Mind Full of Everything

REFLECT | The intimacy lens to community re-building

How can we re-imagine community re-building through the intimacy lens to preserve the emotion and spiritualism in the process of reconnecting to community? In what ways can intimacy revolutionise collective healing and our current understanding of what community means?

For the final episode of this year, Agrita brings to us a Reflection episode where she shares her awakening about, and gifted opportunities to relearn, Indigenous teachings on optimising community functionality through respecting and valuing all individuals and relationships which connect together to form the system of community. Agrita emphasises the need for intimacy to be contexualised as the foundation for all relationships, not just romantic/sexual ones, to re-centre love and openness in our collective effort to re-build a culture of community and relationality.

Visit mindfullofeverything.com for access to the episode archives, resources and transcripts.

Revitalising connections to community and Earth through ethical storytelling w/ Sanjana Sekhar

What role does storytelling play in revolutionising our work to heal our current selves and natural world, as well as our future? How can we re-establish a culture of relatedness and reciprocity through reclaiming our wisdom and positions as storytellers and communicators?

We are joined today by Sanjana Sekhar, a filmmaker, climate activist, & Ayurvedic wellness communicator who uses her work in ethical filmmaking to amplify character-driven stories that heal our human relationships to ourselves, each other, and our planet, with a specific interest in socioecological justice, ancestral knowledge, and systems of re-nourishment. In this heart-warming and insightful conversation, Agrita and Sanjana explore the medicine of storytelling in relation to the ancient practice catalysing our healing work, within community and Earth, to revive lost and damaged connections to who we really are in this interconnected world.

Visit mindfullofeverything.com to access all episode resources, show notes and transcripts.

Follow the podcast on Instagram (@mindfullofeverything_pod) and Facebook (@mindfullofeverything).

Unlearning colonial somatics as women of colour with Kelsey Blackwell

Living within oppressive systems, built to benefit Western colonial social structures, land and society through the racial hierarchy established by white supremacy, is a traumatising experience for people of colour, particularly those aware of what is happening to their bodies. Coupled with systemic sexism perpetuated through the gender binary, women of colour, often at very young ages, face the traumas of racial and sexual violence which can leave us feeling detached from our entire being - far from human. Where do we begin to unpack these traumas to our bodies which have left us subject to objectification and exotification as a function by the white gaze? Can tending to the disconnects in our bodies be done on colonised land?

In this episode, we are joined by Kelsey Blackwell, who uses her wisdom within the field of somatics to support women of colour in their journeys to decolonise the entirety of their being through abolitionist practices such as Interplay and Pleasure Activism. Kelsey believes that collective liberation must bring joy, and as important as it is to tend to traumas, often times passed on from generations, liberatory practices also must involve what the body finds pleasurable and comfortable.

Visit mindfullofeverything.com for episode resources, show notes and transcripts.

Connect with the podcast on Instagram (@mindfullofeverything_pod) and Facebook (@mindfullofeverything).

Connect with Kelsey on Instagram (@decolonizingthebody).

Season 2 Trailer

Navigating our fast evolving world as a young adult can seem extremely daunting. As we transition into adulthood, our capacities to healthily manage work-life commitments and choices, leaving us youth to question: who am I and where do I stand in this broken culture of community?

Join the host, Agrita Dandriyal, on her journey of self-discovery, self-acceptance and reimagining a restored and abundant world. In each monthly episode, pertinent environmental and social issues will be discussed, with an emphasis on preserving self within community, as a step forward in collective healing and re-creation of a world that values all walks of life and all states of being, beginning with the re-adoption of our pre-colonial standpoints in the world as interconnected and relational beings.

Visit mindfullofeverything.com to access all episode resources, show notes and transcripts.

Connect to the podcast on Instagram (@mindfullofeverything_pod), Facebook (@mindfullofeverything) and Twitter (@mindfull_agrita).

Finding self in a broken culture of community

We live in an interconnected world, full of beings, spaces and life that are connected through an intricate web of interdependence which sustains the health of Earth. Yet we are increasingly seeing a disconnection between humanity and the wider world, which has been exacerbated by the human-nature dualism adopted by Western and urban spaces, but this disconnection runs deeper into the flawed notion of humanity's domination of Earth and rejection of our positions in the world as relational beings. 

In this Reflection episode, Agrita explores the social crisis of community fragmentation within modern and Westernised societies, with a particular focus on the cultural divide caused by the individualism-collectivism approach for cross-cultural/national studies between/within Western and non-Western cultures. Agrita calls for a rejection of defined categories to represent individuals and society and instead emphasises the need for us to rebuild a culture of relatedness and understanding for every individual and every community to be valued.

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To listen to other episodes in the Reflection series, and access episode show notes, transcripts and resources, visit mindfullofeverything.com.

Follow the podcast on Instagram (@mindfullofeverything_pod) and Facebook (@mindfullofeverything).

Reimagining environmentalism through the motherhood lens with Dr Allison Davis

Our modern dominant cultures for too long have trivialised motherhood experiences and practices, jeopardising the wellbeing and safety of mothers as they undergo various emotional, physical, social and mental challenges that come with transitioning to motherhood. As like any other social figure, and individual, mothers deserve respect, support and care by systems of power and society, but since most cultures assign the role of the primary care giver to mothers, the urgency to provide holistic maternal support is strengthening for a world which is becoming increasingly volatile.

In this episode, we are joined by Dr Allison Davis to share with us her deepened understanding of the role that mothers play as environmental stewards, due to their standpoint in the world, and the need for mothers to reimagine motherhood for themselves for sustained personal and planetary health.

Dr. Allison Davis is a researcher, writer, counselor, and educator of maternal mental health. With an ecofeminist-informed, strength-based developmental framework she helps mothers challenge and reenvision motherhood norms and practices in pursuit of personal and planetary wellness. Her upcoming book The 6 Initiations of Earth-Honoring Motherhood: A Nature-Guided Rite-of-Passage for New Mothers weaves together modern research and ancient wisdom to help new mothers root into who they are and who they are becoming.

Allison is in private practice in New Mexico where she specializes in trauma resolution through nature-centered expressive therapies. She’s also affiliate faculty at Alliant University where she teaches in the Masters of Clinical Counseling Program. As a writer Allison explores “mother praxis” the possibility of a dynamic interplay between the theory and practice of mothering as mothers can reflect on harmful structures while also finding liberatory ways to work with and through them. As a researcher she focuses on bringing an applied psychoecological lens to maternal mental health, investigating how mothering in a time where we’re increasingly aware of humanity’s ecocidal behavior has profound implications for maternal mental health andhow we can create structures to support mothers within this experience.

Mothers outside of New Mexico can work with Allison through her support sessions to explore the growth and growing pains within motherhood as an ecological awakening. She also offers consultation to mother-supporting professionals and organizations who want to attune to ecological interactions in understanding maternal mental health as well as health care delivery. You can learn more by visiting her at www.motherpraxis.com and following her Instagram page @motherpraxis.

Find the episode show notes, transcripts and resources at mindfullofeverything.com.

Spiritual ecology at the heart of environmentalism

Centuries ago, the idea that humans could even be a separate entity to the rest of the natural world would be too alien to believe by ancient societies. Fast track to the modern world, and people are starting to realise that spiritualism and science can indeed go hand in hand and that the dualistic relationship humanity has with Nature is only a recent phenomenon.

Being part of a culture and religion which still has traces of ancient Indigenous spiritual and environmental wisdom present, Agrita has always felt drawn to the knowledge of the past which helped preserve the very landscapes that are now rapidly degrading. It's this strong sense of historical nostalgia which has urged Agrita to delve deeper into the history of the Indian culture she so proudly embraces to see where India went wrong with environmental stewardship and justice and how ancient eco-spiritual values can be revived to help solve India's ecological and waste crises.

This episode discusses the importance of spiritual ecology in rebuilding our broken relationship with Nature on the basis of compassion, altruism and stewardship, giving an in-depth example of the evolution of spiritual ecology within India and how the abandonment of the concept, through colonisation and the urge to become developed, has resulted in major environmental problems the nation is facing now. Agrita argues that spiritual ecology can help in reimagining environmentalism in India, for both religious and secular communities, by decolonising conservation practices and protecting Indigenous communities and environmental practices.

Ecofeminism as a solution to the climate crisis

As the environmental movement has evolved over the years, concerns have been raised about the intersectionality of environmentalism, especially since decision making for environmental policies has been led by white middle and upper class men. Whilst extensive work has been, and is being, done for the intersections of race and class with environmental issues, not enough research has been done on the gendered impacts of climate change.

Despite the fact women and girls are disproportionately affected by the changing climate, women, particularly women of colour and Indigenous women, are constantly left out of decision making for the management/protection of their land. In this episode, Agrita argues that ecofeminism poses as not just a lens for the effects of the climate crisis on women (as well as transgender and non-binary people) but also challenges the role of patriarchy and toxic masculinity in exacerbating anthropogenic climate change by bringing women to the centre of modern environmentalism.

Silk: ethics, sustainability and culture

Culture is a part of history that holds great importance to those who are part of the communities that have carried forward ancient traditions. The feeling of embracing your culture through practicing ancient customs is what keeps community members attached to their cultural heritage. However, as time calls for change in perspectives and actions, the fear of losing even the smallest part of your culture with our evolving world can feel daunting and confusing.

For Agrita, becoming a vegan meant that she had to give up dairy, honey and other animal products (except meat) that hold great cultural and religious significance but were also substances that she didn't feel comfortable in consuming/using anymore because of the reality of their production. Similarly, silk, a material that is still revered in India, was a natural fibre that Agrita had to move away from because of the abuses of human rights and silk moth rights that occur to produce conventional, and even ahinsa/ahimsa (peace), silk.

Despite not using silk herself, Agrita knew that just like dairy and honey, silk would also need to be omitted from the list of potential natural materials she could use because the production of silk went against the morals that were given to her by her Indian culture and Hinduism. In this episode, Agrita explores the origins of silk from China and India, the unsustainable and unethical practices of producing the luxury material and how allowing cultures to evolve over time to meet the needs of contemporary society is not only important for community members but also for the rest of the living world.

Reflection: The concept of forgiveness

TW: This episode mentions (doesn't go into detail) pedophilia, attempted rape/sexual molestation, murder and emotional/physical traumas (particularly childhood traumas).

In this self-reflectance episode, Agrita discusses the nuances in the concept of forgiveness, the need for the definition of the concept to be unique and shaped by the experiences of each individual and the importance of self-forgiveness as the first step to long-term healing. Whilst this episode reflects the personal choices of Agrita, the listener is encouraged to replicate and/or adapt her thought processes to the definition of forgiveness they are most comfortable and happy with.