Embodiment Matters Podcast

Uncommon Considerations in the Anthropocene An Interview with Dr. Bayo Akomolafe   Friends, we’re thrilled to share with you this most recent interview with our dear friend, Dr. Bayo Akomolafe. Bayo is a poet, philosopher, psychologist, professor, proud diaper changer, and passionate about the preposterous. He’s a thinker and speaker unlike any you’ve met before. Born and raised in Nigeria, Bayo currently lives with his wife and two children in Chennai, India, and pre-pandemic, spent much time traveling the world teaching on transraciality, emergence, postactivism and more. He is a widely appreciated speaker, teacher, public intellectual, author and facilitator, globally recognized for his poetic, unconventional, counterintuitive, and indigenous take on global crisis, civic action and social change. He is the Executive Director and Chief Curator for The Emergence Network (A Post-Activist Project] and host of the online writing course, ‘We will dance with Mountains: Writing as a Tool for Emergence’  Erin first met Bayo while taking this class in 2017, and we’re both thrilled to hear that this life-changing course will be offered again in Fall of 2020. Read more about Bayo and explore his unconventional and refreshing perspectives through his website www.bayoakomolafe.net, including this recent essay, which Erin refers to in our interview. https://bayoakomolafe.net/project/i-coronavirus-mother-monster-activist/     A friend recently said it so well: “I feel if I can relax and let go of a certain part of my mind and just fall in with Bayo’s words, I always grow.” In this conversation, we explore Bayo’s ideas about making sanctuary. He shares Yoruba proverbs, including “In order to find your way, you must become lost,” and “May your road be rough.” We explore white supremacy, colonial mind, and modernity and the unfortunate“flattening of the sacred.” We talk about control, queering binaries, resisting “simple and neat” stories or explanations, and relaxing into our entanglement with the world and each other. Holding the tensions of paradox are a necessary skill. Bayo talks about the necessity of making way for grief, what he calls “the vocational project of touching loss,” and the possibility of decorating these wounds as a way of making sacred.    We also explore topics of justice, fugitivity, bodies as becomings, and explore some musings on how Bayo learned to think in these unique ways. We also speak about the beauty of bewilderment. There’s so much richness in this conversation! We hope you can relax certain parts of your mind and grow as you listen to Bayo “shock you into noticing the world differently.”    You can listen to our first conversation with Bayo in 2018 here: The Light Longs for the Dark: A Conversation with Bayo Akómoláfé - Embodiment Matters

In this enlightening conversation, Michael Meade, a seasoned teacher and storyteller, shares his insights on innate genius and its connection to healing societal wounds. He discusses how honoring our unique gifts fosters equality across various divides. The conversation delves into the role of community in initiating personal transformation and the significance of rituals in healing cultural trauma. Meade highlights the potential of protests as rituals and emphasizes that personal change is essential for broader societal shifts.

Francis Weller, a psychotherapist and soul-activist, shares profound insights on grief and healing. He discusses the concept of Rough Initiation, suggesting that we navigate our overwhelm through self-compassion and embracing beauty. Weller emphasizes the importance of transforming sorrow into something healing for individuals and communities. He reflects on the loneliness of trauma, advocating for a healthy relationship with grief. Furthermore, he explores the spiritual practices that foster deeper connections within ourselves and with others during challenging times.

We had such an enlivening conversation with Steven which we’re so excited to share with you!  In this conversation we talk about Steven’s history - which included leaving civilization as a young man to live in the wild and forage to sustain himself. He eventually felt called to returned to civilization, pursued higher education and eventually growing food and medicines in new/old ways. He offers a beautiful short exercise on how to listen to plants. We also talk about the habit of gratefulness and the orientation toward illness as a great teacher and healer. We explore ways of inhabiting the great give and take with Earth and the importance of loving our food. We also explore a less human-centric approach to gardening - which he calls wildculturing. What a beautiful and inspiring conversation about connecting more deeply with the intelligence of earth through our food, our gardens, our own bodies, and more. We’re now dreaming of visiting Steven and Megan’s Sacred Gardener school when travel is possible again. It looks amazing!  Steven is an artist, farmer, wildcrafter, builder, teacher, writer and visionary who has more than thirty years experience living co-creatively with the Earth, practicing traditional living skills of growing food, building and healing. In 1996, he created the Algonquin Tea Company, North America’s premiere bioregional tea company. He has given talks and run workshops internationally for more than twenty years and taught plant identification and wilderness skills at Algonquin college for 11 years, and at the Orphan Wisdom School for eight years. In 2014, Megan and Steven started the Sacred Gardener Earth Wisdom School. Steven released his first book The Story of the Madawaska Forest Garden in 2016, and his second, Sacred Gardening, was released in June 2017. “The Sacred Gardener was chosen for our farm/school’s name because it conveys something that we feel is unique in our approach to both growing and teaching here on the farm. While there are many places, books and ways to learn about gardening or working with the Earth, there are very few that put the needs of the Earth first. This means not just thinking about production and convenience for ourselves but making the effort to step forward gently with real ecological/spiritual integrity. In everything we do we try to honor the ancient agreements with Nature. These agreements, which enabled our ancestors to survive and us to be here now, have long since been ignored and forgotten by western culture. Even radical forms of “environmental” action like organic gardening, permaculture and wilderness skills such as hunting and foraging are done with little or no thought as to the consequences of what we’re taking. We are always in the center of our thoughts and move forward with unflinching entitlement to what we take.” Find out more about Steven, his beautiful books, the incredible Sacred Gardener school and more at www.thesacredgardener.ca   

Friends, I had such an inspiring and useful conversation with Jan Dworkin! I loved her unique and powerful definition of embodiment. We spoke about human relationships in so many ways - what makes a “successful relationship” (hint - not just one that lasts forever.) We spoke about relationships as ground for profound learning, and that “learners can never be losers.” Of course we spoke about quarantine and responses to the pandemic and how that can show up in so many ways in our relationships. We also explored the interesting territory of framing our differences as resources, both in intimate relationships and in the world at large. Jan spoke about the deep importance of expressing appreciation and gratitude, especially at this time when many of us are struggling. We also spoke about different flavors and impacts of guilt - and how in many ways it can be a force for positive change. I hope you love our conversation as much as I did! Her book is also fantastically insightful and practical as well as being a deeply enjoyable read that both invites deep introspection as well as laughing out loud. Highly recommended! Special thanks to our mutual friend, the gifted artist and Process Work Facilitator, Randee Levine, who brought us together for this conversation.      Jan Dworkin, PhD, has more than 25 years of international, cross-cultural experience as a couples therapist and leadership coach. She is one of the founders of the Process Work Institute (PWI), a not-for-profit graduate school dedicated to research and training in process-oriented psychology. She co-created its master’s degree programs  and served as its academic dean for over a decade; she continues to teach training workshops worldwide. Jan coaches leaders and teams across sectors, specializing in conflict facilitation and leadership development in creative industries. She is the author of Make Love Better: How to Own Your Story, Connect with Your Partner, and Deepen Your Relationship Practice (Belly Song Press, 2019). Jan has recently been featured as an expert advisor for her work with couples under quarantine on The Love Doctor is In and Fox2Detroit news. Based in Portland, Oregon, she lives with her husband, Jerry, and their Corgi, Mattie.   To learn more about Jan’s work and her book go to www.jandworkin.com You can order her book at Powell’s in Portland  https://www.powells.com/book/-9781733901109 Or on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Make-Love-Better-Relationship-Practice/dp/1733901108/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1572929540&sr=1-1 To learn more about the Process Work Institute https://www.processwork.edu/

We had such a lovely and enlivening conversation with beautiful Brooke McNamara, who is a gifted poet, dance-theater artist, zen monk, teacher and mama, and whose poetry we ADORE. In this conversation, we talk about embodiment as a line between suffering and wellbeing. We explore many topics including ensoulment, the importance of creative process for its own sake, about parenting during this time of climate crisis, and so much more. And of course, we asked Brooke to read poetry from both of her books. It’s stunning! Brooke has practiced intensively in the Integral Zen lineage of Diane Musho Hamilton, Roshi (who we interviewed in season one of our podcast) and she is empowered as a Dharma Holder. Brooke has also taught at Naropa University in Yoga Studies and at the University of Colorado, Boulder in Dance. She serves as co-director of Eunice Embodiment, an organization that offers cutting edge dance-theater performances, movement education, and creative practice labs and retreats for the community. Brooke's first book, Feed Your Vow, was published in 2015. Her brand new book of poems, Bury the Seed, is a book for anyone seeking connection. It will be released in February 2020. She lives with her huge-hearted husband, two adorable, wild sons, and Bengal kitty in Boulder, CO. Of her new book, Bury the Seed, Mirabai Starr writes, “This is feminine wisdom at its most luminous – radically accessible, urgently sensual, clear as snowmelt and grounded as a grandmother oak. Goddess save us from another self-important self-help book. Brooke McNamara’s poetry is a bell: wake up; give thanks; leave nothing out.” Don’t miss this fabulous conversation! You can find out more about Brooke, purchase her books and sign up for her newsletter and more at http://www.brookemcnamara.com

Sharon Blackie, an award-winning writer and teacher, dives into the rich intersection of psychology, mythology, and ecology. She discusses her concept of 'bodyfulness,' promoting a deeper connection with the physical world. The conversation also emphasizes the power of ancestral wisdom in reconnecting with nature and crafting personal narratives. Blackie shares her unique calling and transformative storytelling, as well as her journey to overcome her fear of flying by learning to pilot a Cessna. Expect a blend of insightful reflections and captivating tales!

In this episode, Carl speaks with Erwan Le Corre. Erwan is the founder of MovNat, which is a system of movement and embodied learning that helps people to grow the movement skills, physiological preparedness, and mindsets for practical, adaptable participation in the world. In our conversation we explore what Natural Movement is, and why it is so valuable in these times. We look at the challenges that arise from the lack of movement in modern life, and the benefits of reclaiming some of the ways that humans have moved for tens of thousands of years. We also talk about Erwan's new book The Practice Of Natural Movement. For more information on Erwan, Movnat, or his book, please visit Movnat.com

In this episode, Erin speaks with three trainers of The Work That Reconnects: Mutima Imani, Molly Brown, and Constance Washburn. We explore an overview of this pioneering body of work that includes Deep Ecology, Systems Thinking, and Buddhist practices, developed by root teacher Joanna Macy. We explore the three stories of our times: Business as Usual, The Great Unravelling, and The Great Turning, and how we can choose which story we’re carrying. We explore how spirituality and activism support one another (and in fact need one another.) We talk about how this work is helping these women and the world during the challenging times we’re facing on our planet. I’m thrilled to be participating in their year-long training this year and delighted to share them and this work with you. You’ll find abundant information, resources, practices, inspiration and more at http://workthatreconnects.org

In this episode I speak with my dear friend, Sunny Rose Healey, Ayurvedic practitioner and teacher. In this episode we talk about:  • a basic introduction to Ayurveda • 4 wise questions to ask to know if a particular regimen is good for you • tuning into natural rhythms in our days and through the seasons • the importance of digesting not only our food and drink, but every experience that comes our way • the importance of tending the digestive fire, “the mother fire,” and ways to do so • the essential practice of self massage with oil • self-regulation in a dis-regulated world • the essential practice: doing much more of nothing  I loved this conversation so much and I know you will too. I especially love Sunny’s life-giving style. She’s not a fundamentalist but someone who understands the importance of weaving wisdom ways into a real, messy, everyday life.   Sunny’s experience of holistic healing began by necessity, when she suffered from digestive disturbances, headaches, cervical cancer and physical pain, and found no answers in conventional medicine. She studied Ayurvedic medicine with several wonderful teachers, and eventually found her main teacher, Dr. Vasant Lad, and his school the Ayurvedic Institute, where she was first a grateful student, and later a faculty member.Sunny has also been a student of life, birth and medicine under the tutelage of indigenous medicine teachers, and magnificent midwives.She has a private Ayurvedic Medicine practice and herbal medicine company in Santa Fe, New Mexico where she lives with her husband and two young children. Find Sunny’s services at www.mamayurveda.com and find her herbal product company at www.mamayurvedamedicinals.com