April 2022: New Starts for Spring

Learning more about my role in the work that I do:

What is your experience with anti racist work thus far? 

I see unlearning racism as crucial. What I notice is that the conversation often gets stuck at being able to get into the hard content of what is revealed. Defensiveness stops forward movement. II feel that mindfulness is what has been missing in anti- racist work. Mindfulness builds the internal capacity to be with whatever content is revealed.

Who are you willing to work with? Who is your ideal client?

My ideal client is anyone who is willing to recognize there are multiple ways of transforming racism.

There are also multiple ways of having racialized conversations. Participants would ideally demonstrate a willingness to connect and engage body and mind to explore information their bodies are holding as a way to understand and become aware of character traits and racialized positions in the world, while being curious and willing to unlearning racist tendencies. 

How do you work differently with BIPOC or white bodied people? 

BIPOC - I am learning to empower myself by being aware of the ways white dominant culture is infused in me. I know how the insidious water has seeped into my way of being. From that place I can share my experience. Awareness allows me the grace to assist others in building their capacity for more awareness. 

Working with white bodies helps me grow into a bigger love, by continually refining how I hold space in order to minimize negative impact on my own being. Supporting white bodied folxs to return to their own humanity and bearing witness to how we are connected and our liberation is tied together.  

How do you approach the dynamics of privilege and oppression that show up in group work?

Carefully. Encouraging the building and ability to self reflect from our personal identity and location. By location I mean inviting participants to be curious about their understanding of our ancestral history, education and privilege in how we move through the world. Recognizing that each one of us brings complex layers of all of both access and lack of access to privilege and can be both oppressor and oppressed.

Why is it important to unlearn habits of power and control? 

Power and privilege are not in alignment with uncovering true human essence.

There are built in beliefs about power. Unconsciously we may exercise control as a way to gain power in an area. We are unaware of the power we carry. Lacking awareness we cause harm. Awareness of the power we carry is important to understand. Control is the undercurrent to the abuse of power. 

How are you actively unlearning personal habits of power in your life?

Discovering what I value and want to live into. Cultivating a mindfulness practice sitting in presence and awareness to see what is within my body. Investigating all reactions. Developing an awareness of what I am uncovering how it affects my reactions and actions in my personal life and what I put out into the world..  Allowing self forgiveness and self-appreciation and not getting attached to times that may be termed challenging or expansive. I also carry a deep understanding of my location at any given moment. 

What do you mean by building internal capacity? 

Sensations happen in the body and our minds seek to interpret them.  Based on our lived experience we  draw conclusions. Those conclusions bring us comfort, joy, anger, frustration, sadness and then we act from our conclusion of what we think is going on.  Building a practice to fully engage is making space for the sensations in our body without attaching a story allows us to be with what is happening and feel into it, which then allows the possibility of multiple perspectives to what might be occurring when our bodies signal us. 

What is the most impactful lesson you have learnt so far on your personal healing journey?

Nothing is stagnant. There is not one set thing that will do or say or fix other than the process of coming back to self. I now trust that I will take care of myself with kindness, tenderness, love and forgiveness.  My deepest belonging resides within myself. 

How do you balance life's challenges? 

The more I am able to love myself,  the better I am able to balance my life.  When I know I am enough and what I offer is enough. 

What does it mean to live into humanity?

Humanity as a part of the human experience allows us to value our life and the life of others with kindness and compassion.  Personal Humanity allows us to become interconnected and caring for what we are bringing to the human experience. Touching the collective humanity with loving action.