WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.100 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Pilgrimage and Khuta. 2 00:00:03.210 --> 00:00:05.509 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So good to be here with you. 3 00:00:07.860 --> 00:00:14.590 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Hmm… Just lovely to see folks as you… Come in today. 4 00:00:15.760 --> 00:00:20.500 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And happy Diwali, for those who celebrate. 5 00:00:22.890 --> 00:00:28.080 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): The Festival of Lights, and the triumph of Good Over Evil. 6 00:00:29.240 --> 00:00:39.400 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): We're going to explore a practice of brahmatarya today. Brahmatarya is, like, energy management, 7 00:00:39.440 --> 00:00:59.260 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And we'll explore particularly our sacred no and our sacred yes. So, we've done this mudra, some of us, in other contexts, in the most recent issue of Yoga class, Yoga Changemaker magazine. 8 00:00:59.320 --> 00:01:04.870 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Which, maybe, Juliana, you could drop in the chat the link to… it's actually… 9 00:01:05.170 --> 00:01:11.340 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Actually, you might not know this, but it's cool. Let me pull it up. It's on our new… 10 00:01:11.620 --> 00:01:13.680 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): the Ignite Be Well site. 11 00:01:14.090 --> 00:01:16.240 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): We've got, 12 00:01:18.290 --> 00:01:27.769 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): We've got a list of all of our free resources, and we're gonna add more things, but just, just in case anyone wants 13 00:01:28.070 --> 00:01:31.360 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): To pull this up. Let me drop it for you. 14 00:01:32.210 --> 00:01:51.390 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So, I'll… I'll share in a moment, but just as we're coming in and gathering, invitation to share in the chat anything that, you know, I feel like sharing, like, the sacred note sometimes can be a little more vulnerable, so just naming that and honoring that. 15 00:01:51.750 --> 00:01:58.989 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): But is there anything that you've been, like, okay, I'm saying no to this, I'm happy to say no to this, it's the right thing for me to say no? 16 00:01:59.140 --> 00:02:05.730 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And anything that's feeling like a sacred yes in your life right now. So we'll just take a moment… 17 00:02:05.890 --> 00:02:13.530 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I know not such a casual drop-in question, but… I wanna go… 18 00:02:13.790 --> 00:02:20.520 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Go deep, and my wishes that we… Connect and experience transformation together. 19 00:02:21.070 --> 00:02:29.809 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So, checking in with your heart, with your body, with your gut, anything that is, like. 20 00:02:30.030 --> 00:02:32.620 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yeah, I'm not… not gonna do that. 21 00:02:33.000 --> 00:02:43.190 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And anything that you're like, oh yeah, actually, I really want to do that, or I've been happy doing this. So, we're reflecting on our sacred no. 22 00:02:43.530 --> 00:02:45.719 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And sacred yeses. 23 00:02:46.220 --> 00:02:53.799 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And what makes it sacred, right? What makes it sacred, I think, is what we'll explore a little bit today. 24 00:02:55.780 --> 00:02:57.160 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Hmm… 25 00:03:04.660 --> 00:03:05.540 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Meow. 26 00:03:06.150 --> 00:03:09.289 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Just taking a moment just to drop that in the chat. 27 00:03:35.870 --> 00:03:37.010 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Thank you. 28 00:03:37.620 --> 00:03:41.440 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Nicole says, no to activities that feel like a checkbox. 29 00:03:41.820 --> 00:03:46.340 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yes to things that I feel called to on a deeper level. Yeah. 30 00:03:47.010 --> 00:03:48.350 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Thank you for that. 31 00:03:49.660 --> 00:04:03.490 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Jill, yes to joy, no to others' expectations. Yeah, and if there's anything, you know, and you don't have to put this in the chat, but for yourself, you can. But for yourself, anything that's really concrete. Like, for example. 32 00:04:03.490 --> 00:04:13.669 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): today, I'm kind of healing from, like, a digestive imbalance, and I don't know if anyone has ever been through that type of thing, but 33 00:04:13.840 --> 00:04:32.400 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): apparently, at least this experience is taking longer than, you know, it's not like 3 days or a week, it's a longer time, right? So, I have a friend who reached out with a long message, like, can you look at this? I was like, you know what? I actually can't look at this today, because I'm taking care of myself. 34 00:04:32.400 --> 00:04:47.540 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And I'm showing up for work things that I love, and that I'm excited about, and that nourish me, and also just naming, because I named that I'm working through an imbalance. If I wasn't able to be here, I would have canceled and let you all know. Like, I'm okay. 35 00:04:47.540 --> 00:04:52.429 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I also monitor really closely, and I think this happens with yogic practice. 36 00:04:53.030 --> 00:05:00.339 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): my internal state as I'm doing things, and I notice, often, when I'm teaching. 37 00:05:01.810 --> 00:05:12.400 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): that I actually get recharged. And I look at biomarkers, like my heart rate, or my breath, right, things that we can just kind of check through 38 00:05:12.570 --> 00:05:16.829 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): touching our own bodies. My pulse, I can take my own Ayurvedic pulse. 39 00:05:17.270 --> 00:05:18.450 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And… 40 00:05:18.720 --> 00:05:29.730 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So, all of that information goes into our sacred no's, right? And our sacred yeses. Like, what are the things that nourish us? What are the things that deplete us? 41 00:05:30.500 --> 00:05:32.289 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And… yeah. 42 00:05:32.530 --> 00:05:45.529 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Looking at yours, some things I'm evaluating as to whether they're a no or yes, not there yet, yeah. Letting go of not good enough, taking messy action. And I just want to say with, it took me a while 43 00:05:46.150 --> 00:06:04.180 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): to write that to my friends, because I like to be there for people, you know, in my life. I was like, oh no, and then it was nice, in this case, she understood, right? She wasn't upset or mad, but it isn't about the reaction, necessarily. It's about what's right for us. 44 00:06:07.040 --> 00:06:17.210 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Letting go of not good enough, taking messy action, yes to slowing down, no to answering notifications immediately, exactly. Yeah. 45 00:06:17.550 --> 00:06:21.040 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And this can be a continued exploration. 46 00:06:22.090 --> 00:06:30.290 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So I'm gonna pull up, just as we begin our… we'll move into a practice in just a moment, but I want to show you this. 47 00:06:30.810 --> 00:06:31.790 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Mudra. 48 00:06:32.790 --> 00:06:33.480 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Nope. 49 00:06:34.430 --> 00:06:36.389 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Let me know. Can you see that? 50 00:06:38.140 --> 00:06:39.960 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yeah, okay, great. 51 00:06:40.340 --> 00:06:43.910 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So, Abaya Prada Mudra. 52 00:06:44.440 --> 00:06:54.820 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And this is the mudra of fearlessness. I also think of it as the… the mudra of that sacred no and the sacred yes. 53 00:06:55.140 --> 00:06:57.379 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And so, one hand raised. 54 00:06:57.930 --> 00:07:01.670 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Up, and then the other hand. 55 00:07:02.070 --> 00:07:07.550 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Out and down, right? So one hand up and the other hand down. 56 00:07:08.050 --> 00:07:13.529 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And it's an ancient… an ancient symbol of protection, and also strength. 57 00:07:13.660 --> 00:07:23.050 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): We often see many different statues, statues of the Buddha, different deities, Hindu, Jain deities doing this. 58 00:07:23.930 --> 00:07:30.340 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): This mudra invites us and reminds us that we're safe to be fully ourselves. 59 00:07:30.570 --> 00:07:35.200 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): It helps anchor in clarity, peace, and power. 60 00:07:35.840 --> 00:07:39.969 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And it means fearlessness in Sanskrit. 61 00:07:46.170 --> 00:07:47.940 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And so, how to… 62 00:07:48.680 --> 00:07:57.269 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So, this little picture of me doing it, alright? I'm raising your right hand to your shoulder height with your palm facing outward. 63 00:07:58.340 --> 00:08:01.280 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Fingers extended, but also relaxed. 64 00:08:01.550 --> 00:08:14.170 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And your left hand can… if you're sitting or standing, you can have it in your lap, or, like, you see me there standing, it can just be down by your side, or your arm can be relaxed, lengthen with your palm facing forward. 65 00:08:14.850 --> 00:08:17.720 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Allow your shoulders to soften. 66 00:08:18.080 --> 00:08:19.900 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Breathe steadily. 67 00:08:20.940 --> 00:08:25.770 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And you can feel the energy of your raised palm pushing away like a shield. 68 00:08:26.690 --> 00:08:30.310 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Your heart's steady and open and shaken. 69 00:08:31.430 --> 00:08:37.350 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): It can create a felt sense of courage, calm, and inner strength. 70 00:08:40.030 --> 00:08:44.820 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): You can use it before hard conversations, when facing injustice. 71 00:08:45.050 --> 00:08:47.949 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Or when you need to reconnect with your power. 72 00:08:48.790 --> 00:08:52.810 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): This is the mudra. I will not shrink. 73 00:08:53.940 --> 00:08:58.439 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And you can keep your hands in this mudra now, if you would like. 74 00:08:58.760 --> 00:09:13.469 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Or, option 2, if you want to try it on the other side, switch your arms, so your other arm, left arm comes up, right hand facing out, you can't really see my right hand, it's awkward for me to have it up, so I'll just bring it down. 75 00:09:14.930 --> 00:09:18.859 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And… Letting your gaze soften. 76 00:09:20.640 --> 00:09:28.209 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Letting your body… See what it's like to hold… The sacred and powerful no. 77 00:09:29.500 --> 00:09:36.819 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And the extended hand… is your sacred yes. The things that you're connecting to. 78 00:09:37.910 --> 00:09:41.700 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): That give you life, and that you breathe life into… 79 00:09:42.740 --> 00:09:45.789 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Where you want and wish to be of service. 80 00:09:52.620 --> 00:09:54.880 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): One more breath here. 81 00:09:56.460 --> 00:10:08.630 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And then, your choice, you can switch back, continue like this, or let both hands come down, resting in your lap, and we'll do a little bit of… 82 00:10:08.900 --> 00:10:10.100 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): a guided. 83 00:10:10.340 --> 00:10:11.300 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): practice. 84 00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:14.400 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Hmm… 85 00:10:18.260 --> 00:10:29.790 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So in this practice, we're imagining That we're, like, this… Beautiful. 86 00:10:30.010 --> 00:10:31.210 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Garden. 87 00:10:31.550 --> 00:10:40.390 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Right? Like, your nervous system… Last time we gathered, we explored our nervous systems, As a garden. 88 00:10:41.070 --> 00:10:44.650 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And so you… if that… feels… 89 00:10:45.670 --> 00:10:51.409 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Nourishing and supportive to you, you can call your garden back up and just check in. 90 00:10:51.610 --> 00:10:53.419 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): How is it with me? 91 00:10:54.180 --> 00:10:59.219 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): How is my garden growing right here, right now, in this moment? 92 00:11:10.310 --> 00:11:17.380 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And as we enter… Actually, we're exiting Diwali, the Festival of Lights. 93 00:11:18.540 --> 00:11:21.800 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): We're invited to nourish and to protect. 94 00:11:22.080 --> 00:11:24.220 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Our inner garden. 95 00:11:25.860 --> 00:11:27.430 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Our inner light. 96 00:11:30.640 --> 00:11:37.650 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Just like a plant breathes in the sunlight and photosynthesizes it into energy. 97 00:11:38.210 --> 00:11:45.800 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): The way the gardener attends… The tenderest little bud, or flower shoot. 98 00:11:46.210 --> 00:11:47.250 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): seed. 99 00:11:47.430 --> 00:11:54.360 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Or the way you might have, at times, cupped your hand around a candle flame to protect it from the wind. 100 00:12:00.150 --> 00:12:04.330 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Feeling… Your body touching the earth. 101 00:12:08.420 --> 00:12:11.499 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And imagining… and feeling. 102 00:12:11.970 --> 00:12:15.810 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Your breath as soil, softening around your roots. 103 00:12:20.580 --> 00:12:26.040 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): With your exhale… Gently tending, pruning… 104 00:12:26.380 --> 00:12:32.879 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Releasing whatever's unnecessary, or overgrown, or doesn't serve you. 105 00:12:52.550 --> 00:13:00.790 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And on your inhale… Whoever is nourishing, life-giving. 106 00:13:01.550 --> 00:13:05.579 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Supportive to your nervous system, to your garden. 107 00:13:06.210 --> 00:13:08.100 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): to your ecosystem. 108 00:13:09.220 --> 00:13:11.350 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): You and beyond you. 109 00:13:12.930 --> 00:13:15.249 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Breathing that in. 110 00:13:16.920 --> 00:13:22.520 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Maybe rest… Laughter… Friendship. 111 00:13:24.240 --> 00:13:27.129 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Sacred action, aligned action. 112 00:13:32.160 --> 00:13:33.360 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Still miss. 113 00:13:58.020 --> 00:14:02.669 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): May I tend the garden of my nervous system with care. 114 00:14:04.980 --> 00:14:06.870 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): My sacred, yes. 115 00:14:07.340 --> 00:14:09.059 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And sacred no. 116 00:14:18.070 --> 00:14:23.410 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): It's Brahmacharya, Brahma… Creator. 117 00:14:23.950 --> 00:14:28.360 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Charya Chariot. The Chariot of Creation. 118 00:14:30.540 --> 00:14:34.670 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): It's often misunderstood as repression. 119 00:14:35.530 --> 00:14:38.680 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): That might be of sexual desire, or… 120 00:14:38.970 --> 00:14:42.640 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Any other kinds of desires, material desires? 121 00:14:43.000 --> 00:14:51.189 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And while being aware of these impulses and not controlled by them is, of course, an important part of yoga philosophy. 122 00:14:51.510 --> 00:14:53.280 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): in psychology. 123 00:14:53.380 --> 00:14:56.020 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Pramacharya is so much deeper. 124 00:14:57.290 --> 00:15:02.570 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): It's… In its truest form, a kind of ecological balance. 125 00:15:02.820 --> 00:15:04.030 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Harmony. 126 00:15:04.230 --> 00:15:06.680 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Of all your energy systems. 127 00:15:12.930 --> 00:15:15.660 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Your prana, your life force. 128 00:15:22.190 --> 00:15:27.989 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And even… Pramacharya is that balance of… 129 00:15:31.430 --> 00:15:36.190 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Your unique individual self, the little s self. 130 00:15:36.860 --> 00:15:39.860 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): In connection with the big-ass self. 131 00:15:40.390 --> 00:15:42.409 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yoga as unity. 132 00:15:44.320 --> 00:15:51.319 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And sometimes we might feel that as, like, a little… like a warm glow in our hearts. 133 00:15:54.150 --> 00:16:01.019 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): That feeling of alignment, of… I'm on the right path, or that tug in the… 134 00:16:01.280 --> 00:16:03.900 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): The direction that is aligned. 135 00:16:04.570 --> 00:16:08.210 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): For you, in your unique unfoldment. 136 00:16:09.710 --> 00:16:11.270 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Newer flowering. 137 00:16:11.710 --> 00:16:14.550 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Towards… the divine. 138 00:16:23.470 --> 00:16:28.269 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And so we can almost imagine that our energy, our prana. 139 00:16:29.070 --> 00:16:32.620 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Is, like, water in a garden. 140 00:16:33.330 --> 00:16:41.530 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): If we fill the garden, right, our whole ecosystem, our mind, body, spirit, emotions. 141 00:16:41.770 --> 00:16:45.719 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): With so much water, just, like, filling every plant. 142 00:16:46.130 --> 00:16:50.040 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): For constantly giving, or doing, or reacting. 143 00:16:50.150 --> 00:16:53.660 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): It's a lot, a lot of effort, and… 144 00:16:54.100 --> 00:16:57.469 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Some of our plants don't like that much water. 145 00:17:00.260 --> 00:17:09.200 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): But if we are holding on or gripping too tightly to the energy, to the prana, like the kink in a hose. 146 00:17:09.619 --> 00:17:12.319 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Maybe withdrawing or fearful. 147 00:17:13.900 --> 00:17:18.719 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Like the garden, we might dry out or wilt a little bit. 148 00:17:20.010 --> 00:17:28.060 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And so the… Path of brahmacharya in yoga is like that aligned flow. 149 00:17:29.210 --> 00:17:36.460 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And your aligned flow is different from everyone else in this circle, this sacred circle. 150 00:17:36.600 --> 00:17:43.099 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And it's different from what your flow was a year ago, 10 years ago, even a week ago. 151 00:17:43.340 --> 00:17:44.979 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Or what it will be. 152 00:17:45.860 --> 00:18:03.140 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And so we can visualize, if it's helpful, that brahmatarya might be kind of like the irrigation pathways, the pathways that bring water, but also, just as important, are the drains, the pathways that allow the water to seep away. 153 00:18:03.690 --> 00:18:07.710 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And into the environment around us. 154 00:18:08.710 --> 00:18:12.140 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): These channels that let life… Thrive. 155 00:18:22.360 --> 00:18:33.170 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Imagining that your spine is like this channel of energy, feeling it grow tall, like a young tree reaching up for the light. 156 00:18:35.170 --> 00:18:42.770 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Now on your exhale, feeling your roots deepen and connect through your feet, or whatever's touching the earth. 157 00:18:42.920 --> 00:18:45.479 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Into the rich soil. 158 00:18:47.510 --> 00:18:55.000 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Inhale and open our arms out any amount that you would like to the sides. 159 00:18:55.690 --> 00:18:57.850 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Drawing in nourishments. 160 00:18:59.640 --> 00:19:03.989 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And if you would like, lifting your arms up over your head. 161 00:19:04.270 --> 00:19:16.549 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I'm making a circle around with your arms, and you can make this circle big with your whole arm, or you can have your hands just by your sides, circle your shoulders. 162 00:19:16.760 --> 00:19:19.319 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Whatever feels supportive to you. 163 00:19:24.610 --> 00:19:26.440 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Inhale. 164 00:19:27.380 --> 00:19:29.239 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And exhale. 165 00:19:40.360 --> 00:19:46.329 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And then, when you're ready, lifting your arms up any amount towards the sky. 166 00:19:49.560 --> 00:19:58.409 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Gazing up at your fingers, and then allowing your arms to come down and flow to one side in a gentle twist. 167 00:20:00.030 --> 00:20:11.190 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Twisting in one direction, from your belly, your chest, your chin, and then your eyes, if they're not closed, and even if they are, they can twist around last. 168 00:20:23.170 --> 00:20:25.810 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): One more breath on this side. 169 00:20:28.350 --> 00:20:32.489 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Inhale… Arms rise. 170 00:20:33.380 --> 00:20:36.209 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Pulling in that energy once more. 171 00:20:36.370 --> 00:20:40.980 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Exhale, release, and twisting to the other side. 172 00:20:41.400 --> 00:20:46.000 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Gently, from your belly… Chest, chin. 173 00:20:46.400 --> 00:20:48.779 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And eyes twisting around last. 174 00:20:49.510 --> 00:20:53.320 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Even if… They're behind your closed lids. 175 00:21:21.420 --> 00:21:23.559 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): One more breath here. 176 00:21:28.000 --> 00:21:31.969 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Inhale, arms come up once again. 177 00:21:32.840 --> 00:21:40.470 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And then exhale, hands come down, fluttering, like maybe you're shaking off any dead leaves or any tension. 178 00:21:41.510 --> 00:21:45.379 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Deep breath in, and if you'd like, exhaling through your mouth. 179 00:21:51.430 --> 00:21:54.300 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And we'll do Brahma Mudra. 180 00:21:54.880 --> 00:21:59.719 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Which is a movement of our head with our breath. 181 00:22:00.580 --> 00:22:13.179 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Inhale, it's moving our heads to up and down, exhaling right and then left. So, we'll… I'll guide it, and we'll slow it down. So inhale… 182 00:22:13.680 --> 00:22:18.760 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Lifting your head up… Exhale back to center. 183 00:22:20.180 --> 00:22:25.389 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Inhale, gazing any amount down towards the earth. 184 00:22:25.520 --> 00:22:27.969 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Stretching through the back of your neck. 185 00:22:28.520 --> 00:22:30.580 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Back to center. 186 00:22:31.590 --> 00:22:34.499 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Inhale to one side. 187 00:22:35.960 --> 00:22:38.859 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Exhale, back to center. 188 00:22:39.550 --> 00:22:42.290 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Inhale to the other side. 189 00:22:43.290 --> 00:22:50.029 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Back to center. Brahma has 4 faces, so we'll do this mudra 4 times. 190 00:22:52.170 --> 00:22:55.900 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Moving at your own breath cycle pace. 191 00:22:56.670 --> 00:22:59.170 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Head up and center. 192 00:23:00.600 --> 00:23:03.880 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Exhaling down and center. 193 00:23:06.310 --> 00:23:12.120 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): to one side… Center… 194 00:23:16.050 --> 00:23:22.220 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): The other in center… We'll do the next two on your own. 195 00:23:22.550 --> 00:23:24.200 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Time, perhaps? 196 00:23:25.510 --> 00:23:36.849 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Counting your breath… And if a mantra would be supportive, The mantra, so hum. 197 00:23:37.510 --> 00:23:42.350 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Inhale, so… Exhale, hum. 198 00:23:43.930 --> 00:23:45.849 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I am that. 199 00:23:48.420 --> 00:23:55.739 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Connecting to… The energy within you that is also within everything. 200 00:23:56.680 --> 00:24:03.140 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): a power… It is really unnameable, unknowable, immense. 201 00:24:04.190 --> 00:24:06.849 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): That runs through all beings. 202 00:24:09.520 --> 00:24:13.529 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So, I am not. 203 00:24:37.050 --> 00:24:43.259 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): When you complete… Let's practice finding your version. 204 00:24:43.880 --> 00:24:49.849 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Of a gentle neck stretch, so… could be circling your neck around… 205 00:24:50.010 --> 00:24:55.539 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): All the way, or tilting one direction or the other. Could be lifting up one hand. 206 00:24:56.000 --> 00:25:01.910 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And stretching through the side of your neck, maybe letting the other hand go out to the side. 207 00:25:02.720 --> 00:25:04.609 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Softening your jaw. 208 00:25:11.020 --> 00:25:12.940 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Breathing deeply. 209 00:25:13.950 --> 00:25:18.370 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Maybe gazing down, up towards the sky. 210 00:25:20.480 --> 00:25:29.979 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And if you're doing a stretch that is on one side, gently transitioning, softly transitioning to the other side, or… 211 00:25:30.160 --> 00:25:36.029 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): If you're rotating your head, maybe changing the pace, or the… 212 00:25:36.370 --> 00:25:40.820 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Timing, and just hanging out if there's a spot that needs some care. 213 00:25:54.420 --> 00:25:56.470 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Relaxing your jaw. 214 00:25:56.940 --> 00:25:58.980 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Relaxing your eyes. 215 00:26:07.450 --> 00:26:13.309 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I'm gently releasing and finding your way into your resting shape. 216 00:26:13.620 --> 00:26:22.400 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Whatever, Shavasana… Can feel like for you today, which can be seated, standing, Lying down. 217 00:26:30.660 --> 00:26:36.649 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): As you rest here… Invitation to picture… 218 00:26:37.640 --> 00:26:41.179 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Your heart, like a garden at dawn. 219 00:26:43.700 --> 00:26:49.399 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): The air is still… The dew sparkles. 220 00:26:50.640 --> 00:26:52.379 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): On every leaf. 221 00:26:56.050 --> 00:26:59.449 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): At the center of this garden, at your heart. 222 00:26:59.700 --> 00:27:01.769 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): It's a golden flame. 223 00:27:03.800 --> 00:27:05.430 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Your prana. 224 00:27:09.910 --> 00:27:16.050 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And around it, you might visualize… A soft… living. 225 00:27:16.570 --> 00:27:17.930 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Boundary. 226 00:27:19.210 --> 00:27:25.950 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Perhaps trees, or hedges, bushes… Roses. 227 00:27:27.510 --> 00:27:36.410 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Conifers, whatever you visualize, as wide and large, or as close in these boundaries of compassion. 228 00:27:36.690 --> 00:27:38.310 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And clarity. 229 00:27:45.460 --> 00:27:51.770 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And these boundaries, these… Living boundaries. Breathe with you. 230 00:27:51.970 --> 00:27:54.409 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): In fact, they are part of you. 231 00:27:56.960 --> 00:28:03.759 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Letting sunlight and all that nourishes you, clean air, flow in. 232 00:28:04.270 --> 00:28:13.299 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I'm keeping out anything… That causes disruption, or chaos, or stress. 233 00:28:16.160 --> 00:28:24.989 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So you might feel your nervous system downshifting through these practices into more ventral 234 00:28:25.790 --> 00:28:29.790 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Vagal tone. More rest and digest. 235 00:28:34.990 --> 00:28:41.170 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Heart cared for… Breath even. 236 00:28:43.920 --> 00:28:47.290 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Energy flowing without hurry. 237 00:28:49.780 --> 00:28:54.919 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Cultivating equilibrium, the essence of Brahmacharya. 238 00:29:29.750 --> 00:29:35.890 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Breathing… with your own… Nourishment. 239 00:29:38.480 --> 00:29:40.169 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Then I will… 240 00:29:41.730 --> 00:29:48.069 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Give us a few minutes in silence, and then guide us with my voice when it's time. 241 00:31:47.390 --> 00:31:53.359 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Breathing in… I'm breathing out. 242 00:31:59.350 --> 00:32:06.309 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I'm gently going to shift into a little bit of reflection, journaling, if you would like. 243 00:32:07.010 --> 00:32:12.330 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So, very slowly, and… easefully… 244 00:32:13.220 --> 00:32:20.359 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And you always have the option to stay in this meditative state, and just let my voice kind of wash over, let your… 245 00:32:20.610 --> 00:32:24.249 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Imagination and thoughts go where they may. 246 00:32:24.430 --> 00:32:34.200 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Or if you would like, you can get your journal, and I'm going to share Some questions for reflection. 247 00:32:47.250 --> 00:32:54.800 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): We're going to consider… Our nervous systems… as sacred gardens. 248 00:32:55.740 --> 00:33:08.109 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And so, how do you tend your nervous system? And if you're like, hey, Suzanne, I really haven't been tending my nervous system, how do you imagine you might tend your nervous system? 249 00:33:12.610 --> 00:33:19.830 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So you might start with… I tend my nervous system by… 250 00:33:23.720 --> 00:33:26.160 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Or I feel nourished by… 251 00:33:31.630 --> 00:33:36.759 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Just allow first thought, best thought. Let your words flow. 252 00:34:05.410 --> 00:34:08.909 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And then you can stay with that question. 253 00:34:09.370 --> 00:34:16.790 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Or, if you'd like to explore another, I just dropped them in the chat, the first two. 254 00:34:18.520 --> 00:34:26.039 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): What parts of my inner garden are feeling overgrown? Where am I saying too many yeses? 255 00:34:28.590 --> 00:34:34.269 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Things that don't feel nourishing, that you can perhaps prune away, or maybe… 256 00:34:35.010 --> 00:34:37.659 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): It's a lot of nourishing things, but… 257 00:34:39.110 --> 00:34:41.699 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Still, you want a little more space. 258 00:35:41.440 --> 00:35:46.310 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): You can stay there, or move to the next reflection. 259 00:35:46.960 --> 00:35:53.020 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): What areas of my garden, of my energy, are underwatered. 260 00:35:53.160 --> 00:35:57.440 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Where may I have gone numb, or withdrawn, or… 261 00:35:57.680 --> 00:36:02.729 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): said no to life, right? Remembering that, you know, most plants 262 00:36:03.470 --> 00:36:11.289 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Even if we don't water them, when we tend to them, they grow, or they produce seeds that grow new plants. 263 00:36:11.570 --> 00:36:15.899 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So it's okay. There's no shame in… what we've… 264 00:36:19.760 --> 00:36:21.370 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Not tended. 265 00:37:52.130 --> 00:37:56.249 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): You can stay with this reflection. 266 00:37:56.850 --> 00:38:02.310 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Or, if you'd like, I have kind of a… two parts. 267 00:38:02.840 --> 00:38:03.690 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Mmm… 268 00:38:04.860 --> 00:38:17.629 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): what does ventral safety feel like in my body? Like, what are the signs where you know, you're like, oh, I'm in that calm, happy, easy place? 269 00:38:17.830 --> 00:38:26.229 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): it's fun, you know, sometimes you can see those signs in others, and everyone's different, but one of the things that I see… 270 00:38:26.320 --> 00:38:37.909 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): when I observe my kiddo is he'll, like, skip, you know, he won't just walk or run, he'll, like, have a little extra little hop. I'm like, oh, he feels really happy. 271 00:38:38.120 --> 00:38:43.849 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And so what are your… Your signs that you're happy. 272 00:38:44.100 --> 00:38:45.620 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): That you're joyful. 273 00:38:45.750 --> 00:38:50.239 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And sometimes it's easier to notice those in others than in ourselves. 274 00:38:50.870 --> 00:39:07.300 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): for me, it's sometimes a soft little smile, and kind of like a cheeky feeling. Like, I feel like, really? Oh my gosh, I get to, like, have this feeling in life? And it's like, yeah, yeah, and it's not with it, like. 275 00:39:07.500 --> 00:39:12.760 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): big things, like going to Disneyland or something, it's, like, often just sitting outside in the sunlight. 276 00:39:13.330 --> 00:39:17.200 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So what does ventral safety feel like in my body? 277 00:39:18.410 --> 00:39:25.590 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Or, and or… What boundaries or rituals help my garden flourish? 278 00:40:57.460 --> 00:41:01.120 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And I have one yoga teacher 279 00:41:01.430 --> 00:41:08.210 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Who often says this very, like, perplexing thing. 280 00:41:08.670 --> 00:41:11.279 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And I'll share it here, 281 00:41:12.780 --> 00:41:16.579 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): What if you can love yourself so much. 282 00:41:17.720 --> 00:41:20.200 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): That you don't actually need boundaries. 283 00:41:21.010 --> 00:41:25.910 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): That a boundary, the sacred yes and the sacred no, merge. 284 00:41:26.800 --> 00:41:30.890 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Right, because you're saying such a sacred yes to yourself. 285 00:41:31.090 --> 00:41:33.779 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): That you actually don't have to be like. 286 00:41:35.080 --> 00:41:39.629 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): You know, of course, a no may be part of it, but it doesn't have to feel… 287 00:41:39.750 --> 00:41:42.450 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): like a no. It can feel like a yes. 288 00:41:43.430 --> 00:41:51.740 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So, if that resonates, let it. Or if it's something that feels helpful, right? How can I love myself? 289 00:41:52.590 --> 00:41:53.819 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So much. 290 00:41:56.330 --> 00:42:00.010 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): That I don't need to say, to place boundaries. 291 00:42:00.530 --> 00:42:03.020 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Because I'm moving from love. 292 00:42:08.890 --> 00:42:15.409 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So, taking just this last minute to… Honor our brahmatarya. 293 00:42:21.700 --> 00:42:23.950 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Honoring that light within. 294 00:42:26.420 --> 00:42:29.360 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Your light. Everyone's light. 295 00:42:30.850 --> 00:42:32.780 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And then if you feel ready… 296 00:42:33.770 --> 00:42:37.790 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Releasing your journaling or your reflecting. 297 00:42:40.540 --> 00:42:49.940 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And I would love to… invite us into reflection, and I want to just, check in. 298 00:42:51.190 --> 00:43:03.130 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): As to if we would like to go into small groups, maybe 2 or 3, or if you want to stay in the larger group. I know sometimes it's really nice, and last time we got to do just a little bit of small group time. 299 00:43:03.340 --> 00:43:09.539 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): But it can be really nice to meet other folks, and to say hi where you are in the world, and… 300 00:43:09.770 --> 00:43:27.989 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Just, you know, sharing anything that arose from the meditation, anything that you're working with, with brahmacharya, and there is, of course, no shame in, like, oh no, I'm in a time where I'm putting up boundaries, like, great, wonderful. All of that is welcome, just anything that's emerging around these reflections. 301 00:43:28.400 --> 00:43:32.900 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Any… my… my intuition is small groups. 302 00:43:33.220 --> 00:43:38.590 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): But I also just like to check in and see, like, if there's a bunch of people who are, like. 303 00:43:38.770 --> 00:43:44.000 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I will just leave. If we go to small groups, then we can stay together. 304 00:43:49.770 --> 00:43:51.390 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Any preferences? 305 00:43:52.340 --> 00:44:01.740 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Okay, y'all are… you're probably… I know I was… I was intending to try to harmonize and, like, down-regulate our nervous systems for the last… 306 00:44:01.840 --> 00:44:09.719 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): 45 minutes, so I hope that that has happened. Yeah, small groups. Okay, cool. 307 00:44:10.460 --> 00:44:16.890 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So let me… and then, yeah, if you're not in a space to share, then maybe we'll, 308 00:44:17.640 --> 00:44:19.409 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Why don't we do it like this? 309 00:44:20.790 --> 00:44:28.320 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Where you can choose… To go into a breakout room, let's see, let participant choose room. 310 00:44:29.510 --> 00:44:32.859 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Create one? No. So I'm gonna create… 311 00:44:35.450 --> 00:44:41.249 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Four rooms, so you can choose to go to a room, or you can choose to stay here. 312 00:44:41.830 --> 00:44:49.519 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And, so you have that option. So if you're like, hey, I'd love to go talk with a person, and you can join a room, you know, if you… 313 00:44:49.760 --> 00:44:58.760 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So the way you do that is there's a little breakout room, three dots, and you can hit that, and then it says breakout rooms, and you can join a room. 314 00:44:59.830 --> 00:45:13.890 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And maybe join with someone else. If you see someone, join them. So far, I don't see anyone in a room, but you can let me know if you want me to put you in a room, or Juliana also can help put us in… in rooms. 315 00:45:14.400 --> 00:45:19.320 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Or we can hang out together, and just invitation to… 316 00:45:19.650 --> 00:45:24.210 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): To share in a… in the chat or out loud, 317 00:45:24.610 --> 00:45:29.869 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Anything that emerged from this practice, or anything, like, as you reflect on? 318 00:45:30.180 --> 00:45:39.239 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): these questions… Attending our garden… Boundaries are rituals that help us flourish. 319 00:45:45.190 --> 00:45:49.120 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Invitation to share in the chat, if you would like, or out loud. 320 00:45:55.860 --> 00:45:58.079 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yeah, Nicole, thank you. 321 00:45:58.670 --> 00:46:07.820 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): journaling questions and the way they invited spaciousness. Asking ourselves open-ended questions, you know, it's so beautiful. 322 00:46:08.300 --> 00:46:18.330 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I really… that was something I had to learn, and to me, is part of a trauma-informed practice. It's like the way that yoga moves out into the world as a way of life. 323 00:46:18.530 --> 00:46:26.239 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): is… instead of being like, oh, wasn't that fun? How great was that? It's like, how was that for you? 324 00:46:27.760 --> 00:46:42.000 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And I… and as starting with myself, right? Like, not shoulding the people, I don't know who invented that, but the, like, shoulding on ourselves, like, you should feel this way. I think we do that to ourselves so much, and sometimes to others. 325 00:46:42.660 --> 00:46:46.560 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So, practicing satya Brahmacharya, too. 326 00:46:48.320 --> 00:46:51.430 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Anyone want to share? Yeah, hi, Maggie. 327 00:46:52.600 --> 00:47:05.780 Maggie Runyon, Your BIRTH Partners: Hi, Susanna. I just wanted to, share how much I love the prompt and the idea of looking at it as a garden, and thinking about that. I know we've talked in other sessions about how, like, the regulation, dysregulation, verbiage can sometimes feel a little… 328 00:47:06.010 --> 00:47:19.449 Maggie Runyon, Your BIRTH Partners: constricting, and I just… I really like this idea of thinking about our nervous system this way, and talking about it when I speak with others, and thinking about how maybe this can feel just more open in the interpretation. 329 00:47:19.580 --> 00:47:22.109 Maggie Runyon, Your BIRTH Partners: Across all pieces, so thank you. 330 00:47:24.550 --> 00:47:26.010 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Thank you, Maggie. 331 00:47:28.590 --> 00:47:46.590 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yeah, it's a really wonderful time of year, too, just to take the practice of brahmacharya, especially for many of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the change of season, it's getting darker earlier, days are getting shorter, we're moving into winter. 332 00:47:46.620 --> 00:48:03.429 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): you know, it's a time where we have these festivities, these holidays, like Diwali, like, you know, we'll be in Hanukkah, there's many, many across so many different cultures, you know, Christmas will come, and… 333 00:48:04.190 --> 00:48:11.299 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): From a yoga perspective, All of those are, like, opportunities to internalize the light. 334 00:48:11.710 --> 00:48:23.570 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): They're… because yoga is that internalization of ritual, the taking… you know, we can do the outer rituals and find a lot of joy in them, but from a yogic perspective and place and practice. 335 00:48:23.870 --> 00:48:32.299 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): It's the meditations like the one that we did, where we slow down, where, you know, and that's watering all the seeds in our gardens. 336 00:48:35.480 --> 00:48:36.420 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yeah. 337 00:48:37.760 --> 00:48:51.309 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Amanda, I love what you shared. I liked visualizing boundaries as living walls, like a rose hedge. It really resonated with me more than times I visualized them, like the rigid walls of a fence or fortress. Yeah. 338 00:48:51.770 --> 00:48:54.130 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I enjoyed that, too. 339 00:48:55.500 --> 00:49:03.759 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I have to be honest, I think I sort of struggle with boundaries sometimes, like, that… and still, definitely for a lot of my life. 340 00:49:04.300 --> 00:49:12.300 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I have, and then in more recent years, some have been easier to set, but some are hard, you know, and… and… 341 00:49:12.850 --> 00:49:15.430 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I don't want to disappoint people, I want to… 342 00:49:15.700 --> 00:49:22.369 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): please people, all of those things, perhaps social conditioning, or just my nature, who knows? And… 343 00:49:23.190 --> 00:49:34.419 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And so brahmacharya has not been an easy practice for me, but it's been a very impactful one. Like, really impactful, even to the point where 344 00:49:36.100 --> 00:49:44.639 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): you know, like, some hard stuff, right? Like, having to let go of friends, like those friends that, when I really checked in. 345 00:49:44.970 --> 00:49:52.280 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And for a period of time, I would, like, go through my life, and then, come home. 346 00:49:52.430 --> 00:50:08.319 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): like, have an experience, come home, and, like, journal, and use color to kind of go, like, illustrate the experience, like, how I felt. Jagged, or smooth, or, you know, whatever, so I could just let it flow. And I started to notice there were friends. 347 00:50:09.250 --> 00:50:12.849 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): That maybe weren't so nourishing. 348 00:50:13.040 --> 00:50:15.610 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Like, maybe there was a kind of… 349 00:50:16.580 --> 00:50:25.700 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Like, a kind of taking happening more and more and more in that relationship from… it felt like, from them to me, and… 350 00:50:25.830 --> 00:50:39.699 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So over the past few years, it was, like, letting… letting… not, like, cutting off, necessarily, although that's fine, if that's what is supportive, but in my life, it was just sort of watering that friendship less. 351 00:50:40.070 --> 00:50:42.519 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And the ones that felt nourishing more. 352 00:50:42.820 --> 00:50:52.369 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And, not to say that also, right, I don't mean I turn away from conflict. Like, some of my closest friends I've had immense conflict with. 353 00:50:52.450 --> 00:51:09.399 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And I've learned a lot. So it's not just that it's easy, it's looking at kind of how, like, it's nourishing and nourishing me and us, and then allowing conflict as well to, to let the relationship deepen. 354 00:51:09.500 --> 00:51:14.409 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): That's a big part of yogic philosophy as well. 355 00:51:16.010 --> 00:51:17.510 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Anyone else? 356 00:51:18.890 --> 00:51:23.470 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Any questions, too? Like, it doesn't have to be about this practice we have. 357 00:51:23.740 --> 00:51:32.870 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Just a few more minutes. I'll do a little closing, but any questions or anything that you're going to be taking away with you today? 358 00:51:38.050 --> 00:51:42.910 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Like, ahas, or takeaways, or little practices. 359 00:51:48.900 --> 00:51:50.620 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yeah, Nicole, hi. 360 00:51:51.130 --> 00:51:55.679 Nichole BPN (she/her): One thing that I've been thinking about a lot, is… 361 00:51:56.000 --> 00:52:01.680 Nichole BPN (she/her): How we live in a time where people often weaponize boundaries. 362 00:52:01.720 --> 00:52:17.999 Nichole BPN (she/her): And so I guess that's one thing I… I don't know particularly what the question is, but I… how do you… I guess, how do you practice brahmacharya and make sure that it is more of a nourishing kind of gardening thing? 363 00:52:19.440 --> 00:52:34.220 Nichole BPN (she/her): But sometimes your garden… what your garden needs is going to be in conflict with what, like, larger society needs, or the communities around you need. And so, how can we do that in a loving, kind way? 364 00:52:34.390 --> 00:52:40.809 Nichole BPN (she/her): Versus a more, you know, Stonehenge way. 365 00:52:42.260 --> 00:52:49.640 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Oh, I love it. It's interesting, when you said weaponizing boundaries, I was thinking of something else. 366 00:52:53.960 --> 00:52:55.890 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): You know, ultimately. 367 00:52:57.430 --> 00:53:07.919 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): all we can do is try, right? Like, it's like, do our best to communicate as lovingly and clearly as possible, but at the end of the day, we're not responsible 368 00:53:08.150 --> 00:53:17.450 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): as long as we're not harming other people, right? If we're just taking care of ourselves, and that's what those boundaries are. We're not responsible for other people's reactions to that. 369 00:53:17.600 --> 00:53:19.860 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): To our self-love. 370 00:53:20.420 --> 00:53:21.780 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And… 371 00:53:23.000 --> 00:53:33.680 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): even if someone else calls our self-love a weaponization, right? If it's like, oh, I really need rest, I can't come to your event or your party, oh, I really want you to be… 372 00:53:33.680 --> 00:53:43.389 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I love you, right? I love you, I want to connect with you, but I can't… I can't come to a party right now. My energy's just not… I'm not available for that. 373 00:53:43.410 --> 00:53:50.420 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And I think using that language of, this is what I'm available for, this is what I'm not available for. 374 00:53:50.520 --> 00:53:59.360 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Right? Can kind of make it almost depersonalize, is it? It's a little bit more, like, practical, and it's not about them. 375 00:53:59.970 --> 00:54:06.919 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And so I don't know if I fully answered your question. The direction I went is, like. 376 00:54:07.540 --> 00:54:18.490 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): the weaponization of boundaries when we have, like, competing value claims, right, of two different, say, oppressed or marginalized groups. Like, for example, 377 00:54:18.880 --> 00:54:22.330 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): like… Access… 378 00:54:22.530 --> 00:54:39.899 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I'm just thinking of a very simple yoga room example, and Celine, I'll come to you in one sec, but someone who's in perimenopause and really needs the air conditioning on, and is super hot, and then someone else who's, you know, maybe got, like, a chronic autoimmune 379 00:54:40.030 --> 00:54:54.139 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): issue, and it runs very cold, and cannot have… does not, you know, it, like, causes a bunch of discomfort and inflammation and problems if the nerve… if the, the air conditioning is on, right? So two competing 380 00:54:54.530 --> 00:55:09.979 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): needs, both very real and very valid. And a boundary could be, like, I can't be here if we don't have the AC on. I can't be here if the AC, right? Like, there… and so in those moments, and again, this is, like. 381 00:55:10.450 --> 00:55:17.210 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Perhaps a light example, perhaps for some people, not a light example, because you've been in this moment or this experience. 382 00:55:17.360 --> 00:55:22.530 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): But is there a way where we can figure it out? Like, I had this happen at a… 383 00:55:22.720 --> 00:55:32.830 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And I'm running hot right now, because I'm in perimenopause at a… when I was teaching, I'm also hot, you know, in a room, because I'm teaching, and… 384 00:55:33.180 --> 00:55:40.659 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): we… I think what we did was we… instead of had the AC on, yeah, we opened a window near the front of the room. 385 00:55:40.820 --> 00:55:50.959 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And then the people who wanted to be cooler or warmer could be at a different section of the room with blankets, right? So we were able to figure it out. It can't always be figured out. 386 00:55:51.480 --> 00:55:55.660 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): But I think the thing underneath what you're asking is, like. 387 00:55:55.790 --> 00:55:59.769 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Instead of, like, the boundary as the wall. 388 00:55:59.910 --> 00:56:12.340 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): I can't be here if, right? It's like, well, I'm experiencing this, I have this need, right? I'm available to be here if these things, can we figure this out? And I don't know if that's helpful, Nicole, but… 389 00:56:12.340 --> 00:56:21.729 Nichole BPN (she/her): Yeah, that last part especially is, I think, exactly what we need more of, and that I was wondering, like, how do we get there? So, thank you. 390 00:56:21.900 --> 00:56:22.670 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yeah. 391 00:56:24.330 --> 00:56:25.240 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yeah. 392 00:56:29.350 --> 00:56:33.629 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Oh, nice, thank you for dropping that, Juliana. Celine, coming to you. 393 00:56:33.970 --> 00:56:48.270 Selene Kumin Vega (she/her): I was just gonna speak to some actual boundaries. We've just, we've just built a deer fence around an area that we want to be able to grow a vegetable garden in. 394 00:56:48.600 --> 00:57:00.720 Selene Kumin Vega (she/her): And there's no way we could do that, because the deer would have really come in and eaten everything. And today, looking out this window here, I saw two deer wandering through, and… 395 00:57:01.050 --> 00:57:18.740 Selene Kumin Vega (she/her): having a fine time eating ferns that are fine for us to offer them to eat, you know? And that I can have that boundary around the space that I need, and it doesn't mean that I'm cutting off access to them for other things that they can eat. 396 00:57:18.990 --> 00:57:28.650 Selene Kumin Vega (she/her): In other words, it's, like, not like I'm trying to hoard everything in taking care of myself. I'm just saying, this space around me 397 00:57:29.010 --> 00:57:31.020 Selene Kumin Vega (she/her): I need to have for me. 398 00:57:31.210 --> 00:57:35.210 Selene Kumin Vega (she/her): And there's lots of other space out there, too, and I'm not ticking at all. 399 00:57:36.220 --> 00:57:49.029 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yeah, I love that. Thank you so much for sharing that, and I love that we can see the beautiful space outside, and imagine the deer wandering by eating the appropriate fern meal. 400 00:57:49.660 --> 00:57:51.900 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Yeah, you know… 401 00:57:52.250 --> 00:58:02.230 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): it's also an invitation to be like, well, where do our boundaries, like, that living boundary, where do they begin and end, right? How can we co-exist 402 00:58:02.280 --> 00:58:13.650 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): with our family members, our work mates, our friends, the communities that we're in relationship with, right? Mutual aid, networks. 403 00:58:15.100 --> 00:58:16.250 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And… 404 00:58:18.150 --> 00:58:31.050 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): again, turning, perhaps, the flip side of boundary to love, right? How are we loving ourselves through our relationships at work, or in mutual aid networks, or in, you know, activist spaces, or yoga spaces? 405 00:58:31.460 --> 00:58:39.939 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): So we'll close with that. Thank you so much for being here. Just really appreciate each of you. 406 00:58:40.730 --> 00:58:44.220 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And… an invitation… 407 00:58:44.710 --> 00:58:58.569 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Let me just look at what I'm gonna see next. Yeah, oh, okay, yeah. An invitation to… to remember that we have, for trauma-informed yoga and social justice, the Practice and Poetry Dam. 408 00:58:58.700 --> 00:59:06.929 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): In a couple weeks? Like, 3 weeks, I think? On Thursday, November 6th. I believe that's the next time I'll see most of you. 409 00:59:06.930 --> 00:59:23.029 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And then office hours the week after that, and you don't need to be prepared, you can just bring poetry you love, or practice you love, or riff on something you're exploring. So, thank you very, very much, and invitation to take a breath in. 410 00:59:23.030 --> 00:59:24.070 Nichole BPN (she/her): A. 411 00:59:24.290 --> 00:59:28.030 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): And unmute and say goodbye! That's perfect. 412 00:59:30.250 --> 00:59:32.940 Amie Connor: Thank you. Have a good day, everyone. 413 00:59:32.940 --> 00:59:33.759 Selene Kumin Vega (she/her): Good to be here. 414 00:59:34.010 --> 00:59:36.260 Selene Kumin Vega (she/her): Thank you. Thanks, Susanna. 415 00:59:36.260 --> 00:59:36.880 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Thank you. 416 00:59:37.220 --> 00:59:37.880 Karen O'Lone: space. 417 00:59:38.850 --> 00:59:40.230 melinda (they/them): Thank you. 418 00:59:40.530 --> 00:59:41.890 Susanna Barkataki (She/They): Thanks, y'all.