In This Together: Norway News + Release Some Tension Virtual Hangout 💫

(First published as a Digest, 13 March 2020 and podcast episode 61 March 2020)

Before we jump in:

ANNOUNCEMENT RE: WORKSHOPS IN BERGEN, NORWAY THIS MONTH

Sad to share we have to reschedule our upcoming events in Bergen this month. We have been monitoring the situation closely over the last couple of weeks and feel that this is the most responsible thing we can do. Safety for all of us, especially the most vulnerable in our communities, is paramount.

New date for the yoga + movement workshops is Sunday 18 October 2020 at Griegakademiet and a new announcement will follow soon.

Emails have been sent to all those who have booked (thank you so much for your support).

Really hope you and your communities are safe, let's continue to look after ourselves and each other.

In this Digest, you can expect offerings, tools and resources, so really hope they will be useful for you in these times.

Also sharing details for a live video event where we can gather together online Thursday 19 March, scroll on for details.

Thank you so much for being here,

💜

Darlings.

A deep breath for nothing.

For these times we’re living in.

For loved ones we are thinking of around the globe.

For our fellow humans suffering or struggling in any form.

For our ancestors and their wisdom, may we connect with their guidance.

And for ourselves, here, now, together, in this space.

Taking a moment to connect with each of you, wherever you’re at.

It’s times like these that give us an opportunity to work together to create positive change.
Change is all around. Inevitable. A certainty. An opportunity.

I’m thinking about one of the books i just finished reading which feels...perfectly timed yet also, slightly eyebrow-raisingly-synchronised with current events many of us are witnessing on the planet right now.

I’ve been putting off reading Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower for some time. Partly cause of my sensitivity to stuff which feels too dark to handle. Yet…now i’m engrossed in this book (i’m on part 2 now!) and reaching the end of -quite possibly- one of my favourite books from recent times (that’s a big statement!)
So i wanted to offer some light and guidance i received from it, in hope it helps you too:

“All that you touch,
You Change.

All that you Change,
Changes you.

The only lasting truth
Is Change.

God
Is Change.

Octavia Butler from Parable of the Sower (1993)
God, in this form, any, in fact, is unconnected to any faith or dogma. You can replace that word with something that feels resonant. ”

..I'm always thinking about:

Our responsibility, to this earth, to each other, and how we work with the inevitability of change. Emergent strategy is a tool we might use to explore this idea.

How we centre the most vulnerable in our communities.

How we also pay attention to our own needs, energy, capabilities, skills (i know i talk about this a lot but i truly believe we each have something vital, a "Brilliant Essence", if you will, to share with this world, in ways that can bring about meaningful change)
And how we combine these needs and engage with practices that keep us feeling and being as well as we can be, identify and communicate our needs to each other, as well as meet others requests from a centred and honest place…. Whilst finding some kind of joy and ease and freedom in the process, right?

I don’t want to make this space into one that is shaming others, however feel a real life example might help here, a case study of what i’m noticing a lot, not just in the last few weeks, but it’s certainly amplified lately:

Storytime? ☕️

So early last week I was at my local coffee shop - that in itself raises moral questions and a conundrum: Should i be gathering in a space in case i am a carrier of a virus or exposed to a carrier and we exacerbate the problem? Yet at the same time, the fella who owns the space is independent, has a young family and by being a patron, i’m supporting his livelihood….

At this moment, want to be very clear in case you don’t know me so well, that in no way is this storytime exploration a “me telling you what’s right from wrong”, it’s more a space for contemplation, sharing ideas, thoughts, suggestions - and that goes both ways so obviously as i remind you every time i send this Digest/make a video/podcast hit reply and let me know your thoughts, your experiences, ideas, etc so we can grow together!

Anyway.

Back to the coffee shop, and i struck up conversation with someone else in there. This isn’t new. They asked what i was up to - saying it looked like i was busy. lol. (@ myself and the busy)

I explained that i was in the process of re-arranging irl events, due my concerns about consequences of the virus (i thin we know what i'm talking about) and wanting to avoid harm where possible.

This, inevitably led to a discussion about how -said virus- was affecting their life, as they live with a chronic illness."Not a lot has, or will change" was their report.

I shared that i had just been to pick up some supplies from the supermarket and the toilet roll aisle was bare, which took me by surprise. Shoutout to those of you watching my ig stories, i see ya 👀

He offered that his flatmate wants to "stockpile stuff and sell it on"….

i - was a bit mute awhile, then shared my concern that it makes no sense for resources to be contained for use of a few, rather than all of us sharing them, for it won’t help if just one person can wash their hands. They will still have to come into contact with others who might be carriers, so we might do better to think of working together.

They continued, reaching the conclusion that it was “every man for themselves”, i quote.
That the world was declining as "we’ve lost our sense of national identity”....

this was me. my actual face, btw.

Friends, i don’t think i need to tell you where i stand when it comes to discussions of nation and empire and colonialism, do i? I mean, we can see the impact of that is the current global crisis we are experiencing, and every historical ailment that has ever occurred, right up until this point, but anyway, i digress….

I was stunned for a moment, trying not to judge, trying to understand but feeling frozen because we know this belief system is nothing new and it’s not unusual, as much as some might say it’s rare. We see it in responses to any situation where a dominant group holding power continues to uphold the system that benefits them.

“every man for themselves!”

i -

rebuke that idea!

whew!

But we also know and feel that this plays out to the detriment of many.

We see it in how quickly the world can adjust this week just to suit ableist people, resolving issues that people with disabilities or limitations have been recommending and suggesting and requesting we do for decades.

We see it in those who, for one moment jumped on the climate crisis trend, yet are now booking private jets to escape and preserve themselves, at any cost.

We see it in the hurdles of hardships any community who has ever experienced any layer of oppression has to go through which is normalised and maintained by those who hold power. Suffering is ignored and "unseen" yet still, hypervisible. I guess it's inconvenient to witness contradiction….

I am trying not to judge. But….. here i am-

struggling not to feel fury when i think of those people who will be most affected.

Most vulnerable.

Most at risk of harm.

cause -

WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER!

...and must work together to find solutions that support us all to be well, free, have access and aid.

For example, how do we support:

📍People in our community who are homeless?

📍Students who are displaced from their residence due to closures and without option for housing or food or resources?

📍Vulnerable people who rely on human contact to support their needs.

📍Those out here who can’t simply “work from home”. Who will struggle to afford rent and food because of losing income in these weeks/months ahead.

....

It’s making me think of this tweet i shared in my Stories earlier last week:

I wonder:

How do those of us who hold privilege and access and resources, share that in ways that can be useful? 💞

I am in no way criticising closures or cancellations at all here, nor what people choose to do in order to be “safe”. I’m also interested in using examples of what we might be witnessing around us in our local and international communities, and consider how we might hold space for others, listen to what people need, consider solutions, and move forward from here.

I am very much interested to hear your ideas on this too, so if there’s something you or someone you know might be needing support with, or perhaps a cause you might want to amplify our attention to, so i can pass this on, or connect people if that’s helpful, boost a signal, whatever! 🗣Get in touch with me!

What i am sure of, is the need for us to be mindful with our own energy.

Because these times are calling us to step up and in. To take action.

I mean, if we don’t, change will happen, regardless, and i don’t know about you, but i’d prefer to be proactively working to create space with those who want to do that together.

A new world in my view 🌍 (you know there’s a playlist for this episode, right?)

For many, it’s uncomfortable to fathom another way of being...Reacting to circumstances alone as opposed to remembering that we get to contribute to new ways of being in this world.
Imagining new futures.
Yeah...i’m a futurist (i suspect some of the earliest posters in my bedroom and musical influences like Earth Wind & Fire and Maze have something to do with this...thanks parental units for this! and thanks futurists for your style inspo, always!)

I’m thinking now, of all the times i’ve been called "idealistic" or "gullible" or more kindly, "optimistic" in nature, but i hope that i may be a vessel that helps you to remember we get to create change for ourselves. To create a better world. To even, create beauty, from some some of the darkest parts.

..i wrote and spoke about this in a recent podcast which i recorded for you earlier last week - --- ay, let me get to editing that for you so i can share it asap. It’s about creative resilience in these times.

Look, babes, i know i have the privilege of thinking about my own story and what i survived, where i came from and what i came through to be here with you right now...and i’m not saying this so you feel a ping of compassion or pity for any of that, but moreso, as an example to shine a torch on you and your own journey. The hardships. The difficult things you’ve made it through. You survived. You thrived. You are here!

And honouring that journey, because i know it hasn’t been easy to get through those difficult things, and perhaps you are still wading through stuff right now, and i’m right here with you, but i also would love, if we could hold space for the fact that you are here, for a reason.

We are here, together, with an opportunity right now to create change. To have impact. And working together to do that, i think, is the best, most effective and progressive way forwards. May all voices be heard!

However ---

-we have to start from ourselves.

We are going to be so much more effective and impactful when we are grounded, centered and collected (as much is possible in these times, and a sidenote here, that this ground is changing all the time, as is our practice - it’s not static, like or an on-off switch, it’s an ongoing practice we can use, adjust and work with, depending on what’s going on and what might be thrown at us!)

So, my friends, let's take a breath for nothing...

🌬

as many as you need…..

...and consider some ideas for:

grounding, centering and collecting ourselves 🌳

Here are some immediate ideas off the top of my head plus links to further explorations:

Hydration 💦are you drinking enough water? I know this seems obvious but i can always use the reminder!
Nourishment. In all forms not just food, but whilst we’re here, a reminder of this: On the yoga and food thing revisited 🍴
Soap - more here: does soap work? 🧼
Rest : On: work life rest balance 💤
Pleasure : Reclaiming pleasure 🍑
Breathwork if accessible : Breathwork for calming and easing anxiety 🌬
Limiting time online when we notice ourselves spiralling : Grief, sadness and life online // I Feel For You podcast episode 31 💻
Give yourself space to process what you need. Take your time. Contemplation on feelings of grief, shock and loss and Feel all the feels: a self care manifesto 🚶🏽‍♂️
Go towards practices that support you. Here’s some videos i made for you in case anything resonates: 🧘🏽‍♀️
Grounding anxious energy
Foot massage with tennis ball
Tree pose
Come back to your centre - a simple meditation practice (NEW VIDEO ALERT!)
Connectivity to things that enhance our lives online, disconnecting from stuff that doesn’t feel nourishing or helpful : 5 things to try when overwhelmed by newsfeeds 💞
Awareness for information that’s rooted and trustworthy. 🌳 Ok admittedly this can be challenging as there is a lot of noise. But notice what enhances your anxiety. It’s good to be informed but how can that feel like information that’s useful as opposed to aggravating drama. On that, really recommend you check out the following resources: Healing Justice - rebranded to Irresistible :: Coronavirus: Wisdom from a Social Justice Lens and Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now
Taking breaks to explore grounding in meaningful ways for you. 🕰Regularly! Some more prompts here: 15 self care ideas to shift your state
Notion document

How do we take this forward from ourselves to others?

Grounding, centering and collecting ourselves is on my mind a lot (as someone who has lived with anxiety in various forms for over 20 years - lol but um...do i get an award for this? shoutout to fellow survivors, thrivers!) I feel one way that can be useful is gathering our collective energy to practice grounding, centring and collecting ourselves in action. That’s why i share public events babes, and make videos, the podcast, this Digest etc.

Connection can help us to practice holding space for ourselves and each other. It’s a way we can hold space for a concept too, ideas, plus give us a safe space to explore it.

So as it’s been on my mind for months (years) and only getting louder and louder, i woke up this morning last week - in fact it was the morning after storytime fella gave me the fuel, feeling compelled to put things into action - online - asap...so, ahem, join me for this:

Release some tension - a virtual hangout! 🐳 - online Thursday 19 March!

THIS IS IT!

So, i’m offering a short, simple practice offering accessible tools, techniques and ideas for releasing some tension so you can feel more space and ease

✅accessible tools, techniques + ideas to release tension
✅creative explorations
✅self care resources (in session + follow up email)
✅spacemaking practices
✅option to connect with community online (or be low key, fellow introverts, it's all good, do you)

Q+A

Q: What is this?

A: It’s mainly an offering to practice together - online! Think of it as a combination of my irl community events, creative coaching offerings, podcast and videos, in one short condensed community hangout!

A mini workshop exploration with ideas, creative explorations and activities we practice virtually, then you can take away and apply and/or adapt for everyday. Make it real!

Q: How much does it cost?

A: It's free! Err, also this isn't a webinar. You won't be sold anything. It's simply a chance for us to hang out and for me to share stuff that i hope will help you find more space and ease.

Q: Will there be movement?

A: We will do a little bit, but i’s more about techniques you can hopefully feel ok to do on your chair. Will be options to stand, sit, or lay down, so the main thing is you’re comfortable. Everything is optional. That goes for all parts of the hangout.

There...might be a disco. We’ll see how it goes.

Q: Do i need a yoga mat or workout clothes or anything else?

A: Nope, sit or lay wherever is good for you. Wear what you feel comfortable in. Bring a pen and piece of paper for a "mystery activity" 😉

Q: Will i be on camera or heard ?

A: Not unless you want to be! I’ll ask questions and prompt you to use the “chat” function cause i think real-time connection gives value.

Q: Why do this live?

A: Cause it’s powerful to connect in space, be it irl or virtually!
Gathering is a form of action, even if it's "simply" the energy of showing up, and i think when it comes to practice, gathering can also be a form of accountability! Helpful in these times, i think.

Being in real-time also offers space for questions at any point, which makes this more of a conversation. It’s a 2-way thing.

Speaking of which, if you have any questions about the event, just get in touch! Or dig around this site for more tools and resources!

Really hope you can make it, looking forward to seeing you! 🙋🏽‍♀✨(going to dance to SWV now...)

Oh and no worries if you arrive late or signup but miss the call, you get a replay sent to you afterwards! (But you have to register in order to get the link for the live + the recording so join via the button below!)

Join the virtual hangout here

a playlist for the road (it’s collaborative so add away!) ✨

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