How to Host A Dinner Party

#10. Christmas Couch Special Pt.2 - Ho Ho Hold Me

This episode is brought to you by the Annas who recorded this in the same state, in the same house, in the same living room, on the same couch. For this reason the audio quality isn't as crisp as it is on other episodes, but the content is just as juicy.   After exploring the different experiences that folks may have of Christmas in Pt. 1,  this episode is about the different ways that we can support ourselves and each other through this big time.  The Annas share different somatic practices (such as a hug) that might be useful while at the dinner table on Christmas Day or throughout the Christmas holidays more generally.  The hope is that this episode will serve as a tool and a companion to provide guidance and comfort to you and your little people as we navigate our way through the Christmas break and into the New Year.    We can't wait to see you all next year! Stay juicy folks!   Follow us on Instagram at @howtohostadinnerparty [https://www.instagram.com/howtohostadinnerparty/] to stay up to date with behind the scenes and future episodes.

#09. Christmas Couch Special Pt.1 - Tis’ the Season to be Jacked Up

This episode is brought to you by the Annas who recorded this in the same state, in the same house, in the same living room, on the same couch. For this reason the audio quality isn't as crisp as it is on other episodes, but the content is just as juicy.    This episode is an exploration of the big feelings that emerge for so many people at Christmas. It is an acknowledgment of the magic, the connection and the joy that is experienced by many at this time of year, but also an acknowledgment of the loss, the loneliness and the grief that is experienced by many. We get curious about the ways in which both experiences can be held and nurtured.    We discuss the reasons for the overwhelm experienced at this time of year and what can be happening for folks on a neurobiological level. We also explore some ways that we can support our nervous systems during this big time, on Christmas day at the dinner table, but also more generally throughout the holidays. There will be more on this in Christmas Couch Special Pt.2.    Follow us on Instagram at @howtohostadinnerparty [https://www.instagram.com/howtohostadinnerparty/] to stay up to date with behind the scenes and future episodes.

#08.Bowerbird Sex Dens and Party Bags

We have reached the finale of Season 1! In this episode we do a recap of the previous episodes and the juicy topics that we have explored during the season. We acknowledge that transitions and endings can be challenging - in a dinner party setting and throughout our days and lives. We ask the question "what is your relationship with endings?" and we discuss ritual as being a helpful tool for managing the feelings that arise in relation to endings. We also ask the question, "did curiosity kill the cat?" or is in fact curiosity the most powerful relational tool we have.      We explore the neuroscience of transitions and the reasons why they are so challenging for big people and little people. We discuss ways that we can make the unknown, known to assist with transitions and endings. We explore some different ways, such as transitional objects and countdowns, to help big people and little people to move from one space to the next. We make the unknown, known for you all by sharing our plans for the podcast beyond Season 1 and cannot wait to dive deeper into some of the topics we have already explored and to get curious about new topics we are yet to uncover. There was also talk of guests in the next season (oooooh).     Stay juicy.

#07. F*** Capitalism, Eat Cake

Mary Oliver teaches us that 'Joy is not made to be a crumb'. In this episode we consider that joy, pleasure and aliveness might actually be a juicy cake, covered in icing.   This episode explores how we hold, define and practice pleasure in our own lives. We talk about the politics of pleasure and reclaiming it as our birthright from the reigns of the chief thief of our joy - capitalism.   We hope this episode places pleasure back where it belongs, in the small, micro moments of your day-to-day lives and in those moments re-remember what it means to be human.   References: Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey [https://thenapministry.com/] Euphemia - full spectrum pleasure coach [https://euphemiarussell.com/homepage]  "microdosing pleasure"   Andreas Weber- Matter and Desire: An Erotic Ecology [https://www.amazon.com.au/Matter-Desire-Ecology-Andreas-Weber/dp/1603586970] "Having the courage to feel your own needs and also to trust those feelings amounts to having the guts to stand up publicly and demand a different politics, one suitable to the demands of aliveness.”   Adrienne Maree Brown- Pleasure Activism [https://www.amazon.com.au/Pleasure-Activism-Politics-Feeling-Good/dp/1849353263] All of their work is amazing but I quoted  Pleasure is our measure of freedom   The Body Is Not An Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love [https://www.amazon.com.au/Body-Apology-Sonya-Renee-Taylor/dp/1626569762] “Concepts like self-acceptance and body neutrality are not without value. When you have spent your entire life at war with your body, these models offer a truce. But you can have more than a cease-fire. You can have radical self-love because you are already radical self-love.”

#06. These are the Times to Gather

These are hard times, uncertain times and divided times. In this episode we talk through our bodies response to the referendum outcome in Australia over the weekend and ways in which we are attending to the pain and grief in our hearts for our kin who are suffering all over the world. We dive into polyvagal theory as a way of understanding the states of our being and why numbness, disassociation, rage and disconnection arise in our bodies. We explore different ways to move into regulated presence, through social connection and deep listening. This whole episode leans on the wisdom and work of Joanna Macy in our conversation to move through gratitude, joy and newly imagined possibilities.   References:   Hieroglyphic Stairway by Drew Dellinger [https://hellopoetry.com/poem/1336778/hieroglyphic-stairway-by-drew-dellinger/]   Vikki Reynolds - "Resisting Burnout" [https://vikkireynolds.ca/]   Joanna Macy - The Work That Reconnects [https://workthatreconnects.org/spiral/]   Stephen W. Porges - Polyvagal Theory [https://www.stephenporges.com/]   Bayo Akomolafe - The Times are Urgent: Let’s Slow Down [https://www.bayoakomolafe.net/post/the-times-are-urgent-lets-slow-down]