Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Welcome welcome. We're and office hours for
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): April. I can't believe that it is April already, and
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and just give a moment while people are gathering. But if you want to drop in the chat 2 words.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): how you're doing anything that's up for you right now, please share
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): in the chat. If you would like, or if anyone wants to come on, Mike, and and share out loud
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): 2 words, how you are in this moment, and I'm feeling
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): joyful, happy to be here, happy to be here with each of you.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): for folks live for folks on the recording. And Hello!
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Hi!
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Hi! Shabara! Did you want to share out loud, so good to see you.
Chevara Orrin (she/her) (shuh-VAH-rah): Hey! How are you? I'm centered, restored.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Hmm! Beautiful love to hear that.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And Laura says, flowing and energetic.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Hmm, yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Inspired and present.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So we get to explore some different themes in Yoga. And you know I feel like this month.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): There's there's just so much up in the world like so much going on, and it's also about to be spring here in our hemisphere, about to be fall on the other hemisphere. And so I just kind of thought we could move into a little bit of like celebration of
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): that, like the the
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): the blooming of the shoots, and then the grounding of the roots, so kind of both like whether we're grounding and rooting or whether we're blooming. We could do that as our theme and our exploration today. But I also just want to check in with folks who are here. Is there anything on your heart or mind anything that's come up, or themes that you want to explore? Questions that you have
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): so inviting in anything, anything that might have arisen or be alive for you.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Anything you want to explore through the kind of lens of Yoga philosophy as well. So it could be something outside of like. It doesn't have to be in a Yoga context. It could be like in your life or relationships. But you want to bring a yogic perspective to it. So just inviting that that in
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I'll give a moment to see if anyone wants to wants to share?
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I think we got one or 2 questions pre-prepared questions. So I'm just gonna look at those in a second.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): hmm.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I can't believe it's already April, right? It's like that time of
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): like abundance and growth. And then also, like we might not be fully ready for it. You know we might be like kind of coming
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): coming from, or even around us, like
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): still snowy or still rainy where I live. It's pretty sunny and getting warm, but
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): sometimes the outside doesn't mirror the inside. So also just noticing that
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): alright. So I think we'll do a little practice and then explore. Give me just one moment. I'm gonna have someone close the door outside where I am just to make sure you all. We have sound privacy because I have my kid at home for Spring break.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): could you close? Could you close your door
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): alright?
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): We'll take a little Swadhyaya journey journey into ourselves.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So wherever you are, taking a deep breath in shrugging your shoulders up towards your ears, and then exhale
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): releasing down.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and then invitation to draw your attention inward and downward to all the parts of you, touching the earth.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): allowing your breath to move slowly and easefully.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and if your breath does get stuck.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): slowing down to allow it to glide as you move.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): softening, noticing if there's any tension present
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): anywhere in your body, not needing to change it, just bringing awareness there
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and noticing. If there's any joy or ease
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): present in your body at this moment.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): you might feel it in your limbs, your torso. You might even notice
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): some of your organs feel joyful. Maybe your stomach just had a good meal
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): inhale, lifting our arms up any amount away from the earth
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): very mindfully and slowly on your exhale arms. Come down, and as they come down you can push them into a solid foundation, so that might be the table or your own thighs, feeling this solidity.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So we're moving from this sort of open spaciousness on the inhale arms, coming up.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): expanding and then exhale, gliding through that center transition, noticing even the transition, and then rooting and grounding down. So maybe massaging yourself couple breaths here
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): on your next inhale
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): rising up, and this time we'll do it a little bit differently. So, just listening for the queue
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): inhale, stretching up maybe a gentle back bend, arching your back, and then on your exhale twisting around to one side. So arms come back behind you. If you're in a chair you want to use the chair to help you twist. That's great. You can also use your own body, place your hand on your own body, maybe
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): one hand on a leg or on your back, twisting around from your belly, chest.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and shoulders, and then twisting from your chin and your face twist around last.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Sometimes there can be insights Vadya or
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Joy Santosha, from looking from a new perspective.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and then inhale
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): arms come up towards the sky, exhale, twisting to the other direction, remembering that we're not symmetrical beings, we don't live symmetrical lives or have symmetrical sides. It's okay. If this side feels a little different
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): inhaling, exhaling, and twisting from your belly, your chest
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): chin, and your eyes twist around last
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): back on your next inhale.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): We're going to try an interesting focus practice. And this is one that I learned from Diana May and her teachings on yoke, Yoga. So just an invitation she teaches on Monday, if you like this, she does a lot of these practices. You can practice there for free more if you like, but I like to name when I get a practice from someone. So to do this, you'll take your one finger.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Could be your pointer could be. Any finger right could be your whole hand, and you point it out in front of you, and just let your eyes rest on your own finger.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and then you're going to follow that finger. It's going to make a big circle. We'll do it with both hands, but we'll make 3 circles around.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): you can turn your head, letting your head turn, thinking as big of a circle as you can
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): on one side.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): This movement helps us connect our mind, our eyes, our nervous system.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and our body. Now bring the other hand up so opposite hands, putting that 1st one down, gazing at the other fingertip, and following this arm, now is it circles head can turn
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): circling in a big, wide arc.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and your eyes follow your finger.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): That's 3, if not doing one more.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and then we'll come to center, bringing both fingers together, gazing up
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): the point, bringing your hands to heart. Eyes closed for a moment, just noticing any
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): differences, anything that you feel commer.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): we're grounded, focused. And now we'll practice that twist one more time and see if you notice anything different about your twist, so inhale arms come up
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): above your head, exhale, twisting around to the side from the belly, chest, hips, eyes.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and then inhale arms. Come back up.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): exhale twist to the other direction from your belly chest, chin, eyes.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and now back to center.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and this time, as we exhale, we'll fold forward over our own bodies, so any amount that you would like to fold forward could be over your
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): your own body, or could be over a table or chair. You could be seated or standing folding forward, resting down
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): deep breath in and out.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): One more breath here.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and then, once you're ready, gently coming back up into seated.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and when you get there you can reach down and lift up one leg and place one foot on the top
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): of the other knee for figure 4,
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): so like one leg is crossed over the other, and like can stay down, and you can stay right there, or, if you would like placing your hands
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): on your own leg, maybe giving it a little massage, and lengthen your spine and exhale gently. Move forward. It doesn't matter how far you come forward.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): What really matters is just feeling a little bit of care in that hip.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): so you might even want to. Rub your hip, giving your
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): hip little bit of a massage.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and then inhale, and as you bring your leg down you might want to just kind of cradle your leg. I'm demonstrating with my hands, but cradle your leg, making little circles with your leg. I'm demonstrating with my arms because
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): can't get my leg up that high. And then that's okay. It doesn't really matter where your leg is, just giving your hip a little bit of tender
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): care, and then exhale with love, placing that leg supportingly on the earth.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And then again remembering, we're not symmetrical beings. So this side might be different, lifting up your other foot and placing your foot on your knee. So we're in a practice. Welcome, Linda, and we're so figure 4 with your other leg placed, your other foot placed on top of your
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): knee, and then from here, maybe massaging that foot or that leg and calf your hip.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and then coming forward, any amount.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): gently stretching into your own body.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): breathing in breathing out.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): It's massaging your calf, your hip.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): giving a little rock the baby to your thigh as you bring it out and
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): move it around and place it back down
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): invitation to come into a wide legged stance. So your legs can be wide. As you're seated on your chair we could be standing and have your legs wide.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and exhale forward, fold. So again another gentle stretch, just slight engagement through the inner thighs, adductors practicing
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): to bring ease and solidity, and grounding in your own body.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Let my consciousness rest and restore through all of these practices.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): noticing if there's any movements that bring a little bit of joy.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): inhale coming back up, and we'll do a gentle cat and cow so inhaling and lifting your chin up.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): arching your back, exhale, rounding your back, and I know for many. This is like snack time, lunchtime, so please feel free to eat or get nourishment or drink. You. You know we can practice in all the ways right? You can also just visualize yourself. Inhale.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): exhale
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): if you want a little more heat, maybe expanding your heart up towards the sky. If you're wanting a little more grounding and cooling, maybe letting the rounding be a bit longer, and melting towards the earth.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): one or 2 more with your own breath.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and then, finding your easeful still place
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): shoulders back and down towards the earth.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): jaw soft, eyes soft.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): be leaning a little bit forward into anything you're looking forward to, or anticipating a little bit back into anything that's got
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): a hold on you, or kind of pulling you back and just acknowledging those things and letting them go
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): moving a little left and a little right.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Anything that came up that was unexpected
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): this week or today, acknowledging, letting those things go.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And then you're kind of making a little circle with your spine, with your body
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): when you're ready, letting go circling the other way.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): letting those circles become smaller and smaller
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): have a beautiful teacher who's been teaching meditation for
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Marina Luaz. She's been teaching for.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I think, like 50 years, and she just came out of
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): almost a year and a half silent retreat, and one of the practices she taught us. I'm just gonna invite us to try on. So if this resonates for you great if it doesn't, that's okay.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): she said. Instead of just going as we transition right into our seated meditation. What if there's a part of you? Just kind of tuning in like. Is there a part that wants to move and letting it move organically so it might be
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): like an arm that lifts up and twirls or smooths in space, moves in not any kind of
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): form or formal way, but it's just an organic movement, and allowing
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): our bodies, you know might be arm might be. Leg might be. Chin
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): could be any part of you that just wants to like, express, or move.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and finding its own way, taking your own time right? Not needing to come into stillness at any point.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): but noticing what in your body it feels pulled into movement.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So an organic form of movement.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and then, perhaps, after some time of moving, your body moves into ease and stillness.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Work continues.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): It's flow its own organic flow.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and we'll practice with a little bit of Svadya self-study.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): It's far one's own oneself soul.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yeah, meditating on present to meeting, witnessing ourselves.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I'm just checking in letting the awareness, rise to meet your inquiry.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): How is it with me?
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): There's so much wisdom in this pause in this inquiry.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): We'll move into silence for a few minutes, and then I'll guide us out with my breath when it's time.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Pulse that life, force, energy that moves through you.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I'm saying.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Bodily sensations, emotions, whatever you feel.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): letting it be.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): If you're tired, feel that if you're full of joy and pleasure, feel that.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Santosha, is that contentment that can arise from abiding
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): in our own true self nature, presence.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): aliveness.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): In the moment, as you're ready, gently come back, bringing
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): our awareness into the room around us.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): taking in form and shape and color, looking around and noticing
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): anything about this space that you're in that feels supportive.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): just noticed how warm the light is like the natural light, but also the
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): electric light. Such a warmth like a goldeny glow.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And we'll come back into a little reflection, a little bit of journaling.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Okay, I'm giving these questions before. But I think
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): new moments right? New times. We can ask these
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and explore them differently. And I'm gonna put the questions in the chat, and
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): it's actually 3. But it came in as 2 bullet points. So you can choose what to journal on, and you can write right into the chat, or you can write in your journal or somewhere. Just reflect
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): what feels like. It brings you joy and contentment right now.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Not what your friends, or family, or society thinks should bring you joy, or make you content or happy.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): But what brings you joy and contentment?
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): What would be the most fun. The most present thing for you to do right now, right right now, in this moment, right now in your life, either by yourself, with partners, family, friends.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and then bringing Santosha out into the world. What are you here to experience and create as part of a community?
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): How can you bring in joy as part of the Revolution. You are building the evolution revolution.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So those are our our 3 inquiries, and we'll take
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): about 5 min. I'll play a song
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): with no words. It's nice to sometimes have some ambience music, and
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and then we'll share out if you would like.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Okay.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): hmm.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Noticing a few have any last thoughts or things that you want to reflect on or write about.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and I'd love to invite any shares into the space, out loud or in the chat. That was that song was an original composition that Sarathi Garimela did for us.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So drop their name
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): would like to share or ask or inquire.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Hmm.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): yeah, Christina, it's such a beautiful song, and I feel like he composed.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): He's a like a fusion
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Indian artist in the diaspora, who brings from like deep roots in traditional ragas, and then also, like
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): contemporary music. And so I really love his music to help like bring a meditative kind of reflective. Really, it's like practice music for me.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Anyone else want to share anything.
Linda Wells: I can share.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yeah. Hi, Linda.
Linda Wells: Hi!
Linda Wells: What brings me joy and contentment
Linda Wells: that you know society? I was actually just talking to my therapist about this.
Linda Wells: I try to make sure I give myself breaks in between task
Linda Wells: or high energy things. If I'm working, I make sure to give myself gaps.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Hmm.
Linda Wells: And I was talking about how sometimes I feel
Linda Wells: I I was going to say guilty, but I really don't feel guilt or shame around it.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): but I do know that there are people that are judging me that are in my circle, that I respect.
Linda Wells: Who are like, you know, the rest of us just work. You just gotta work like how dare you?
Linda Wells: But I know that that's how my energy flows, and that's something that helps me. Be content with the things that I'm doing. It allows me time to process
Linda Wells: and restore after.
Linda Wells: So I find contentment in that when on days when I'm
Linda Wells: able to do it, do I feel joyful? Does it bring me joy? No, but it makes me feel content like I've designed a life where I'm a i can make space
Linda Wells: for that, a space for rest, space for digesting.
Linda Wells: Yeah, that's that's my reflection.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): That's very powerful. Thank you, Linda.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I'm seeing Laura resonate.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and says, love that in a society of Go Go, you know your needs breaks are necessary. Thank you for sharing. And Shavara wants to jump in, too. Yeah.
Chevara Orrin (she/her) (shuh-VAH-rah): Yeah, thank you so much for that, Linda. I appreciate so much. You sharing. I wrote something down. I recently became certified as a scuba diver, and just a couple weeks ago was 78
Chevara Orrin (she/her) (shuh-VAH-rah): feet down in the Mediterranean Sea in Malta. And so what I wrote was, what brings me joy descending into the blue, not to escape, but to remember. I enter a world that is not my own, and yet I do not feel like a stranger.
Chevara Orrin (she/her) (shuh-VAH-rah): There's something sacred in the stillness below, marine life moving in quiet coordination, coral swaying without rush currents pulling without resistance, cilia fluttering like a soft language. I instinctively understand, I become part of the rhythm
Chevara Orrin (she/her) (shuh-VAH-rah): held hushed all.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Unique perspective.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): You also made me think of something Shavari. You know how a lot of people talk about. I forgot what it's called. I think it's like the moon effect, or the space effect, or something like when people go to space, they have such a different view of the earth.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): But it sounds like that's also true when you go deep into the ocean. And I've never thought of that.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Wow!
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Anyone else
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): for me.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I was just reminded Linda, as you were sharing. I want to share that part, and then answer the question of being in it. I don't know why the day long meditations are coming up a lot in this class, but they are different different day long. This was years ago. I was probably 20 years ago, and you know. So I'm like 20 something 26
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): partying in La, freshly dating, you know, newly single. And I chose to go to this. It was, I think it was a 2 day silent, residential, meaning or non-residential, so meaning, you drive to the retreat, go there from 9 to 5, and then drive home. I think I lived in a co-OP with 5 other people, you know. So, and then silent in the day, and the teacher, Trudy Goodman, this time she was like.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): It's so ridiculous and countercultural that we would on a Saturday like, be here in a room in a meditation space together, doing nothing.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and the world outside the people in our lives like they may think that we're crazy like like making choices that make no sense. And yet, on another level, it's like the most sane thing we could do, you know, and the most grounding thing. And I just always remember that because
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I didn't have the internal
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): compass yet to like, trust myself to go my own path. But hearing from a teacher who was a
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): you know, little ahead of me in terms of practice and also years.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): It's like, Oh, yeah, like, we can almost like swim upstream. And sometimes we have to, and sometimes politically, right, like it feels a little bit like that, or personally.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and having that inner sovereignty to just trust our choices and trust our path, I was reminded of
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): of that moment. So thank you for bringing that back, because that felt like a turning point for me
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): of sorts in my practice.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Sometimes, when I give these journaling prompts, I don't know if it's because I'm teaching, I I'll be yeah, maybe be. And sometimes I'm a little bit like
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I feel like it's like a bit surface. My response, and so just naming that. But so I want to come back to them.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): But I feel really joyful in my creativity, and making music just to make music. I'm new, like a new musician. 48, and learning a new thing, bass guitar and playing with my partner and my kiddo, who plays, drums.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and just for just to do it, you know, not not for any reason, I think, under capitalism. Sometimes
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): it's been hard for me to practice or do things
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): just for myself, where I feel like I need to.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): They need to serve a purpose, you know, and no, they don't. And no, I don't right like I get to live and thrive just for the very I don't need to earn feeling good, you know. And then the other thing I'm excited by, and also
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): like, in this resonance of rest, and then recharge and then be present, is I'm going on book tour. So for the very 1st time with my 1st book. It came out in the pandemic. So I never really got to see people in person. And I saw a lot of people online. And I'm so grateful for that. But I'm actually going to be like going up the west coast, driving and then flying to the east coast later in May and driving down. And
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I'm really excited to just feel people and to feel their energy and to connect. And
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I'm also like, okay building in rest, building in days, building in hours, you know, in between things, is going to be so important.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): so like the joy of
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): being present. And then the joy, like the flower that kind of opens in the day and the brightness, and then, like closes in the night and hibernates that cycle that daily cycle. But those flowers do it seasonally, too. So right now they're kind of opening back up.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): But they also do go back to the earth. So that was my reflection.
Chevara Orrin (she/her) (shuh-VAH-rah): That really resonated with me that last part that you said, going back to the earth, I
Chevara Orrin (she/her) (shuh-VAH-rah): I flew to Amsterdam this weekend to have dinner with 8 people that I didn't know, hosted by a man who moved from London to Amsterdam to embark on the journey of euthanasia there and
Chevara Orrin (she/her) (shuh-VAH-rah): so it was a powerful dinner, with prompts in between each course, reflections about about life, about reconnecting to earth. He's a young man, he's a young artist 28 years old, and it was such it was so powerful, it felt so grounding. I didn't have sorrow. I felt as though I was bearing witness, and how inextricably bound we are.
Chevara Orrin (she/her) (shuh-VAH-rah): no matter where we are coming from or where we are going, or what we hold belief around. And so it actually resonated. Susanna, because I'm I was watching some of your video, some of the videos today in our our session. And I was watching the video about the the 2 young women who, the the 2 young, the 2 humans who have the podcast, and one was saying that someone has to have a belief in something
Chevara Orrin (she/her) (shuh-VAH-rah): and and their estimation to be a practitioner. And I was thinking about that because that came up like
Chevara Orrin (she/her) (shuh-VAH-rah): people held a wide range of belief about life and death. And so that video resonated with me differently today than when I watched it last week. So I so appreciate that.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): It's so powerful.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Hmm!
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Anyone else.
Abby Shepard: I can share. Hi, everyone!
Abby Shepard: I'm Abby. She may pronounce on on unseated table land in Ogapoge.
Abby Shepard: colonize the Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Abby Shepard: and I really appreciate Susanna? These questions about joy. Cause I feel like yesterday was one of those days where it felt really hard to access joy until.
Abby Shepard: like I. There was like someone who organized like a community
Abby Shepard: organizing meeting to talk about like mutual aid.
Abby Shepard: and I chose to bike there and then as soon as I like did the biking, and got to like see people, and then came back like the energy was totally shifted.
Abby Shepard: And I've been thinking as like
Abby Shepard: as I'm involved in these different projects. How like so often like.
Abby Shepard: I'm coming together with these other people. And it feels so like it is serious, like the things we're working against and trying to
Abby Shepard: support community members and work through like, there's so much of that. But I just like
Abby Shepard: I think it was last week. I just had this intuition of like, I just need to host a movie night like with these people, and just like invite people to come and like center, just like joy and like being together in person and just like doing something that's totally different from this work. But yeah, I was just like really appreciating
Abby Shepard: the last question you posed about, how can you bring in joy as part of the revolution you are building? And it's like, yeah, these spaces where we can actually just like
Abby Shepard: hang out. And we can watch silly movies. We can laugh together. And
Abby Shepard: yeah, I I wanna keep reflecting on.
Abby Shepard: how can that be something consistent that is integrated into the other community building and organizing that's happening?
Abby Shepard: Thank you.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Hmm, thank you so much, Abby, for sharing that.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): yeah. The fun, like the everyday things, you know. I think a lot about how it's like food and and like food can bring so much joy
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): entertainment like watching a movie together. Playing a game like it doesn't have to be
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): complicated or deep, and even if it is like an organizing meeting or something where we're working together, there can be an element of play.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Laura says. I resonate with that community is what came up for me. What brings me joy. Thank you for sharing.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Hi, Jennifer. Oh, welcome! Welcome! We've just been reflecting on. Well, I'll share the questions, and
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): people are just sharing. What brings you joy and contentment, not what your friends or family think should bring you joy. But what truly brings you joy and ease. And you may have heard these before, but we're just kind of circling back, because I do feel especially joy. We can have different answers. You know what would be the most present or fun for you to do right now, solo, or with partners, family, or a group of friends.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): What are you here to experience and create as part of a community? And how can you bring in joy as part of the rural evolution or revolution evolution you are building.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Those are our our questions.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Would anyone else like to share? We probably have time for one more share
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): to ask? Now.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): there's anything you're taking away, you know. Sometimes it can be something that someone else said, or an Aha! Or like something from our practice.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I think for me. It's inspired by Linda and Trudy, and all the teachers and the people who like help me swim upstream.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Who helped me like go a different way, and move to my own rhythm.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and who encourage that and support that, and noticing.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I think I'm in a particularly sensitive moment. We all have different moments, and some of us are more sensitive than others, and I'm 1 of those sensitive ones. And so noticing that sometimes I like have a bigger kind of bandwidth, and sometimes it's not as big. And so, being around people where I just don't feel as like
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): expansive or like it can be myself.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): can do a little less of that.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): like, I'll prioritize being around around places and people that help me feel self-trust. Right? Self-sovereignty.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yeah. So that's what I'm taking anyone else.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): you can drop it on the chat or share out loud.
Linda Wells: I'll I'll share. I think that.
Linda Wells: I I really am honoring and thanking my body today because my body told me
Linda Wells: you are. I'm sensing we're burn. We're going towards the burnout route.
Linda Wells: So what do you need to do to shift that?
Linda Wells: Because I've started being more social? I wasn't being social. Then I started being social. And then invitation started again, and I was like, no
Linda Wells: and so I am really grateful that
Linda Wells: I took the moment, even though I felt so busy today that
Linda Wells: I came, even though I came late.
Linda Wells: And I'm I'm I'm thankful for my body for working in the way that it needed to.
Linda Wells: for for this to happen.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Thank you, Linda. I'm reading Abby.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): taking away inspiration to design my schedule and my days with more space for rest as I'm able, thanks to Linda's and other shares. Yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): hmm.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Such a blessing to be in this community, you know, with folks who like have shared values, feel good
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): philosophy. Yoga practice in our lives.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I'm just grateful for each of you
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): for folks listening in from your perhaps busy days, or listening to the recording
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): space for
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): another share, and Jennifer just checking in with you anything on your heart or mind? It's so good to see you here.
jennifer g (she/her): It's good to see you.
jennifer g (she/her): I've just been
jennifer g (she/her): I mean, I'm 1 of those people right now where, like, I'm very busy. I mean I'm in. I'm sitting in my car and I have these on my calendar
jennifer g (she/her): every time that they're there, and I'm always like I'm gonna protect that time, and I'm going to come, and it's really really hard to do so. And I'm really grateful. I was here earlier and
jennifer g (she/her): heard some shares so really grateful to hear from from all of you, and I'm just thinking so much about collective care
jennifer g (she/her): and just
jennifer g (she/her): caring for both myself, but also just in service of like helping others care for themselves for the greater collective. I mean, I work in a school district. So I'm like around hundreds of people all the time that are always
jennifer g (she/her): very up here for lack of a better explanation. And so I'm just thinking about collective care a lot. So thank you for listening, and
jennifer g (she/her): thank you for all your shares. Grateful to be here right now.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Thank you, Jennifer.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Collective care. So good. It's so needed. And
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I'm really, I've been appreciating lately that it starts with us right like it starts with taking care of ourselves, too, so we can then be in community.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So it ebbs and flows.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So we're at our time, and I'm so grateful for each of you. I'll invite you to just unmute, if you would like, and say goodbye, or perhaps speak a word into the circle, and thank you so much for your presence. Thank you so much for your practice.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): and I'll see you next time. Thank you.
jennifer g (she/her): Thank you.
Abby Shepard: Thank you.
Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Thank you.