Listening to Dr. Martin Shaw tell a story has become one of my favourite quarantine pastimes. There's something deeply soothing about a good storyteller share an ancient story, any time of the day or night.
This afternoon, I am sitting at the computer working away to get my website published, which means, if you're reading this, I've finally got it up and running!
Dr. Shaw is on a podcast expressing how key it is for us still struggling right now, to uncolonized our imaginations. To start, only wear cloths you love, listen to music that makes your heart sing, connect with folks who spark a diverse range of interests and passions. There are 2 other daily actions I would like to add to his suggestions.
2020 has been anything but simple. Turning on the news in the morning can feel like preparing to walk through a snake pit. How we relate with ourselves can be a sign as to how we will relate to the larger world. Starting my day sitting and feeling into my heartSpace is a gentle way I can begin dismantling the colonization of my Being.
I've had lots of time to think about and address big picture and small picture things that matter to me. 'Why do I Move, and feel drawn to teach others to Move?' is a question that gets tossed about in my mind quite a bit. As the world has slowly woken up to the abuse that centuries of white bodied supremacist delusion has inflicted on Black citizens and People of Colour I have had to acknowledge to myself how my inaction has supported this system of oppression. When I move, and act to support others along their movement journey , I see now how I can engage in a form of rebellion against the Follow the (White Male) Leader mantra we've been marching to for far too long.
When I say "I teach Movement" what I mean is I'm searching for ways to support students in their quest for greater connection within, and without. I can not teach, nor assume to teach someone to move.We all know how to move. What I can offer could be at times in the form of a question ,a game, a high five, a suggestion,a challenge,a boost. An outside eye can be necessary for all of us seeking greater personal Agency . As we explore our edges and lean in a bit, we can start to feel how much more capable we are than we ever imagined possible. There is a strength in this understanding that I feel far outweighs how much one can bench press at the gym.
As I nurture this ability to meet and challenge my assumptions, preconceptions and judgements of myself, I can respect the inner journey that others are on with more presence and compassion. Uncolonizing my imagination may seem like a daunting undertaking when seen as something else to get done and cross off the list, but as a foundation to how and why I move, create, relate and ultimately live, I'm there.
