Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Hello! Hello, everyone!
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Welcome to our office hours for March. I'm really excited to be here with you, and we'll just take a moment as people are coming in.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I want to honor that it is holy. So it is the Festival of Lights, the Festival of color, and I'll weave some of that into what we're doing today. And Hello! You can be on camera or off. It's up to you, Juliana. Hi, I'm going to make you a co-host, so you can let folks in. Thank you for being here.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And I just as we're coming in. Maybe you can drop in the chat just like 2 words of how you're doing today.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I'll let folks know kind of what the the vibe is.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): what we do in in office hours. We've got some wonderful new folks with us so welcome, and
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): you can just drop in the chat
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): 2 words how you're doing today right now, in this moment
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): take a second for folks to drop that in.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yeah. Energized but scattered, exasperated. Oh, I feel you feeling excited and grounded grateful.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yeah, it's all. Sometimes I like to do 2 or multiple words, because we can hold multiple truths at once.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I definitely feel a little like.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): full to the brim and also very grateful, very joyful. Yeah, chaotic, yet grounded I am with you like scattered and grateful. Yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): heavy, and held
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): so generally for folks new to office hours. The flow of how it goes is there is a form that you should have been emailed. Everyone, I think, gets like the 24 h reminder. And in that 24 h office hour reminder. There's a little link to a form where you can add your questions, Juliana. I don't know how hard or easy it would be
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): for you to locate that form, but actually would be helpful to me. If you could like the cause, then we can drop it just so people can bookmark that.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And for the last few office hours we haven't had anyone pre submit questions. We go through seasons. Sometimes I'll get like 12 questions. You know things that are on people's minds. And so it's helpful to just know that you have that form. If you're like teaching, or.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): you know researching or practicing trauma, informed Yoga, or want to make sure you're honoring the roots of yoga, or something comes up in your world or at your studio or community. You can drop your questions there, and we'll always talk about them
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): if like this week. There's no Pre, you know, submitted questions. Then we go a bit more organically. The benefit
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): for you all, if you pre submit, is I always look at those questions, you know, a week to, however long I have to look at them, and then I think about them, and I research them if I don't have the answers. So if we're just kind of going more like organically. That's good, too. I've been a teacher for a long time. I can. I can answer off the top of my head. But sometimes I'll say I need to come back and do a little bit more research
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and and then we usually begin with a practice. There's usually a theme, and our theme this week will be around
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): really like liberation and the festival of colors, and I would say, like diversity.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): unity, and diversity, because I'll share some of the stories of holy. There's some that are really liberating, and there's some that are not so liberating. And so it's also understanding that, like the like, any tool, Yoga can be used to heal or harm. And so our key themes are Ahimsa and Santosha this week.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So community care self-care, and then joy, like the joy and vibrancy of of expression into color and sound and light.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And then we can reflect on some questions. Sometimes we'll do some art or journal, we'll share out loud, or if you have, you know, questions related to the practice or just questions in general, you can ask them, and we'll discuss, and we really try to have. Oh, thank you so much.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Juliana, for supporting and for dropping that question, so you can
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): grab that now and then, if you need it or want it in the future. Just bookmark it so that way you have.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): You have the form.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Let's see.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Just checking anything else.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Okay, so we'll formally begin and welcome welcome. We're here to practice Yoga as
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): it comes to us from the Indus River Valley to support our personal and our collective liberation. And I want to just remind you that you're doing enough.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): You are enough simply by arriving and showing up.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And I invite you now to call in whatever supports you that might be. Land ancestors, spiritual ancestors, friends, plant allies like I love. You can see my plants behind me.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): It might be animals, it might be ecosystems. It might be things. You make up
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): energies of care and support, and bring them in to start surrounding yourself with them. I'm lifting my arms out away from my body any amount, if you'd like to do that that can feel really good.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and then inhaling, thanking those communities, people, plants, ecosystems, bringing your hands to heart center.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and we'll just do a few gentle half sun salutations
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): expanding out, thinking of another ally or supporter, something that brings you
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): joy and support, and care, and beautiful. Yes, sitting, standing, lying down, inhale arms up, maybe gazing up.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): exhale hands. Come down
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): now, this time visualizing a color. So any color that feels like you want to just connect to it. I'm wearing orange and red. So I'm visualizing
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): bright oranges, reds, lifting that color up and then washing it down over you as your hands come down, whatever your color is.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and then this time we'll bring our hands back to Heart Center. We're going to go the other direction. So like a reverse. So arms come up and then out, because Holy is both a celebration
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and and connection to the that which brings us joy and color and light. It's also with the full moon an opportunity for renewal and release and letting go and releasing older old burdens, or even current burdens that may be kind of weighing us down and moving into joy. So this time, as we inhale.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): we lift our palms up, thinking of something, maybe a habit or quality, or an energy, or even a situation that you want to release and exhale. Releasing that away.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): We'll do that a few times, inhaling another situation that you person, place, thing way. You're responding that you want to transform and release.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Inhale one more time and exhale
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): releasing, and then arms come down. You can just let them rest anywhere beside you, rocking a little bit side to side.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): finding joy right here in the present moment.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): as you're ready, maybe moving into a meditative space, so eyes can be gently focused on something in front of you or gaze can be down, eyes can be closed. Your your choice there.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): There are many different stories of holy, and
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): one of them that I love
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): is a Krishna story, and this layer comes from the the story comes from the Gangetic plane, so like by along the Ganges.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and particularly in Vrindavan, and it's in Vrindavan which is a couple hours away from it's like in the center of India, in the subcontinent Krishna celebrated, and
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): so much, so much of the land and the people there celebrate Krishna as a and holy as a festival of love. Actually, because, and unity beyond differences.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): because the story goes that Krishna's skin was was very, very blue, and he loved Radha, and Radha had very light kind of creamy colored skin.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and so he was so sad because he felt like, oh, she's never going to love me, I look so different than her. And then his mother said, Why don't you go and play with color, and paint her blue, so you can look, you know, the same. And really what matters is what's beneath your appearance, but your heart and your love. And so they played. And this is where the
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): play of putting color on one another comes from during holy time. Is that like just celebrating unity and diversity, that what is on our outside doesn't define us.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and we can play and and let that be leela, like the joy of all colors, no color
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and celebration there, and so feeling into what
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): maybe the parts of you that have you felt
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): disconnected from, or ashamed of, or not so happy with lately.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and we all, or most of us, much of the time, have those parts, whether they're
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): our own inner talk, or even societal conditioning
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): might be, you know, I'll just share some of mine related to age.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): to body, image to ability, disability to gender to sexual identity.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): race right? All of these things. They can be deep places of belonging, and also deep places of wounding.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and so connecting to those parts, and feeling what it might
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): be like, or look like, or feel like to celebrate, to adorn, to play.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): to bring a different kind of relationship to that part of ourselves, that we might have been
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): casting off or not owning.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And then.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): you know literally, that might be like decorating. If there's if, like a part of you, that you're not feeling so
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): loving towards like decorating it with color, or with Mendy, or giving it like an oil massage, or you know your whole body an oil massage, or if it's something to do with like a project, you know, how can you bring more play there? More fun there, more
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): creativity. Maybe you're working on like an essay or some writing, and you're stuck. And so, okay, maybe you like, take a walk and just reflect on the themes or go to dinner with friends.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Or maybe it's something connected to a social issue that's really challenging you, something that impacts you and your communities. And you're feeling really stuck and frustrated, or even fearful, and so, being in community to vent to share, to not bear that alone.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So maybe choosing one or 2 things to reflect on.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): This is the way we bring Santosha, and also Svad Yaya self inquiry.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): these deeper Yoga practices into every moment.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): even those moments and places that we might want to hide from or not face
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): turning towards them with care.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And then, if there are any
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): thought patterns, or maybe even situations, people, things that are fueling, holding you back, or keeping you attached to a story that's not so empowering.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): How can you maybe set up some boundaries there.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): even if it's like, if it's a work situation and
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): you can't like not go to work. Maybe you're setting up some energetic boundaries like that beautiful color that you visualize. You're seeing yourself surrounded by a bubble of that color every time you go to work and reconnect to that color. So the energetically, internally, you're that unity, divine, powerful being untouched by the ebbs and flows of the world.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Or maybe it's some thoughts or some self-talk that you're releasing.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And for this last little bit of the practice.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I invite you to visualize
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): any kind of light that feels supportive to you, so that might be the light of the moon. We're about to have a lunar eclipse. I believe it's
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): tonight or tomorrow, depending on where you are in the world.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Maybe the light of the moon, the light of the sun, maybe visualizing a candle or a campfire.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): the sunlight reflecting on the water, any kind of light
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): visualizing that light in your mind's eye.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): even if you don't see it actually just feeling its presence
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and allow the color that you visualized, or a new color.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Mine's kind of like pinkish now, swirling into that light, and imagine it washing over you
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): in a celebration of release of anything that's holding you back, and oh, shit, self-care, uplift and joy.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): deep breath in full breath out
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): in a moment we'll come out of this meditative space into some meditative writing. So invitation to keep like
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): 80% focus inwards, meditative focus moving, maybe looking around the space that you're in taking in form and color and shape.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and then moving to your journal or the chat, if you would like, or anywhere that you would like to note down
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): what any messages from that practice, anything that you visualized saw for yourself.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): We'll take
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): take about 5 min I'll play some music with no words, and we'll just journal, and then we'll come together
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): to reflect.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Be good.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Oh.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): beep, beep, beep! Beep
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): just a minute more to finish up your reflections.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): This one's what she wants.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Okay, there we go.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Wonderful. I'd love to open up to a few
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): responses. Maybe you can share in the chat or
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): out loud if you would like, and really connecting to like. What energy are you bringing in? Maybe? Where are you bringing some playfulness, some Santosha Samahimsa. Right that care and then play.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And what might you be releasing or letting go
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): this time? It's a really powerful time for release and renewal. And I think also for those of us that are coming in, that maybe have our own traditions historically. Or if you think about, there's so many spring rituals
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): of celebration of the abundance, and then release right release like spring cleaning, and so just reminding us that you, we each have our own access to these practices, and we can take different doorways. There may be like traditions from your own culture. There may be Yogic traditions that you're connecting to that become that doorway.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And when we're honoring the roots of yoga, we're naming right? So acknowledging like if you're connecting through like particularly holy, or you know. Maybe Yoga philosophy like Santosha or Himsa tapas like clearing away.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): naming those things is part of honoring, but it doesn't mean you don't have direct access to these tools yourself. Right? We all have direct access to the qualities of like refreshment and the qualities of clearing.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Oh, nice. I love it.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yeah, I always like to. You know, when I share music like share the artists people. I feel like, I always want to know when people are
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): playing music, so would anyone like to come off
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): off mute and share? It's always so nice to hear from each other, and then, after we share, we'll move into. If anyone has any questions.
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): I will share just because no one popped up right away, and I already wrote something in the chat, so I'll just read it out loud.
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): and I'll try not to take too much time.
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): But I found it really helpful when you were saying
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): to visualize the light and
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): I found like a blue sphere, and green as well, and I like whenever I see, like colors and light, I associate them with the chakras like. I take that as information about like what I'm wanting to like lead with, or bring in, and so like heart. And so, whatever I found both a blue and green light bubble sphere emerge, and I'm happy for this suggestion
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): and reminder of calling this in every time I need it as a protection bubble like to go into work, for example.
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): blue and green. I associate with the throat and heart chakras a reminder to move through the world with love with compassion, with a clarity of words, intention, and a clear voice.
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): Yeah.
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): And I'm happy that I can be here because I was confused about the actual time of the office hours, and I'm really grateful that it's at 3 Pm. Eastern, and not 12 noon Eastern. So that's me. Thank you.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Thank you. Caitlin. Rosie, I don't know which name.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Let me just ask. Just because I wanna make sure. Was there an email that was sent that said it wrong. Did we cause that confusion?
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): Us will correct it. No.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): No, no, no, I just I show up in different spaces, sometimes with different names, and.
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): This is what I settled on in the last, like set of Zoom Meetings. I was on.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): That's awesome. Oh, I mean about the time the 12.
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): Oh.
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): I don't remember. I'll double check. But I did get somehow. I think the most recent, the 24 h email that I got. I saw the time. I didn't even see that there was a form. So I wrote that down because I do have some questions, but I will wait so. But.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Drop them in the chat. Now, you know. I love questions. I just want to say, like.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I really love questions. So you're not like the whole point of this time is for you to ask questions, so you can. You can drop them in.
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): Just glad that I can make it during this time, because it means a lot for me to be seeing who else is doing this work. Who are we
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): so thank you for holding them.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Of course. Thank you so much. And.
Eva Ligterink: Oh, sorry!
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yeah, please go. And everyone wants to come on camera.
Eva Ligterink: Sure.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Is really powerful to see one another if you can. No pressure, though.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yes.
Eva Ligterink: Yeah, I would like to share the meditation. It was really really beautiful, like
Eva Ligterink: with where it is difficult to find joy. And so I've gained a bit of weight because due to chronic sickness and that was
Eva Ligterink: difficult for me. And what came up was like, yeah, move the the jiggly bits and let them move in in waves and move with me. And yeah, that was really beautiful to like, yeah, embrace that. And yeah, so thank you very much.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): You're so welcome. Thank you so much for sharing anyone else.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): See a comment?
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I'm just texting Juliana to make sure that we have the question form in there. Yes, Monica, thank you for letting us know. So for some of the folks who are newer, just for context.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): we've been doing these office hours for 5 years. So you're coming into, you know. Not everyone is the same each time. Right? Who comes. And so if you're in embrace Yoga's roots, the course you get the office hours for a year, and they're always at 12 noon, Pacific, or 3 Eastern, or convert for your time zone
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): On the second Wednesday of every month. There may be one month that we shift because my new book is coming out, and I'm going to be traveling and on book tour. But I think I actually scheduled around our office hours. So
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): that's like additional to the call on the 19, th which is part of the trauma informed and decolonizing yoga certification. So don't worry. You didn't miss anything. You're right on time. It's okay. If you've got to go, and we'll have these ongoing that you can come.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Okay, great anyone else, anything that came up in your practice. And, Monica, please ask any other logistical questions, too, if you have them.
Monica: I saw
Monica: I came in late. So I apologize for that cause. I I didn't. I just saw the email. Now it's like, oh, I apologize for that. But
Monica: I was seeing actually seeing like a red light. But it it kind of felt like anger.
Monica: But in a positive way it felt like
Monica: The image that came was like that rising phoenix through the flames.
Monica: It was like channelling anger.
Monica: Into passion.
Monica: For good to make good. And I suppose that's reflective of how I've been
Monica: feeling today, because I came off
Monica: couple hours ago talking to a friend about
Monica: this day of the world. And
Monica: yeah. And then coming into doing this course now just felt really more aligning to
Monica: myself and my values, and like honoring myself.
Monica: Yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Wow! I really feel I'm like resonating with that image and really feeling that reflection, too, because
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): something about feeling the color like of the oh, like
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): not putting pushing it away right when we're angry or when we're frustrated, but like that positive anger like channeling it. And I want to remind us that so
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): many, many Yogis, we're talking thousands of years ago, right? So early practitioners the early Yoga practitioners were, there was a mixture of external and internalized practice. Right external physical practice. Seated Yoga Asana. A lot of tapas practices which are like austerities, like standing on one leg or having your arm up, you know, for weeks, months, years, right?
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And then there was the kind of approach, one of the 1st appropriations of Yoga by Brahminical patriarchy.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and that took
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): direct access to the divine away from everyday people, and said, You have to go through the priestly caste right, and a lot of ritual, a lot of like all of those things. And then there was another bhakti and other, and even even during all that time, when there was those Brahminical patriarchal appropriations.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): There were
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): many, many Yogis who said, because it's not like one stream we're not connecting to one lineage. There's like it's like a tangled web. There were many practitioners who said, Okay, we don't need the external ritual. We don't need to throw color. We can internalize our relationship to the energy
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): itself.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): right or all color or no color, right? So it's all it's an internalized form. So what we did in our practice is like a yogic in inner ritual or inner practice of a holy celebration. So it's great if you want to go and throw color and play. That's all wonderful that can be joyful. But part of the a Yogic path is the internalization of ritual. So I just want, and how powerful it is right, because it can help us
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): feel joy for the parts of us that we maybe have not been so kind to or so, or can channel our anger right, or, you know, can find peace through that I also see, like green and blue for for peace. So thank you so much.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And then I see, Laura, you thought the same. So on our call on the 19.th We'll go over all the logistics for the decolonizing and trauma informed training. And again, so sorry. I think that's kind of our fault for not we're like
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): jumping you into the office hours, but we have our big, our kickoff call next week. So think of this like an extra. You can just come for the full year, you know. You don't have to worry about it.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yeah. Any anyone else.
Carly Joelle: I'll pop in. This is Carly, she her Hi! So for me, I've got a lot of scattered kind of chaotic energy right now, and it's partially my cycle, partially the state of the world and partially just my brain. And what I've noticed through these practices is that
Carly Joelle: I'm judging that less. And I'm just like, Oh, that's the flavor that we're being served right now, and I just kind of let myself be still. And I just imagined like when you said a color like the rainbow slaps me. And then I'm trying to pick or analyze. And I just stopped that. And it just felt like
Carly Joelle: things swirling around and then part like the maybe.
Carly Joelle: I don't know. The more traumatized part of my brain is like it's all gonna merge and just be black, and and I let that happen, and then I just came back to center and letting it swirl, and then I let it be more separate, like all these beautiful, sparkling colors, individual yet together. And that kind of made me think of all this. And
Carly Joelle: it was just interesting, so.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I love that process. Thank you so much for sharing yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): anyone else.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So I'll invite you if you want to share in the chat. No one has to, of course, ever but I'll share one of my own personal examples that I just went through this last week as a kind of invitation doesn't have to be like this. But your way of maybe taking what you you experience with the color, what you're releasing or what you're kind of embracing into your life. Right? So I've also like eva, like
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): felt a little like about my body lately. I'm getting older. Certain things are more creaky. A lot of things are more curvy. And
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I, you know I teach trauma, informed yoga right? I teach body positive, yoga. And so you'd think I'd be like Yay, cool, great, and and there is that part of me, of course, but there's also the like, and there's a part of me that wants to, you know, continue to stretch and to practice, and to be able to be flexible and active. Right? So one of the things that I did.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): That was very spontaneous and playful, and I'll show you the results of it, because you can just feel it was.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I had to. Also, it was like a tour sort of because I run teacher trainings and courses. Right? So for any of you who run your own business or like when you make a flyer. You need pictures of yourself to put on the flyer right? I have a new book coming out. I need pictures for that. So it was like one of the things on my to do list, get new pictures.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And then I worked with a photographer who's queer, who I know through a friend, and we just turned it into the most fun, like at my house. Do it in a playful way in the backyard. And what ended up happening? I'll show you was
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I was feeling like, Oh, I'm not gonna like how I look because I don't. I'm not so into like certain things right now. And I ended up really loving the pictures, and then let me see if I can
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): show them with.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Where did they go?
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So I want to show you like
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): a creative way to bring, like Santosha into your
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): life? Right? It doesn't have to be.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Can you see? Can you see that?
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So so fun? Right. And I was like, Oh, I actually feel like I look great, you know, and there's a lot of things that I love, and I'm comfortable, and I'm feeling happy, and you know, and I think that comes through so. And now I have some nice new pictures that will show up in different places for the things that I need to do. So. This is just like one example of
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): concrete thing, of bringing Yoga into your life in a place and a way where it it kind of like fed many birds with one hand like it got a task done, but it also served to help me like celebrate my body as it is now
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and in, you know, we talked about like with photography, right like, do I want them to edit it? And I was like, no, I'd really rather you don't like. I don't want you to edit heavily. I want it to be like, feel like me and look like me, and
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): that whole process was so healing. And so I noticed after.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): before I even had the pictures I already had shifted in, how I was feeling about myself, you know, about my body, about my myself image, and then getting the pictures was just like another celebration. So it's a little thing right, tiny little thing in this, in the scope of everything going on in the world, in my life. And it was really powerful. So not to underestimate, you know, like
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I. We can brainstorm. If there's any specific things that you're like. Hey, help me! Think of how I could bring more
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): joy here or more Santosha, or more play more enjoyment. And thank you. Yeah, they're so it was so fun. And
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): it also was like getting to work with someone who
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): identified with I connected with, you know, like not just like finding a professional professional like where I felt like I had to, you know, smile like professionally. I could be more free. All of that process was so much learning. Was someone going to share?
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I'd have heard someone come off.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Okay.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So now we can just move into. We have a little time, if anyone has any questions, something going on in your life that you want to apply Yogic philosophy to particular situations. Questions about trauma, informed Yoga, or embodying the roots of Yoga. I'm happy to take those if they've come up.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yes, Caitlin.
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): Thanks. Yeah. Caitlin, she they pronounce. I didn't say that last time. So
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): yeah, I think this is like you kind of answered it already. About how like
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): next week is the kickoff call for the trauma informed, and embrace yoga roots training so. But I had. I've started already, because I've started getting like week one week, 2, like, I think, because I enrolled at a certain time like it's on a different timeline. Or maybe it's based on. So I've been feeling like I am
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): behind, which I know is like not not not behind, because I know it's at your own pace, and we have access for the whole year. But like in the 1st week. There's what I think I understand are like the modules that you have created are more so like questions. And there's like in a document. And it's kind of like a handout.
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): And then the trauma informed Yoga are. There's a lot of like videos and modules to actually like watch.
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): But then, in the 1st week there were these bonus materials that we got through through the embrace Yoga's roots, which were 2 seasons of the honor not appropriate. And so I'm feeling very overwhelmed by the amount of stuff, because also in the 1st week. It's like you just need to set aside
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): 40 min once or twice a week, and I'm like Whoa! There's no way that I can go through 2 seasons of this and all the handouts that are in both trainings in just like 2 40 min chunks of time during the week. So I have.
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): Yeah, I've set aside in my planner like about 4 h, which also is like I want to. I want to take, not take advantage of, but take advantage of like the information that's available, like, it's important, especially like as a white person teaching yoga like, I want to listen
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): and like be present for what's available in here. So just like.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yeah, that's great. And thank you. Because and I will say, You know, this is the 1st time, and I are doing the bundle together. And so I think it's important for us to in terms of. Probably we need to structure how things are coming out. A little more paced
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): with the
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): on, or don't appropriate summit. You have that for life, so you can come back to that. That's like.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): you know, when you wanna listen. And later. That's like, you know,
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And I would say, probably choose one or go through like week one.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and then section one, and I'll talk to their team. So we can actually make a syllabus. That's for both of ours, because we have a syllabus for ours and then for theirs. But we need one that's like both of them together. So so we can kind of
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): help you flow flow through it. Yeah. But you do have a whole year, so we'll support you with a little more structure that's formal. But please don't feel overwhelmed. Although
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): again apologies for our releasing of things in a way that maybe was a little bit overwhelming. So we'll see if we can get that get that adjusted. But basically for the honor, for the embrace, Yoga's roots. And I say, honor, a lot. You'll note me catching that because fascinating. The book was initially in the course was initially called Honor Yoga's Roots.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Then I got a trademark complaint on the word honor. Yoga.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): can you imagine honor, yoga, by non South Asian owning business?
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): You can look them up, but you don't need to. It's fine.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So I had to change the name to embrace service roots. But
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): all that was a whole process. Just another example of like what it is when things get appropriated and how much impact they can have. So it took like a year from when the book was supposed to be out, and the course was supposed to be out to for it to actually release because of that. But all that to say it's really meant to be. It could almost be done in a month, right? Like what like those 4 weeks you can do at any time. It doesn't have to be like
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): the 1st week. It could be like almost like module. One module, 2. Module, 3. Module, 4 like that, so you can go through it over 4 months
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and take week, one to be like module, one and month one.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yeah, I know. I can tell you that for for this, for that course.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and the other piece that I would say is, it sounds like you're very organized and structured in your learning, which is great, and we'll do on our side. Our part to help you get organized and be able to access that. And you can also take an oracular approach. And by that I mean, like, drop in
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and see what arises drop in and like. Feel, oh, like this feels helpful today, or this feels like what I want to learn. Now, you don't have to go through it in a linear or structured format. You know that can be supportive, too, because we want the process to be joyful and and fun. Yes, and what time is the call on the 19? th It's the same time, I believe. Let me just double check. It is noon Pacific, and 3
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Eastern. Just double check.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yeah. Noon. Pacific. 3. Eastern on March 19.th
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Any?
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Does that help?
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Okay. Great.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Anyone else?
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Any other general questions.
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): I feel like I'm taking up a lot of space. But I want to say this, I don't. Actually, I want to ask first, st like if someone says something, and it brings up something in me like, can I share of what that brought up or like? Would it be better to just kind of like, share it and not bring up. Who said, you know, like, what are? What's that?
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Oh, you mean like someone in our group.
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): Yeah, just what we were sharing about colors and stuff like
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yeah, I think, since they shared publicly.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): you can mention them and then say, this made me reflect on, but if it's like
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): comment or advice, I would say, check if they like. Let's practice consent and ask if they want, you know, advice, or you can also, if you want to be extra careful. Say, you know, I want to respond to what someone shared.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Is it okay? If I bring up my experience related to that, and I love that you're asking this because we have in our next office hours we'll go over kind of our safe and brave space guidelines, which are in the course, and you know those things. But it's just helpful to revisit.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): It's always really nice to practice, like we're in a community of learners. And so the way I look at it is.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): we're all here to deepen and explore around yogic tools and practices and roots, and the texts have some wisdom. The practices have some wisdom. The courses that you're enrolled in have some wisdom right? There's also people here from Yoga, class curator, which is a separate course from Zabbies.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): All of that has wisdom. Each one of us have wisdom. I have wisdom, and none of them is greater than any other. And so together we're forming, and you might see the henna. That's kind of coming off my hand. Another Santosha practice right? Little practice. But we're all forming this beautiful web of learning and of knowledge, and everywhere our webs cross right like every point of crossing.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I imagine it's like a bright light, and every point where we cross that light illuminates and lights up other lights. So we're practicing.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): In my mind, it's like decolonized learning practices. And so there's some structures and some ways of being that bring that in, and that is absolutely yes, we're learning from one another. And so it's wonderful to uplift and support. You know, if someone shared something, and it brought forth an insight in you. That's a
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): that's a web of light like lighting up.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So I think we in this space we definitely practice that. And sometimes someone will ask a question like.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I have a studio that's in my community. And they're doing this. And I'm not really sure how to, you know, deal with it with them, and it's appropriative, and we'll we'll talk about it as a group. We'll discuss it. It's not like I'm the only one with the answers, Yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): hope that's helpful.
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): Super helpful. Thank you. And I will just share in a general sense, just because I like brought up. And someone commented also about the Chakra thing like
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): the I connect with the chakras. Because of my own experience. I think we all
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): connect with different parts of these tools and these
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): systems of knowledge. And the chakras have been something that have landed with me. And like, I've learned one way of like 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, like going from the base and going up. But I've also heard of another way of starting
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): like starting at the crown and going like in a spiral. And so when, like someone was sharing about like these colors like spiraling and swirling, I was like, and this I was just thinking of how like it could be
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): like we learn like, as I learned, is like one red root, 2 sacral yellow or orange, you know, like these like pillars, like a rainbow, like in very like fixed. But I feel like, yeah, when I was hearing about the swirling, I was just thinking like it's just like another way of experiencing, like your
Caitlin / Rosie she/they (Lenape land): your chakras I don't know. That's was what came up for me, so I just wanted to share that.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I love that. And I'm gonna pull up a little slide. Because at
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Chakra there's a lot of history here, right? And that 7 Chakra model is only one, but a Chakra is. It's used to describe an energetic experience.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): not a objective experience. And so there's as many people and as many moments as we connect it can be depicted differently. And so just historically right. The 7 Chakra system that we know comes from a treatise written in 15
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): 77, which was written by Prurnananda Yati, and this was the Shat Chakra Narupa, and we often use it to talk about the 7 main chakras, even though he in that talked about 6 chakras
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And then
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): here's another depiction, right? Very different than that 7 Chakra system. And so just knowing that this like this is an image by Alex Gray. So a modern image with
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): a lot of layers, physical bones. Some of you from Ytt will recognize this.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): The colors, the Bija mantras, but also like energy.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): It's a metaphor.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and we have our own metaphors, our own experiences. And so it is not incorrect to use. It's not necessarily appropriation, right to say, Okay, I work with the 7, you know, and I work with the rainbow. That's 1 depiction. It's a very common, and there is something powerful about tapping into the collective consciousness that you know many people relate in that way. But if yours is different, right, if you're like pink at the heart, with a flower there
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and a red at the, you know, or whatever colors like. There's no blue, there's no green here.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): That's not wrong, either. If if there's chakras here, there are systems that have like 26,000 chakras in the whole body.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): so none of it is.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): is wrong, and it's helpful, I think, to exactly like you described, to not feel confined to any model, but to to understand that it's an energetic experience, right? And we each experience energy differently. So, yeah, I love that.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Thank you so much.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yeah, those are.
Carly Joelle: That made me misty because I felt like I'm I'm wrong for what I'm experiencing for so long that I learned not to share it. And
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Thank you.
Carly Joelle: Thank you.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): You're welcome, and if you
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I'm in the Lincoln view, let me just copy that. I don't know if it's helpful to like. Have
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): this handout
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): for folks, but I'm happy to yeah, drop it in usually I just share it in ytt. But I'm happy to share it here. This is like the stuff we do in office hours. And I just wanna tell you what it has right? Which is
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): It has this description, and just a note that Chakra is with a hard ch, so it's not. It's not soft. It's like chalk or chocolate.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And then so it's kind of a description of them, and then a practice that I sometimes lead, which. So this is just like the cliffs notes version. But I find it really helpful of coming back into each Chakra. And I'm using the, you know, the sort of
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): root red like that that. That system because I experience it that way a lot of the time, and then I find it really helpful
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): when I'm say ungrounded. A lot of us talked about that right now.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): or feeling distracted to use these tools right? Even just something simple, like rubbing the back of my neck to try to reground and reconnect. Or if it's more mental, if it's more physically ungrounded. And I'm just checking the time.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yeah, we're good. If I'm more physically feeling like, Oh, I just feel disconnected from the earth. Maybe it's a foot massage or going outside where I live. The sun just sort of came out. It stopped raining. So maybe going for a walk. You know we're taking my shoes and socks off and putting my feet in the grass.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Maybe it's Asana on the earth, right? So there's all these ways of utilizing energetic awareness and practicing the wisdom of opposites. If we're feeling ungrounded to use tools to ground ourselves. Right?
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Okay, I'll stop sharing.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I'd love to invite folks.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Caitlin. Yes, just in time. Beautiful. Invite folks to just share. You know, we covered actually a lot today. If there's anything you're taking away could be something like the color or a practice of releasing anything you're taking with you, or that you're going to take out and practice through
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): this week this month.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and you can drop that in the chat, or probably have time for one person, maybe a new voice that we haven't heard yet to share out loud. If anyone would like to
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): taking away the energy of being in community. Yeah, it's so great to be with like minded folks who care about honoring the roots of yoga, and sharing and practicing and teaching in a trauma informed way
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): comfort of being understood and or accepted aloud. Yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I'm going to take away rest. I've been like doing a lot. And so I'm gonna be resting a little more, finding moments of rest, pockets of rest.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Hmm!
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Taking away the acknowledgement of each other's wisdom. Yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And just for those like little throw in there for those who are teachers of Yoga, or teachers of anything right? Like holding space which, in a way we all are. How can we bring that
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): like? I think of that with my child, who's 12 doesn't mean I know everything
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): just because they're younger. Right? So how in those relationships can we have that kind of like decolonized, dehierarchized?
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Like, yeah, I know a lot. I've had a lot of life experience that they haven't. But I haven't had their life experience. And so how can we partner together? You know, as they move into middle school and are facing new challenges like, maybe I'm not the one with all the solutions. So just an example. I love that
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): there's so many applications. It's so trauma informed really for us as teachers to to teach or to be in that way space holders. Facilitator.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Well, thank you so much. To each of you. This was such a rich time, and I'm very grateful. And look, wow! The sun is like
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): coming through the light, for all of us. So enjoy
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I hope that the color and light and playfulness and joy of life move with you through this time, through the eclipse and through holy, or however you celebrate spring.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Thank you so much, and much gratitude to each of you. Om shanti shanti shanti om shakti shakti shakti, peace, peace, peace.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and power, power.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and you can unmute if you'd like, and say any words. Say goodbye and thank you, and happy, holy.
Yizza (she/her): Thank you. Bye.
Eva Ligterink: Thank you so much.
Carly Joelle: Thank you. Bye.
Eva Ligterink: Bye.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Think so.