Oh glory be…summer is finally here and possibly a summer with fewer restrictions. Finally warm, dry and prolonged sunny days to kiss your skin, warm your bones and allow you to ease into the expansive, spaciousness of the season of the fire element (hopefully minus forest fires…eep).
Having now lived for more than a year through the pandemic, we are starting to see a delayed trauma response that is a muddy soup due to compartmentalizing our stress so we can carry on with our day-to-day lives with the constant threat of COVID in the background + anxiety and fear about the world opening back up. The WHOLE WORLD is experiencing a collective uncertainty fatigue :(
It is also a heavy, grief-filled time for our Indigenous communities, compounding the ongoing pandemic stress and inequality. In addition, as non-Indigenous settlers, we are reminded yet again of the brutal, violent history that cleared the way to build our country otherwise know as “Canada”. There are so many factors contributing to our nervous system dysregulation.
As we do every month, we have carefully curated a selection of affirmations, meditation techniques to sending the world loving kindness, a summer-themed soundtrack, some insightful film selections and recipes that showcase the season’s abundance and to help beat the heat.
We will leave you with a quote from artist-philosopher, Yumi Sakugawa, completely relevant to current state of the world and the toxic grip of colonialism and late stage capitalism:
While the outside world rushes to move on, the experience of the pandemic has yet to fully leave my body. Parts of my body, my mind, my spirit are still trapped in the limbo of pandemic despair, pandemic depression, pandemic numbness, pandemic survival. I will not be pressured to move at the breakneck speed of capitalism that wants to forget everything. I will move at the pace of my own healing, and be attuned to my own slow and tender needs.
- From the Atlantic, Listen: You are Worthy of Sleep, even in a pandemic
On the latest episode of the Social Distance podcast, Tricia Hersey of the Nap Ministry joins James Hamblin and Katherine Wells to explain the importance of rest and how to get enough of it. - Pema Chödrön | Tonglen Meditation
In this meditation, Pema Chödrön guides you through the 4 stages of Tonglen meditation.
Tonglen practice, also known as “taking and sending,” reverses our usual logic of avoiding suffering and seeking pleasure. In tonglen practice, we visualize taking in the pain of others with every in-breath and sending out whatever will benefit them on the out-breath. In the process, we become liberated from age- old patterns of selfishness. We begin to feel love for both ourselves and others; we begin to take care of ourselves and others. - From NPR: Do We Even Know How To Socialize Anymore?
Zoom meetings. Virtual happy hours. Facetime dates. We’ve all been living in a pandemic world for over a year now, and for better or worse, many of us are used to our new social routines.
But as vaccinations ramp up and restrictions start to begin to loosen across the country, the new questions is: Are we ready? After so much time apart, do we even know how to socialize in-person anymore? - Not too many of us will be able to travel to Cuba anytime soon, so we’ll bring Cuba to you :)
We hope you enjoy our Buena Vista Social Club playlist:
Buena Vista Social Club – Hecho En Cuba
Omara Portuondo – Omara Portuondo (Full Album)
Rubén González – Introducing (Full Album)
Ibrahim Ferrer – Mi Sueno
Omara Portuondo and Buena Vista Social Club live in Belgrade, Serbia - Greetings, Sat Sri Akal! More from Gurdeep Pandher!
Bhangra Lesson 2 in Wilderness – How to do Punjab (Crossed Legs) Step
Bhangra Lesson in Wilderness #3 – How to do Bhangra Step
In this lesson from the wilderness of the Yukon, I teach how to dance a Bhangra move called “Punjab with Crossed Legs” for joy, hope, positivity and workout. After you learn the move, visit https://linktr.ee/BhangraMusic to find some music to dance to. - A few National Film Board of Canada picks:
The Raven and the Whale
Director Mirjam Leuze’s The Whale and the Raven illuminates the many issues that have drawn whale researchers, the Gitga’at First Nation, and the Government of British Columbia into a complex conflict. As the people in the Great Bear Rainforest struggle to protect their territory against the pressure and promise of the gas industry, caught in between are the countless beings that call this place home.
Love in Quarantine
When COVID protocols impose restrictions on human interaction, Millefiore Clarkes seizes the opportunity to reflect on the nature of love itself, juxtaposing her own existential quest with those of a teenager grappling with identity and self-worth in a time of social distancing, and a woman who finds surprising new romance despite pandemic isolation.
Kenbe la, Until We Win
Some dreamers have the power to inspire us, bring us together, and help us reconnect with our humanity. Alain Philoctète, a Haitian artist and activist who settled in Quebec, returns to the country of his birth to develop a permaculture project with local farmers. There, he has an emotional reunion with family members and his former comrades in arms, whose ideals remain unshaken despite the lingering aftermath of the 2010 earthquake and political instability. - Pulled from our blog archives, a juicy and refreshing post from our former herbalist, Jenny McCartney
Summer Strategies to Beat the Heat - More refreshing seasonal flavors, Raw Sesame Cabbage Salad by Nasim Lahbichi of Lahbco
A versatile, flavorful salad that incorporates all 5 TCM flavors of sweet, salty, bitter, sour and pungent, that will help keep you cool, hydrated, while the pungent-bitter-sour flavors will aid with digestibility.
Please contact The Indian Residential School Survivors Society toll-free 1 (800) 721-0066 or 24hr Crisis Line 1 (866) 925-4419 if you require further emotional support or assistance.
Please consider donating to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society to continue funding culturally-specific supports and healing resources.
