Ceremony and COVID times

Clearly, there are many shortcomings of ceremony in the virtual space – we do not experience our senses as fully as we would while sitting in our Bighouse, kneeling in a Sweat Lodge, dancing in a Sundance Arbor, or singing together in circle. We do not feel with our whole bodies when we are sitting in front of a screen – perhaps this will take effort in building up our imagination and visualization capacity. Virtual ceremony is a process of connecting to the sacred by means of technology. It is an ambiguous space/time continuum that we can access to virtually and symbolically exchanging our vibrations with community and loved ones. It is a way we can feel connected, seen, heard, or ask for guidance from our cultural keepers and Elders.

CeremonyGuest UserNovember 22, 2020COVID-19

Sa̱ltała – Trauma-informed Yoga and Ceremony

Jessica Barudin will weave stories, Kwakwaka’wakw values, and research to describe Indigenous contemplative and meditative practices. She will offer reflections of healing intergenerational and historical trauma and strengthening community wellness through Yoga and Ceremony. She will speak to her experiences of co-creating trauma-informed curricula with First Nations womxn and the early impressions of her doctoral project “(Re)Connecting through women’s teachings, language and movement: Culturally-adapted yoga for First Nations Womxn and Girls”.

ResearchGuest UserOctober 4, 2020Speaking, Yoga

Unpacking Trauma and trauma-theory through an Indigenous lens

Recently I learned from a Nuu-chah-nulth Elder and medicine man, Dave Frank, who marveled at how our brains are intelligent by design, by stating “Our brains are so smart. Our brains can block out trauma and repress the memories - but our body, our organs and our skin hold the memory of that trauma. That trauma memory lives in the cells until we release it” (oral communication, October, 2020). Trauma reorganizes the brain and how it manages perceptions and cognition by altering how we think, what we think about, and even the ability to think (Bessel van der Kolk, 2015).