Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Welcome welcome. We'll take just a moment and
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): stretch a little bit wherever you are
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): seeing up a big shape.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Hmm!
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): It's so good to be together in community, and to be able to
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): just
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): connect and practice and share. So, taking a moment to
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): move in any ways that your body has needed, and if you're not sure, maybe just twisting a little bit left and right.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): side to side.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I want to invite us into after you feel kind of satisfied of movement, so no rush
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): but into a little, just a little bit of silence. I am back from a 6 day. Silent meditation, retreat
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): that I went on last last week.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and I've been reflecting on the power of Mauna MAUN. A. Of silence.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and so we'll do a little bit of a
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): drop in, and I'll guide us into silence and then back.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): because it's so precious to have time to just be intentionally quiet, and to get to do it in community is even another layer of preciousness.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): it's such a rare thing, you know, in a world that's always like.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): has something that wants to be told, or wants something from us.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): to just be to be together
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and be with ourselves. And I do wanna also say, before I start guiding for me. One of the biggest Ahas was, how not silent it is inside, you know, when there's that external opportunity for external silence.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I spent
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): the 1st like 2 days, besides being really tired.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): It's like, Oh, my gosh! I'm constantly planning. My my mental busyness was not about work. Thank goodness, that was really cool. I was.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): It was funny to see that, but
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): wasn't really about anything other than like the next steps I was gonna take the food where I was gonna sit when I was gonna get a shower. I was like, what? Why am I? Why am I 5 steps ahead. On this day, instead of being right here on the cushion or the chair a lot of times I was on the chair.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and so
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I had to just develop a sense of humor about it, and instead of
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): planning, I would just say to myself, I'm sitting here
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): or just sitting here, right sitting is happening. I'm sitting. I'm walking, whatever it was, so don't necessarily expect, because we're practicing silence for it to be silent. That's pretty rare.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So. Let me
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): fine. There it is
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): when a bell.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): okay.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): like the bell and guide us.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): deep breath in
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): full breath out.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): beginning perhaps with some gratitude.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): What a gift to be able to have this opportunity to practice
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): even in the middle of a busy
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): week. Busy work day.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): noticing the space between
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): between breaths.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): The pause at the top of your inhale
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): at the bottom of your exhale
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): dropping into the silence.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): There's a few ways to practice with this
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): one is just to continue to focus on your breath.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Another
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): might be to focus on sound
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): noticing
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): sounds close and far away.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I'll stop talking and
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): create some space for us to be with silence together.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Guide us back
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): with the bow.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Thank you.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So deep, breath in
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and full breath out
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): next breath, maybe breathing out with a sigh.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then keeping
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): about
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): maybe 50, 60% awareness internal.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And then the other 50 40 external.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Hmm.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and invite. If you'd like to share how you're doing in the chat.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And please
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): please do.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): just so so nice to take some time
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): to
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): to practice together.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): gonna pull up. We had some
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): questions today.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So let me
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): all those
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and a couple of these, I actually feel like, I feel like will be really nice to kind of crowdsource.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): because I don't necessarily ha know the
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): the answers.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and certainly not all the answers. So they're one of our questions.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Bonnie, and I'm glad you're here.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Anne.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And I'm gonna read your questions in a second. But
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): it's hot today. Calming silences. Silence is good practice. Yeah. And before I go into
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): our questions they just want to invite us to
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): notice the silence. Right? And it might be
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): the silence with your
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): cup of coffee or tea in the morning before the day goes roaring off.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): or in the evening even just a few minutes in your bed before you go to sleep.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I'm
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): for me. I've been also noticing lately the silence with
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): people in my life. I think I often feel like I need to fill the silence. And so I've just been sitting like with my kiddo or
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): my partner. It's easier we met doing a lot of silent retreat. So we're fine, just being in silence. But with my kiddo I'm like, I don't have to be the fun, mom, or the entertaining, you know, like we can just be. And what's been cool is they've been sharing a lot more
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): because I haven't been filling the space with whatever it is, you know. So just noticing
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): all the ways that silence can be a practice.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): so bonnie, 2 wonderful questions. Is there a low cost way? And I'd love to bring in for folks to share their answers to this as well to include. They see music and background music in recorded meditations I usually use
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): in Compa tech because it's royalty, free and completely free to use, and projects with attribution. Why, I didn't know that that's really cool. Is there a way to include South Asian artists. If there's a way to include South Asian artists, I'd be open to that as well.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I just can't
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): find a way to know that I'm using the music in a way that it's intended. For example, listening on spotify is not the same as adding it to my recorded productions.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah, it's so true. And it's tricky cause I look for
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): for music that's royalty free that I can use in the background of my stuff, too. And so the sort of workaround that I used for everything in Ycc. Is, and not everyone I just want to also name like this comes from a place of privilege of being able to pay. But I paid Sarathy Garibala, and I'll write there
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): contact info in the chat in a minute. I think we I can't remember the exact amount is somewhere between 100 300 per track
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): for them to create music that then we could use in our meditations.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and also puja expu created the mantras right, for so that was something that when I had the resources I did when I even find Indian music in or like they see style music in.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I sometimes use what is it called
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): soundcloud?
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Oh, my gosh motion array, which has sounds. It's not usually Indian artists making Indian sounds. And so that that was part of why we moved to
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): kind of contracting with specific artists. So does anyone know a way where we can do that right like not just listening, but to actually put it on our videos or put it on our
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): our productions.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I will, I'll put the resources that we shared. So the sort of
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): public domain with attribution
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): would be encompate. Is that right? That's what you said, and then.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I use
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): motion array
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): or capcut has a lot of music that's
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): That's royalty free. But the only way I've figured to go to actually kind of credit and get the resources to the artists is to go to the artists
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): themselves.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and generally, you know, in all the cases we asked them, what would you like to be paid? It wasn't like we were like, we're gonna pay you this. It was like what we would love to get some music for a meditation track. That we can use. What would your rates be? And they told us the rates, and then we paid them the rates, and and like, I said, I think
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): was around like a hundred dollars per somewhere between 100 300 per track. But because we did multiple tracks, I think it was closer to 100. So and then
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I've used them for years right like they're they're beautiful. I've used them on live things that I've done.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Part of you know. The contract when we set it up is that
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): when I use it like on a Youtube live or something? I'll always put the
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): credit the artist as well. So let me find
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Srirathi's
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): cause. This is what Srathy does.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): But they changed their Instagram. So let me
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): make sure I have. Yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): okay.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): hmm.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): give me a second, and I will drop there.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): No, that doesn't look right.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): It's gonna take this a second
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Does anyone else have thoughts on this, on how we can.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): how we can, you know. And, Bonnie, do you want to speak to it at all?
Bonnie W (she/they): This is great. I was just a little bit nervous about going to the artist themselves. So I I'm really grateful for you sharing their names and information, and also I couldn't find them directly, so I wasn't even sure if I was in the right place. So thank you.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I'm just trying to pull up their
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): their account.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Oh, wait. Now.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): you know what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna share their email because they're social. I'm not. I'm not finding it.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And you can just let them know
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): if you want, you know. Hey, I got this from Susanna.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So the Sarathy
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): music at Gmail, and I think they use there. Then.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): they're
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): they're a musician and and artist.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): But if there's other artists that you love. You can go to them directly, you know, and you can ask them, because often
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): there's so much exploitation in the in the music world that it's really appreciated when we do wanna like credit and support. And I think musicians and artists are used to like getting paid and exposure. But exposure. It's not, you know, it's helpful, but it's not it's not enough.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So other than that.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I think this is a good. It's like something. I'll continue to research. I'll ask my like Trish, who works with me on social media cause. She may know some other places where we can directly go to
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): to artists themselves.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And then you had a second part to your question, which I'm just pulling up.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Oh, it disappeared. Is it true that ancient Yogis developed Asana to help them meditate longer. I always heard that. But now I want to make sure it's actually true. You know.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I feel like I need to to
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): grab my yoga sutures book and just look for a few tech like I'd like to be able to back up my answer to you with source text.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): But I would say yes, right like the movements.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and there was always various forms of practice. But a lot of it wasn't written down until much later.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): There are many different sort of supports, right for the distractions of the mind that are given from mantra to Mudra to focusing on the sound of Om. I think it's suture 1.17 or 2.17 that talks about
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): focus on whatever brings your mind peace right like whatever brings you to peace.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): then we we don't have record until, like the 12th century, so much later of
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): there's like 17 Asana that are in in that in those texts. That have the Yoga Yoga Pride, and including seated like Sukasana, including Peacock and a few other a few other shapes that really clearly were described
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): to be there to support
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): again, like Yoga to Virginia Roda, to support the fluctuation of the mind.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So at very least
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I don't know how many years ago would that be if it's like the somewhere between the 12th and the 15th century? I guess it's like a thousand, maybe a thousand 500, almost years ago.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): we know for sure. Yes, there was it being used in the same way in ancient times. We we don't know for sure.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): However.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): there's the Posh Patty seal right where we see someone seated. There's other
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): there's even like inscriptions that show different shapes
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): that could be Yoga postures. Right? So so it's hard to honestly, definitively say, you know, absolutely yes. Could we be reading into it?
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Sure. And then there's just what I think right. So I'll give you all that proviso, because ultimately, whenever you ask me these kinds of questions, I love to say, Well, you gather the evidence and then decide for yourself right? Because it shouldn't be like Susanna Barky told me so. It's not helpful. Actually.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): my
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): recollection
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): of, for example, being in like
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): in Varanasi, or in both Gaia and going to sacred sites? Is there be practitioners of all different backgrounds? Right? So sick? Jain Buddhist.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): you know Hindu.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and they are doing physical practices. Often some version or some form of a prostration meaning touching the earth
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): in those sacred sites.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and the way that it looks and feels to me
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): is like this
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): ancient movement
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): connecting to the earth in both surrender devotion.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): you know, connecting to something greater than themselves. And so my feeling when I'm there or not all the time, but at times when I'm practicing sun salutations, for example.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): is it? This is a
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): physical gesture
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): of
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): like little
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): self connecting to big self.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and that it is definitely something that's been happening for a long time.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and when I do it myself
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): it does help my mind settle it does help me, then move into seated meditation and and calming. So I would say, that's my
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): non answer. Answer. What do you think, bonnie?
Bonnie W (she/they): That's like a much better non answer than I've ever gotten before. So thank you. And I appreciate the encouragement to answer myself. I think I just needed a nudge in the right direction. Because it's been, it's always proffered is like, Oh, whereas and I came from. But then there's very little.
Bonnie W (she/they): Yeah, reference to how one might go about discovering that and as yet I haven't had a chance to travel anywhere to see. You know.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah. And I think we can feel it right, like you can feel it in your own practice.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Does it help you when you move in a mindful way in a way that is a gesture of surrender. That's full body, Mudra. Does it help you
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): support the calming of your mind?
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): you know, just like.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I also want to broaden this out from Yoga right? Like, I. I believe prostrations have been done in most cultures, right? Like all cultures, some way of offering devotion like when I think of like
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): like
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): early Celtic or pagan practice, so much connection to the earth
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): in Africa as well right in the Americas. And so
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): these are universal
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): to what it is to be human, like walking like dancing, like singing right like sound. And so
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): with Yoga.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Sometimes for me it's more about that felt sense than it is about. Can we find source text because so much of it has been lost right? So much of those texts are gone. There's much we don't know. And so it's more about
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): the finding the feeling, and finding the connection for myself in in those moments which
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): to me is a way of honoring yoga right? But it's but I'll always be clear like there's no actual textual evidence of postural yoga past the Hatha Yoga, you know, not really So
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): in terms of
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Western
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): modes of
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): verification. But if you were to ask most folks, you know, in India, right? Like or yoga practices, they're gonna say, oh, yes, yes. Our ancestors have been doing this for thousands of years, and they're not gonna say 2,500. They're gonna say 10,000, you know, back with Shiva, the Adi Yogi, you know. And so it does. It brings us back to that like, what frame are we looking from? And
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And then, ultimately, that question for me brings us back again to like our own direct experience.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah. And so I think you like, I use that cue. I say, I say it all the time. You know, early Yoga practitioners use these shapes to help them get their meditation.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): But I think
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I'll add, because you're helping me be aware of this like.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): but we don't always have evidence of that
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): maybe you can explore and see how it feels for you. Right? So it invites people into the into the inquiry. I I don't know if I would talk about evidence. Honestly, it depends on the context. If it's more of a workshop versus a a 1-off class.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Oh, yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Wonderful.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Okay.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Justine. I'm seeing if you're here. Not yet.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Okay.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I love your question hopefully. You'll listen to the recording.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): We have one more question after this. So just if you have other things that have come up, or just ways you want to think about Yoga and your your practice will come to just
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): kind of emergence questions.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So, Justine, I realize, as I continue with this course, I know what I would like my next step to be, instead of being a solo yoga facilitator at this time. I would like to work in a hybrid capacity in person and online in a collective, while I haven't made any big moves recently, I also want to acknowledge
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): that while I want to focus on this in the next chapter and in an accessible setting, I'm focused specifically on the following issues, women's reproductive rights and healthcare, along with Lgbtqia rights and healthcare healthcare for all in our current climate crisis, preserving our current democracy. And the list goes on
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): feel you, I just wanna say, I feel you. I think, yeah, I would like to be part of a saga that supports these issues, too.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah, I know activism isn't always separate. But how do we balance this and be an effective communicator within our class setting to be transparent about my current concerns as it pertains to us, keeping it to ourselves. Thank you. I love that question.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Hmm!
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I mean.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I have so many thoughts on this one is.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yes, Bonnie says I need to get a hold of Justine. So connect right like connect with folks and create, like the virtual community where maybe it's a collaborative series. Maybe it's a workshop series. Maybe there's some online and some in person. One of the ways that I've raised awareness for issues. When I want to be a little.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I don't know the nicest way, like almost like precious about it where I'm like, I don't wanna turn people off too much. But I wanna bring in issues. It's all connected to a fundraiser, right? So I did like when I moved to Orlando. And I was new. Donate a portion of the proceeds to a local center that supported women's rights. And then, as we got closer to the elections, we did a Yoga votes
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): class. And then phone banked after the class. Right? So it was like
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): partnering. And and you'll hear me say this again and again. Folks who've been here for a while, but partnering with local organizations because they're happy to have someone essentially do work on their behalf right? And bring people in.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And then you get people from their community. So it's like an like, you don't have to have the stress of marketing and doing that all on your own. You can partner with someone else, and you get people interested in those things. I don't think you have to separate them. I don't think you have to separate the your things you care about, and yoga but
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): having it be like
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): service, oriented or fundraiser oriented, it doesn't have to be the whole thing right? Like we need to make money, too. So it can be like, 10 goes to that organization, or whatever.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I think there's a lot of people concerned about women's reproductive rights and healthcare and Lgbtqia rights and healthcare and healthcare for all. And our current democracy. So what's cool, Justine? And anyone else thinking of. This is like when you kind of make that the focus you call people who care about the things you care about, and those are the people you want in your space, anyway. Right? And so for me in these, when I did them, I would basically do like
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): depending on the time like a 2 to 3 h, sometimes 2 and a half hour. Kind of experience. Where you come in we practice. Maybe there's a little education or something, and then there's like a sharing time or an action time, right? And so, or just like a bit more informal, like social hour afterwards. So it's building community.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and we can do that in person and online. I think the way I would do that
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): haven't done it as much. Actually, it's not true. I have, like Reggie and I did something together, Reggie.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Hubbard, and we would do breakout rooms so that way you could. People can socialize with one another on their particular topics. But any thoughts folks
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): on this.
Bonnie W (she/they): Yeah, that all sounds great. I I know how to get a hold of Justine outside of this. So if anybody else wants to connect with her and me. I'll I'll put my info in the
Bonnie W (she/they): chat.
Bonnie W (she/they): cause. Yeah, I've I've
Bonnie W (she/they): I've been kicked out of so many local groups. And really, really, for really trite reasons, like my name is Bonnie, and the other Bonnie didn't like there being 2 bonnies, and anybody named Jennifer or Mike is just like what? What?
Bonnie W (she/they): So
Bonnie W (she/they): I just feel like.
Bonnie W (she/they): yeah, using yoga as the framework. I've been so much more successful like reaching out to the community making connections
Bonnie W (she/they): and and then organizing for social justice. So in I live in such a small town.
Bonnie W (she/they): I would like to do more online to create more connection, because it's so, it's so small and insular here. It's I. I didn't know Hood River was as wealthy as it was. I always thought of it for outdoor sports.
Bonnie W (she/they): but then, when I moved here, it was like, Oh, my gosh, we're we're the poor people like, I'm used to being right in the middle of the pack. And here, like, yeah, like, so it's also hard for me, because I
Bonnie W (she/they): I'm dealing with all of this like
Bonnie W (she/they): really privileged people and the limousine Liberals. And wow! It's it's
Bonnie W (she/they): they're very settled, and they're very happy with being liberal, you know.
Bonnie W (she/they): for lack of a better term limousine Liberals and I just it's hard to.
Bonnie W (she/they): I don't know. Have a real conversation, so.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): yeah, it's tricky to find our people right. And in all environments. And you know, sometimes like just bringing back silence too. It's like
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): honestly in some of the spaces that I've been in. I didn't really want. It sounds terrible when I say it out loud. I didn't necessarily wanna hear out.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I wanted to just come together, offer the practice right, maybe a little teaching, or have someone else offer practice and teaching, and then let the silence percolate, and so they can kind of come to their own conclusions. Without having to have all the complexity of that privilege get shared, you know. So
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): there's so many ways to do it. And and connecting online is really helpful. Especially to there as well. If you can partner with an organization or organizations like. Recently I did one with sovereign la that was a fundraiser. And what was cool about that for sovereign actually, it wasn't for sovereign. It was for Heel Palestine, and
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): because we connected, and that was in person. But we were planning an online one. It also went out to their whole email list. Right? So most of the people who came I don't even know. And they didn't know me. You know. They had no idea who I was, which was so
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): cool because it was like a new community getting to practice yoga for a cause that they believed in, you know. So you can, partner
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): in person and online. Yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): thank you.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And then Don asked a question about head stand and crown tacra Don.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): if you listen to this.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I don't have enough information about your question, but I'm because
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): But
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): think
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): because it just said Headstand and crown Chakra, so
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Chakras are energetic
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): centers
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): near nerve plexi or nerve plexuses. Right the plural
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): where our nerves come together, and there are different nerve plexi in our bodies connected to our tractors physically, but a Chakra is an energetic and metaphorical description.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): It's not something where, like if you
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): where to go and look, you know, you can't actually see a Chakra. So
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): when we move or practice in a certain way, like if you put
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): fingers on very lightly on your brow, and massage your between your eyebrows, or
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and take your hands, and you massage at the occipital bone at the base of your
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): skull.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): That does help
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): with the 3rd Ayakra with
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): with
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Agnia Chakra.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): which is at the center
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): of the brain. So kind of between that point and that point, if you can imagine, like between the 2 hemispheres of your brain, and then the crown Chakra is described as being definitely yes, at the top, and you can kind of tap the top of your head just lightly.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): But also above right. So like a few inches or out, it's like the the checker that moves into the
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): into the interconnectedness between us and everything else.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And so yes, doing something like headstand can
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): activate or stimulate this this Chakra
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): perhaps that is your question. But if you have more, you can give me more information, and and I can give you a different answer.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So just opening up if anyone, especially anyone who hasn't shared yet has anything on their heart or mind, or just anything they want to bring forward their experience, practicing or teaching Yoga, or want a Yoga perspective on. And you can let us know like, do you want to just share? Do you want input
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): opening the space?
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Hi, that's so good.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): You.
Beth Nelson (she, hers): You as well. So hi everyone. My name is Beth and Bonnie, I think.
Beth Nelson (she, hers): I'm assuming you live in Oregon. Is that right? Yeah, I just moved to Oregon about 6 weeks ago.
Beth Nelson (she, hers): I'm in Southern Oregon, in the Rogue Valley and
Beth Nelson (she, hers): I've been spending a lot of time at home mainly cause it's stinking hot. And also, you know, I I haven't found community so much yet. I I am doing, you know.
Beth Nelson (she, hers): making the rounds of
Beth Nelson (she, hers): new student in, you know, trying to find a home.
Beth Nelson (she, hers): And I don't know if there's really a question around this. But I I've just noticed that over the last week or so.
Beth Nelson (she, hers): honestly since the July 1st
Beth Nelson (she, hers): Supreme Court decision that
Beth Nelson (she, hers): really shifts the way that
Beth Nelson (she, hers): President's immunity will be
Beth Nelson (she, hers): handled, moving forward, leaving it at that.
Beth Nelson (she, hers): it!
Beth Nelson (she, hers): I'm I'm craving connection and
Beth Nelson (she, hers): and a practice. And yet when I
Beth Nelson (she, hers): and practicing alone, it's
Beth Nelson (she, hers): it's not.
Beth Nelson (she, hers): I don't want to say it's not working, but what I'm finding is
Beth Nelson (she, hers): I've been teaching for 10 years that I'm running the script in my head as if I'm teaching a class rather than dropping into the actual practice.
Beth Nelson (she, hers): So again, I don't know if there's a question around this. I I think I'm just looking for
Beth Nelson (she, hers): connection, and
Beth Nelson (she, hers): it was really relevant to me that a lot of what has been spoken about is, you know how to really bring Yoga in a way that
Beth Nelson (she, hers): speaks to our values of liberation and social justice. So I appreciate being heard, and if there's any
Beth Nelson (she, hers): anything that showed up, I would
Beth Nelson (she, hers): be honored to receive it.
Carly Joelle: I appreciate you sharing that, Beth. I I've also noticed, like the teacher voice not shutting off whenever I'm
Carly Joelle: even just trying to practice by myself. And so I've started just returning to my teacher's videos watching Susanna's classes and some other videos that we have right. Sometimes we just need community for it. Yeah, just to keep refilling the cup.
Beth Nelson (she, hers): Thank you so much for that reminder. It's like, Hello, it's right in front of me.
Beth Nelson (she, hers): Yeah.
Carly Joelle: It takes a village.
Caroline (they/she): I can also really relate. I find that even if I'm practicing following somebody else's video, then my mind is thinking about how I can use that. And will I remember that. And you know.
Caroline (they/she): So yeah,
Caroline (they/she): so the things for me
Caroline (they/she): other sometimes it's like the other practices like my month for practice. That is what really helps me land and kind of quieten my mind.
Caroline (they/she): And then just
Caroline (they/she): accepting. There's just a little bit of like. Oh, I've become aware that I'm narrating, or whatever.
Beth Nelson (she, hers): It!
Caroline (they/she): It's kind of like, yeah, I find that I almost need to do something that I'm not sharing as a practice.
Beth Nelson (she, hers): Yes.
Caroline (they/she): To to be in my own space.
Beth Nelson (she, hers): Thank you.
dana (she/her): Beth. I I grew up in in Southern Oregon, actually in the Rover Valley. I grew up in Grants Pass.
Beth Nelson (she, hers): Yeah, that's I live south of Grass Pass.
dana (she/her): Yeah. And it's
dana (she/her): I
dana (she/her): thanks and unique, sociopolitical place. So
dana (she/her): I still obsess about
dana (she/her): that environment and how
dana (she/her): how it's it's
dana (she/her): yeah, there's a lot of things. There's another Supreme Court decision that just took place center there. And one of my close friends that I went to high school with is the mayor. So she it. That's it was a very. It's very polarizing. It was for folks who don't know is Grant Pass versus Johnson.
dana (she/her): and it determined it. It basically, the decision made it
dana (she/her): criminal. This is my interpretation made it criminal to be an unhoused person in a public space.
dana (she/her): and gave license for municipalities to incarcerate people who are are in public spaces who are unhoused.
dana (she/her): So there, I mean, I think that it goes to
dana (she/her): it's
dana (she/her): It's
dana (she/her): it's something that I think about all the time.
dana (she/her): All the time is just this.
dana (she/her): That's where I'm from. Is this place where it has such a history of profound violence and revisionist history. And that's where we are as a nation. And it's also really gorgeous, beautiful place and
dana (she/her): in terms of thinking of how I can share the Yoga practice as as a practice of embodied spirituality that has indigenous roots to be from a place
dana (she/her): where there was a trail of tears in oak flats, which is 30 miles away from where I grew up 30 min away as crow flies.
dana (she/her): and that's there are. There's not an indigenous presence within the Rogue River Valley, because it was so extraordinarily violent, and there was language about extermination, and
dana (she/her): the genocide was so profound with very little, so it just feels very raw for me. I'm kind of. I am noticing that I'm
dana (she/her): very tangential here.
dana (she/her): and I haven't I'm really grateful for this community.
dana (she/her): And this facilitation of this Susanna, because
dana (she/her): after getting my Yoga teacher training credential, I haven't taught because it has been difficult to find
dana (she/her): a way to ethically do so
dana (she/her): aye.
dana (she/her): and and really acknowledge the indigenous roots of the embodied practice and the political nature that.
dana (she/her): and sharing that, regardless
dana (she/her): of whether or not it resonates for people, but just having that disclaimer. This is my practice. This is how I'm sharing from whether it resonates for you. I hope it does. But if it doesn't.
dana (she/her): there you go like I'm just having all the all, you know, all the things prepared. So I'm really grateful for this, because I haven't.
dana (she/her): It's been hard to find that community that doesn't just actually can perpetuate the revisionist history within love and light.
dana (she/her): which isn't what I'm trying to do.
Beth Nelson (she, hers): Oh, thank you, Dana!
dana (she/her): Thank you. Thanks that I really needed that. I'm like, Oh, Grace, that's.
Beth Nelson (she, hers): I can even remember.
dana (she/her): Like if somebody asked me. I'm like, I'm like I'm just from Grants Pass, Oregon. Actually, my dad is from Northern Idaho, so I won't ever be able to stop learning about
dana (she/her): about what's going on in the world.
dana (she/her): That's.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Thank you all for this, and
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): you know, Dana, sometimes, and Beth, sometimes what I'm
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I feel of like.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): It's just the witnessing like sometimes there's nothing that we can do to solve
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): right or make it better.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): But we can witness
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and name.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and that
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): has its own power.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah, wow! And Bonnie's there a lot, too.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Hmm.
Bonnie W (she/they): Yeah, I.
dana (she/her): I was.
Bonnie W (she/they): And rural organizing project for everybody, because they do a really good job of talking about that history of Southern Oregon, and most of the think tanks, that rural organizing projects work with their belief is that what happens in Oregon happens in the rest of the country, and especially those really kind of isolated, very militia, intense areas like Southern Oregon and Eastern Oregon.
Bonnie W (she/they): That's really what they are focused on, and they were the only ones like when that whole occupation of the Mallure the Eastern Oregon Bird Sanctuary Rural Organizing project was the only ones who had, like even the remotest
Bonnie W (she/they): answer that made sense, and you know, and it made me realize that my own Congressional representative was actually supporting the patriots the armed
Bonnie W (she/they): take over and you couldn't really tell that from his language directly. But when you started reading between the lines and reading rural organizing projects, information, it became like, super clear. So yeah, I just would highly recommend them as a resource for Beth. And then everybody in the group, if you're ever having trouble, understanding like what's coming
Bonnie W (she/they): cause. I'm not even sure it's right. I think it's it's just militia. So yeah, they just provide a really
Bonnie W (she/they): easily accessible lens for interpreting all that. So.
dana (she/her): Wow! Thank you so much, Bonnie, that's real. I had. I had no idea this is gonna be Oregon Happy Hour.
dana (she/her): This is great.
dana (she/her): and the happy hour or sad hour, whichever it is.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah, thank you. And like some points of connection, right for
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): for folks, it's like that big, small world.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): It's really nice to be able to know, like there's resources. And there's organizations like
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): connecting to orgs has been the biggest way that I've found.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): almost like political home, you know, or or service home like, save a home in new places, and I just saw a bulb, a billboard in cause, Santa Clarita, I will say where I moved.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): There is not a lot of local organizations very conservative. Part of Los Angeles expanded Los Angeles County, and
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): there's a billboard by, I think the org is called Unity. Now I'm going to have to research them. But it, quoted Nelson Mandela, and I'm paraphrasing something about the
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): the liberty of all people. Isn't possible without the freedom of the Palestinians.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I was like Whoa and my kiddo actually saw it was like.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Is that good, mom?
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah, that's amazing. That that's up there, you know, and it just helps me feel.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And I haven't actually gotten out. You know, it's like the stuff. I tell you all, I also practice. Right? So a lot of my community is online. And then I have specific friends that I'll go and see.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and I'll go to their things. But it's in a different part of La than where I live. Right? It's in places where there's just a lot more access to some of the stuff. And so I am sort of close like 45 min away, an hour away. But where I live I haven't partnered with any orgs, but maybe there are some that I could, you know, and that would be a way for me to feel like I can connect and contribute in the actual land that I'm living on the place that I live not to mention, like connecting with the local
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): tribes, like different endangered to Tabian and and the Chumash, you know, organizing councils out here. So those are all steps
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): or moves that
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): that I can do so. I just am appreciating
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): this a lot.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Anyone else.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Hmm, love senior puppy Carly.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah, Caroline.
Caroline (they/she): I just really wanted to say Thank you for this space. I'd ask the question last time. And kind of I did listen to the recording again, and also really see the I listen to the one before.
Caroline (they/she): And I'd actually been at the one before. And
Caroline (they/she): I think
Caroline (they/she): it's how like that real kind of thing of like when you're ready. The teacher's there like I I couldn't hear it last time.
Caroline (they/she): so I just wanted to say just a deep thank you, really, for the whole community. And for this space.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And let me just ask, did you get a question? I mean sorry. Did you get what you needed in an answer to your question about sequencing.
Caroline (they/she): Yeah, I think I did. I just felt a lot more.
Caroline (they/she): I think, from listening to that one and the one before
Caroline (they/she): I just got this such a sense of permission.
Caroline (they/she): an invitation to be
Caroline (they/she): following
Caroline (they/she): like your intuition, and also to think creatively and actually, the session before you actually had done an arc. And I was like, Oh, that's the arc I'm talking about. I was there. I was actually at that session, but it hadn't. But it yeah, so
Caroline (they/she): so yeah, it was and I'll probably listen to it again. That was really affirming.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I'm so glad
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): because it's true. You know, this is goes back to what Carly and some other folks were sharing about.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Hmm!
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Having
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): having that teacher voice.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): or like, you know how many times I think I've told you I keep it.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): It's still here. It's it's like so old. And basically, my, this is not it. But like my sequence on my pay, on my post, it right? And like being out there teaching at the Park. And it's like, Yeah, that's great. And that was helpful for me at the time. And I needed it. But it's okay, like it's okay to just
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): now. What I do is cause I go out and I teach. Beth has experienced this in person where I'll teach
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): a class
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): in person that I've scripted out right like the Yoga class curator
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): classes that you have. Right? So the way, now that I do it is, I'll go over and I'll practice that class in the morning that I'm gonna teach it. You know that after whenever I'm gonna teach it, even if it's like, if I'm teaching it at 7 am. I'll practice it at 5, 30, or whatever in the morning myself.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Sometimes I'll actually listen to my own recording, because I need my previous self to help me get to that embodiment
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): right like. And sometimes
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I can just look at the write up.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and I can take myself there
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): that I judge how much support I need, and where I'm at, and then I go into the teaching moment
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): from the trust of my ability to embody right and and less attach now to the you know the script. But
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): that's not.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): you know I share. That is my process. I think everyone has their own process. And so it is, whatever gets us to that trust
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): of ourselves in the moment to to sharing. And so your process might look completely different. And that's wonderful.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): yeah, but the giving myself time and space to embody before I teach whatever that looks like. And sometimes it's not even practicing Asana. It's just a meditation or a ritual, you know, or mantra, or whatever it is
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): that really helps me drop in in the moment.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): thank you.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Thank you. Everyone. I wanna just invite us to. If there's anything you're taking away to drop that in the chat or anchor it for yourself in your journal.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): There's so many pieces.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): so many things I'm taking away. But I think
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I think the biggest is like community
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): love, love and community
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): for me.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): yeah. Connection, learning.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Silence
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): all of the things so invitation to stretch
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and to anchor that in when you're ready
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and we can unmute and say goodbye, and I'll see you all in a couple weeks.
Caroline (they/she): Thank you. Bye.
Beth Nelson (she, hers): Thank you.
Caroline (they/she): Everybody.
Carly Joelle: Think he's fine.
Beth Nelson (she, hers): Yeah. Thanks. Mike.