I'm gonna pause again. And just see
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): anyone else, wants to share this is sparking anything.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): yes.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): hmm.
Aviana Xochitl (she/her/ella): can you all hear me.
Aviana Xochitl (she/her/ella): Hi, I was just this just has me thinking of them starting to lead
Aviana Xochitl (she/her/ella): classes
Aviana Xochitl (she/her/ella): recently and kind of how do you create that space right? That is accessible. But, like.
Aviana Xochitl (she/her/ella): maintain
Aviana Xochitl (she/her/ella): your practice while feeling kind of frayed. If that kind of makes sense so like, how do you put back into your cup.
Aviana Xochitl (she/her/ella): That's that's I guess what I'm struggling with like finding. How do I get back to myself if I'm
Aviana Xochitl (she/her/ella): trying to put out
Aviana Xochitl (she/her/ella): and share Yoga in a good way, like making it accessible as accessible as I can in my experience.
yes, like.
Aviana Xochitl (she/her/ella): I want to be part of that space, but I don't see it out here where I live, and so trying to create that.
Aviana Xochitl (she/her/ella): I guess, is what where I'm at right now in my practice, and also being
Aviana Xochitl (she/her/ella): apparent. So there's also that that's kind of like, how do I navigate all of these things? I don't want to do in a good way.
if that makes if that makes sense
Aviana Xochitl (she/her/ella): I feel like I tied it in my head really? Well, but now, speaking on it, I'm like, how do you pronounce your name? Avianna? Aviana? Yeah, Avianna, I really I really get it. And tell me if this is right, cause part of what I'm hearing is like
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): you really wanna do it. The conditions around you. You really wanna share yoga in a good way. But the conditions around you don't necessarily support that. And so not only are there external things, but there might be internal, like questions or insecurities, or like feeling like. I'm not sure I'm doing it in a good way.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So how do you? How do you keep sharing even with external and internal kind of challenges? Is that is that
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): it? Or is there something else that I'm not quite getting?
Aviana Xochitl (she/her/ella): It's I feel.
Aviana Xochitl (she/her/ella): because II did just complete the 300 h training through you, which I it is made me feel like I can share it in a good way, I know. Thank you.
Aviana Xochitl (she/her/ella): And
Aviana Xochitl (she/her/ella): so it's like feel empowered with that and sharing it in a better way. But it's like creating it like, how do you? Because when I put it out there, like on social media or whatever feel like, Oh, Yoga, can I do it? And I'm like, Yes, yes, please, just like
Aviana Xochitl (she/her/ella): show up. And then it's like finding a time that works for people like just just come. It's it's not
Aviana Xochitl (she/her/ella): the fitness center.
Aviana Xochitl (she/her/ella): It's it's so much more But then there's all the other factors that you're naming.
Aviana Xochitl (she/her/ella): I don't. I feel like I just have to better organize myself. This is just all coming to me with leading
Aviana Xochitl (she/her/ella): in a studio that's open. It's it's not a Yoga studio. It's not like a movement studio. So I don't have that. Those constraints that, like
Aviana Xochitl (she/her/ella): the transactional, because I think it's where it is
Aviana Xochitl (she/her/ella): transactional, and that doesn't feel good.
Aviana Xochitl (she/her/ella): Yeah, how do I create something that I'm longing for? But then, like also make sure that I'm cared for as well, I guess.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yes. Oh, I love that question. I love it. And I'm just gonna write it down.
yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): yeah. Who else has that question. Right?
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah. same.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I wanna just open it up to see if anyone has insights or thoughts on that. I mean, I can share
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): mine, I imagine. Yeah, Amanda
Amanda Halls: Avianna, I can just tell you that as someone who had
Amanda Halls: the Yoga studio taken away from me as both a practitioner and as well as as as as a teacher. When I became ill
Amanda Halls: I lost both of those things, and one of the great things about Yoga class curator and about
Amanda Halls: our teacher, Susanna, is the fact that
Amanda Halls: you're being infused. Your cells are being infused, and you can practice your own Yoga. Your Yoga is for you at home, and
Amanda Halls: by deepening your own personal practice it will like
Amanda Halls: naturally spill out of you when you are teaching a class.
Amanda Halls: So I feel like sometimes
Amanda Halls: as a Yoga practitioner. Well, as a Yoga teacher, sometimes you. You only practice when you're in front of students.
Amanda Halls: because lead gets busy and time gets busy, and you know it's almost like we forget to pour into our own cups.
Amanda Halls: But one of the things that I realized when all of those vices were taken away from me was the fact that the Yoga exists within me.
Amanda Halls: The Yoga is meat.
Amanda Halls: So even if it's for 5 min or 10 min.
Amanda Halls: it's just sort of the way that I live my life, and it sort of spills out to the people that I meet.
Amanda Halls: and I kind of guess that sort of reconciles me with my other question. That I was asking as well is the fact that
Amanda Halls: just because you have a certification.
Amanda Halls: that's not proof of Yoga for you. You are your yoga. That makes sense.
Amanda Halls: So I feel like it's tough because you're giving to everybody else. But your self. Care is following the path that has what has helped me. At least hopefully.
Amanda Halls: that recognition in myself.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Hmm.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): thank you. It's beautiful.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): you know, Avianna, I will. I'll share
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): something. I don't think I talked about at all in the so you might not know this, but I have taught in different places. And because I moved, you know unexpectedly now. 8 years ago, I moved to Orlando from La, where I thought it was going to be living the rest of my life back in la! And I'm grateful. My family is here, much of it.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): But when I moved to Orlando is like, Okay in a totally new place, I know 0 people and I don't really know how to start here. But I wanna start. And so what I decided to do, and this worked for for me at the time. I wouldn't do this now, right? Cause I'm in a different energetic space.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): But I picked a consistency that was gonna nourish me. And so I tied it to the full, and the new moons, and I created a group called Muses of the Moon.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and we gathered on every full and new moon, and we would do like walking. I wanted to gather outside because I wanted to do yoga. And like we're saying, not in a transactional space. It was donation based always the the gathering.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I would we would meet. It was at a park where you could like walk around the lake right? So sometimes we would do a walk together, a new moon or a full moon walk. I do some Asana, and then like a talk on a theme.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and it was so nourishing because one I met people right that that were I was new to the town, people were really grateful. They were like, Oh, this is really cool, and I was able to kind of whatever like break into the yoga scene in this totally
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): kind of left field way. That also because
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): it's funny, some of you who live in big small towns or small small towns.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): The Yoga space was very competitive, and so people didn't like new teachers coming in. You know it was weird. II still don't understand it, but but because I was doing something that was sort of a little hard to place like. Was it walking? Meditation? Wasn't meditation, was it? Yoga? Was it new moon stuff? It was all of that.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And and more than anything. It was really nourishing to me to have that regularity, but not once a week, because I was a parent at the time of a 2 year old, right? So I wanted to go out. But not every week. Now I just want to share to normalize. I'm in a really much more introverted space like, I don't teach regularly out in the community. But I do go and take and attend people. Stuff is a a try to go once or twice a month.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): because I'm more in a place of receiving
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): in person and then giving online. That's just the energy that I'm in right now. But if
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I'm thinking about going back to sharing in person and for me, the frequency will probably be once a quarter in person, because that
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I do feel there's power and consistency, you know, because then you're like or II don't know if this resonates for you, you can tell me. But that consistency sort of nourishes me knowing like I'm gonna be preparing and then giving. But I'll also receive, and I tie it off into a theme, or, you know, like if I'm doing, for I'll connect it to the different seasons or something where I'm
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I'm naturally nourishing myself, because to delete it I have to be in the practice right of like now nourishing myself for the fall. So then I can go and lead a fall related nourishment class.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So I utilize the giving as a motivation to self, practice and self self nourish. So let me know. You know, if anything I'm sharing and anything that abandons share like sparks, anything
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and begin the chat?
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Well, I see Justine has a question. Can we create an alternative schedule like that when we're starting up.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah, I mean, I think we get to do what works for you right like. And I also wanna just name like, there's folks who have different disabilities, maybe, and I'm seeing disabilities where
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): we can't set regular like you cannot do a monthly. You can't do a weekly. You're gonna do it as I can, you know? And then you let the community know this is as I can like. It is a pop up, and you can, you know, check out my page or watch me for pop up spaces. They'll come when I have capacity right like
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I think you you like. How beautiful is that, and how reassuring, because how many of us have felt like, oh, that teacher there every week they're consistent. And I'm such a bad teacher because I'm not consistent.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): That that's nonsense, right? Like.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): how amazing would it be if it was like a teacher who was like, I don't have capacity to teach all the time. But when I do, I'm gonna share really generously. And of what I want to share what I have for you. And it's gonna happen when it happens like I would love to be in that space that would feel so good, and I feel like some of the folks in my life do share in that way, you know, and it makes me feel
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): better and safer. And you know, just
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): validated.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Oh, yeah. But in the mindset of sharing in a studio I can get creative. Yeah. I love the idea of couple things so just on spaces, and folks can pop other stuff in the chat or out loud parks.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I don't know where you live. Can you remind me? You can chop it on the chat? Parks, if you can be outside, if you're somewhere where the winters are harsh. Then maybe like art galleries.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah. So right? So for folks who are in places where we're not doing outside as we move into winter.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): our galleries.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): other nonprofits, or like cultural spaces, you know, like, I used to teach a wonderful class at Quea, which is like a community Korean American Workers Association, and it was open to anyone in the community. But it was at Qwa, you know. So
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I also told the armory Center for the Arts really cool art Space big rooms. They would let me rent them for $20 an hour like this is amazing, because then I can do a donation based class. And I'm probably gonna cover the donation plus make a little bit, you know.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): literally, sometimes a lot. Yeah, a libraries. Oh, I didn't even think about that. That is so cool.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): where else?
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Bookstores?
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): nonprofits like, if there's a nonprofit that you really
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): want to get connected to or enjoy. They, you know, and like you're providing it for their people, but also open it up.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah, I share my living. Some discoveries on Ig and Facebook when I have capacity. Yeah, that's great.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I'm not earning money as a teacher, but I'm still a teacher. Yes, that is so true.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Remember, for thousands of years Yoga, practitioners and teachers did not earn money. They might have gotten some energetic exchange.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): There, weren't. It wasn't money.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): It's weird, you know, and I definitely am a proponent of Yoga teachers being paid as well and fairly. It's it's a huge trade, right like, look at us all. We're here. We're cultivating our our talents, our skills are
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): capacities.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): We trained right? Like we should be paid in a capitalist world. It's not exploitative to be paid by any means. It is exploited before exploiting other people's labor right? And not paying them. But that isn't what talking about doing
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and you don't have to be paid, you know. Like, if you wanna volunteer your time and your energy like we get to decide. But it's not wrong to want energetic exchange in the form of money. I don't think that's wrong, not in the context that we're in right. And if we were in a different context. Yeah, wow.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Local day shelter has a space they rent out for events which benefits the shelter.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Libraries won't allow us to charge. Anything has to be free, interesting!
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): That's cool and interesting, Justine. I wonder about like if if they would let you make it be a fundraiser, you know, if you wanted to do it as a fundraiser for a nonprofit, or, you know, even for the library itself.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): to build community and then have your paid offerings somewhere else that you share at the the free class, you know, or the donation based class. Just that's and Amanda, you had a comment
Amanda Halls: as a practitioner. One of the things that I've done a lot. When I was practicing as a therapist was II did energy exchange with other therapists and Avianna. This might be a great way for you to support your own self. Care is to use your Yoga skills, maybe meet up with a massage therapist and see if you can exchange so that you go to their house.
Amanda Halls: Teach them an in person class, and then they can maybe give you a massage so that it works out that it's it's really feels good for you, because there's not money being exchanged. But it's exchange of valuable services like what we're just talking about, and you can do that with your dentist. You can do that with your physiotherapist, and like you could even go into physiotherapy clinics and say, Hey, I can do this for your patients.
Amanda Halls: and maybe they can come back and give you like 5 to 10 visits or something like that, where you can get your body treated and take care of yourself in that way. It just popped into my awareness. But that is also a really great way to treat yourself and also feel good about the skills that you're
Amanda Halls: not giving away for free, but giving that away for a fair exchange.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I love this coming to you in 1 Si wanna name that you may have time banking organizations in your community. I was part of one, and while I was teaching at the Armory Center, and everyone's hour is a public. So whether it's a gardener, the Yoga teacher, a lawyer, and you bank your hours right like could be through community service, and then you can receive a service
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): by training your house. There's so great, and if you're inspired by it and have motivation. You can start one in your community if there isn't one.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Time. Banking is is wonderful, which you can do kind of on a one to one like trade basis, like with a massage service, or generally, yeah. Rachel, come to you.
Rachel-she/her/hers: Thank you. I just wanted to put out there, you know community-based practice.
Rachel-she/her/hers: I think, is really a wonderful way to to to share a practice. And and there is money out there. There's wellness money that is available to a lot of public health resources. There's something on a community hub community health workers. But there's wellness money out there.
Rachel-she/her/hers: There's also a lot of money that's available in communities that's from the pharmaceutical industry, from some of those lawsuits. So II think, for those of us who are in the recovery community, or or connected with the recovery community. That can be a wonderful way to
Rachel-she/her/hers: have you know the the III have no qualms about taking money from organizations. Especially if they have money and they they can. They get money. It it's it, though, the folks that are receiving the service, aren't folks that would maybe able to be able to pay a fee for service? It's a great way to have our practice available for people that might not pay fee for service. But there, there are definitely
Rachel-she/her/hers: is money out there for wellness initiatives that
Rachel-she/her/hers: that could be directly connected to populations that we are in, or that we want to serve.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Thank you so much, Rachel.
Rachel-she/her/hers: and then Justine says, if you apply for a grant, don't you have to be an established business, maybe right to get the grant. But I think what Rachel is saying is, you can yeah go for it. Right? So I've for most all of my yoga career. I've not taught in studios. I've done community partnerships, and I'm not a nonprofit but I partner with nonprofits. So when when they write a grant.
Rachel-she/her/hers: I have my resume that I submit, and you know it's like writing goals and objectives for a practice that we might have. That could be really easy to work with the organization. But yeah, we don't have to be an established nonprofit. But we can partner with nonprofits
Rachel-she/her/hers: in our communities that have access to funds that have access to the need for wellness, the need for, you know, tools of regulation.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): That's great.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Thank you, Rachel, and then you got me thinking, cause I'm just trying to drop in the chat all the places that we've said, and so if I missed anything, or you have other thoughts.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Please add them. Corporations, right? Like corporations.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): need
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): help, like the people working there in in these big buildings, right or small buildings
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): need the tools that we can offer, and often they need them in short, bite size, you know, tear Yoga for 15 min, or breathing practice, and so if that is something you feel you can give
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): often. Thank you so much for close captions. Often you can been paid quite well for that kind of work. And so, you know, that's another way, like there's certain
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): it's like how we're taken care of can look many different ways. And sometimes it can look like being paid well and sometimes like it can look like.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): you know, having really nourishing relationships in with communities that mean a lot to us. yeah, it's great.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I love how our Satya practice is like really speaking our needs and truth. And I wanna address. And I'll circle back to this in our next office hours, too. But I wanna address this question because it just came in, and it feels very
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): important, both of them. Actually, once I came in. And just a reminder that you can drop your questions in. There's a form ahead of time, or just email us either way. At hello at. It might be well.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): but the question was, I've been noticing many Yoga classes and workshops lately that focus on women's empowerment and the divine feminine. I find it challenging to connect with a strong gender based ideas they promote, even as a cisgender woman who uses she her pronouns. I struggle with the notion that women are inherently superior or holier. To me it appears to be another manifestation of gender bias similar to what we see in patriarchal systems. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on this topic from a Yoga philosophy perspective.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who has concerns about this content being presented as Yoga when it seems more like a new Age feminist movement. Such an interesting question.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and yeah. So I am.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Think that there is precedent for
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): focusing on
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): gender as quality
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): in Vedic thought. Right? Like we've got gods and goddesses are gendered, qualities are gendered, but the gender itself is not the focus, it's more the quality or the experience of the thing. And so when we see sort of like
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): women's empowerment spaces that are a backlash to, you know, to patriarchy.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I think a lot of the issue, too, is they are. They can be
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): trans exclusive right or not. Speak to folks who are non binary. Yoga is more, I would say, sort of fluid, right like God's, like even Shiva, the prototypical early Yogi, the adi Yogi
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): changes form from feminine to masculine, to fluid, to neutral. And those types of spaces don't really often allow for that understanding of fluidity in
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): student experience or in in yogic experience. I personally don't like anything that feels very gender essentialist, because anything that's gender essential. It makes me feel like I'm good being put in a box and limits my freedom of expression, which Yoga
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): is about that sovereignty is about self exploration, right? So it wouldn't really put us into into boxes in that way. And then also, like my Trans and non-binary ken and community, have voice to me, because my very first like business name
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): was there with you, with healthy, hot goddess, and and I felt really good about that, you know self empowerment. Women's empowerment, like, you know. And then I had a friend who was like, I don't resonate with that. It makes me feel excluded.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And so I really had to sit with it because it was playing with a couple of things right like gender, but also like hot right like, am I playing into these kind of tropes of what is
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): like kind of objective objectification, and all of that. So and then I changed the name, wrote a blog. This is like back before. Probably any of you were following me. Maybe someone here is like from the Og email that was like, here's why I'm changing my name right like explained to the the community and took a little while. I think I was bliss well, or something very mundane for me, cause I'm more fiery. And then I became ignite, right like the Institute name. Kind of umbrella
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): cheryl, that to say.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I think
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): your intuition is spot on that. It isn't always inclusive to have
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): a gender. you know, focused space.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And I also say that while understanding, there are reasons and times and places where we might want, you know, a women focused
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): class or like a class for folks who men straight right, or the class or space for germinating folks, or folks who birthing folks right so. And it can be tricky if we say, Oh, my class is open to all women. Trans. Women. You know anyone who identifies as a woman. But if I haven't done the work to then truly be inclusive, and then not have a bunch of microaggressions
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): in the space. It would have been better to just be like this is a women's only space, right? So I don't personally feel like there's an absolute. I think it's like
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): finding how we can do the least harm. And you know, there's honestly been so much in Yoga history and Yoga culture that you can find within.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): It's
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): probably justification in different text in different places, for most of the choices we would make right like, I often pull the things that support gender fluidity. But someone could like one of my colleagues at target. She does a lot of workaround. Got us, you know, got a centric where she has a book on that, and she pulls and finds tech. You know things from texts that support her work. Right? So it's not so much that one is like
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): accurate or the other is inaccurate. It's more like
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): what is right for for the spaces you want to create.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah, any thoughts on that.
Amanda Halls: Susan. Your microph10, sorry. Sorry, thank you, Rachel. Let me pass to you.
Rachel-she/her/hers: Oh, I feel II appreciate this discussion. I missed what you said, Susanna, with your microphone off. But I think you know, bringing intentionality into the space and and is really important. I know I work with survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, and and having that space be specific to that population. Is helpful, you know.
Rachel-she/her/hers: but I also, you know, see where, like being being like that like that's exclusive, that that is an exclusive space. But there's a reason it's exclusive. So I think, looking at some of those things like you were saying
Rachel-she/her/hers: and and being really clear about what it is we're being exclusive about. And why.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): yeah, we can create kind of like caucus spaces that support and just checking. Can you hear me now?
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Sorry. I just muted myself.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): those spaces are to create more safety, right? More care.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): for communities that maybe are marginalized in other contexts.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So something very powerful there.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): There was another question about creating community and how we can support each other. This person particularly is practicing your Boston
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and as a family member that is going through a lot of challenging things that they're a caregiver for. And so I just wanted to put out
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): in Ycc. We've been very intentional about having these, you know, meeting every
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): couple weeks.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): But we don't have like a community discussion board or community discussion space for a couple of reasons. One is I feel those types of spaces take a lot of curation right? Like someone needs to be on every single day, looking through, responding to people answering questions
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and we just don't have the capacity or resources to to do that at this time. But we are. I am building something that will function as that. That will probably be out, not soon enough, but probably in the New Year, in 2024. And and so just naming
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): that I think where we can go would be speaking in the space right here in the office hours.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then opening that up to to other thoughts. I think there's been different. Community led, you know, conversations, but it can get tricky again like. So that's why why we're waiting. And then the other thing
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): that I often say is like within the the programs, like Yoga teacher trainings are where we have a lot more of that opportunity, for you know, conversation and mentor groups and breakout groups, and and, you know, weekly daily support. And
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): it's a need, right? It's a need that I think many of us have that nothing quite meets yet. So II hear you that question, but also just putting out to the group, is there anyone in the Boston area or
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): or just choose also a caregiver of an elder person who would like to to connect. And so we can.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Maybe one thing we haven't done that we could do that's pretty simple, would be. I don't think we have would be like a spreadsheet
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): where you say where you are and what you you know, what you're interested in, or where you teach. Right? So we I could think about that, maybe for our next office hours, we'll we'll create that
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): so that way, at least, we have a beginnings of resourcing each other and can reach out to each other.
So
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): want to
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): practice.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and I put a chance in the in the chat. I'm also gonna invite the candle
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): to have not done yet. Invitations to. If you. You have yours. Just take a moment.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And this chant is to set. Yeah. So 2 truth
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): which Satya is kind of a lesser known goddess also, but also just
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): truth. God, goddess, actually, transitions.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): is fluid and to the divine truth. And so we'll chant
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): as our practice practice at the end of our time today, and the way that this chant goes is.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): oh.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): so we'll chant 9 times together. You don't need to call account for it, and you can gaze at your candle flame.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): maybe have in mind
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): connection to the truth, maybe an amplification of a truth in your life or desire and love for truth.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Okay, deep breath in
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): full breath. Out.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): inhale to chant.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Oh, Satya!
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Oh, Santiago!
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Oh, Satya!
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Satya namah!
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Oh, Satya!
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Deep breath in
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and deep breath out.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): stretching your arms up above your body. Any amount away from the earth.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): palms meet, come down to heart Center.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): bowing to
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): the truth that resides within you.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): going to the truth
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): that lives in the world.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and the relationship between
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): those truths.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): ultimate and relative.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and a dance. uncovering discovery, curiosity. play
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): into motion
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): stretching in any way that you would like. We'll be looking around you.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): taking a light and color form
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and come back together and to close. Maybe you can share. If there's like one thing that you're taking away, and thing you're gonna bring with you through your week, your month, you can drop it in chat or share it out loud
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): today.
Yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I'm really appreciating you all's questions. And like
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): some creative resourcing here. just allowing my truth to surface community
yeah
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): into and harmonizing my voice. Yes.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): hmm. globally.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): just a heads up for folks. You should get an email about this. But next month in October I'll be traveling on the eleventh, and so our pilgrimage for our office hours will move one week later to the eighteenth. So we'll have our office hours on that third week of October the eighteenth, and then put on the 20 fifth. But we'll email you so you'll have all that, but just figured I'd give you a
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): advance notice.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and please do feel free to drop any questions in the, in the chat or in the
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): in the documents, but
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): should actually look it up so I can just share it with you, with the office hours, questions, document
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Here we are.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and we'll see you in
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): a couple of weeks. You can unmute if you'd like, and say goodbye, and so much appreciation for each of you
Rachel-she/her/hers: by Ycc.
Rachel-she/her/hers: beautiful people.
Amy Hinani: Thank you so much. Goodbye. Take care!
Rachel-she/her/hers: Bush is like
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I know.