Vegetation: Meditation in Community

5. This American Rice: Eric Abel Esquivel-Gutierrez

We are grateful to have you at our virtual table where we center food as connection, storytelling as medicine, and pleasure as resistance! Grab a plate because we are diving right in! This episode features Eric Abel Esquivel-Gutierrez (any pronoun with respect). Eric is an Actor, Teaching Artist and Health Educator reborn and currently based in Oakland, CA. He is knowledgeable in creating safe, nonjudgmental and fun spaces where human beings of all ages can connect and learn from one another. For the past eleven years Eric has worked with various Bay Area youth-centered organizations using theatre arts and music creation to engage students in a myriad of health-related topics. He is also passionate about using himself to bring stories to life onstage. Eric shares his Grandmother Natalie’s soup recipe that is a truly versatile dish you can enjoy when you want something hearty and flavorful. This soup brings together various spices and herbs to help warm up the body and get your kitchen smelling amazing. Get Eric’s full recipe here [https://tharavada.weebly.com/this-american-rice]. Through Eric’s stories and reflections we learn about what it was like growing up as a kid who loves art, performance, and making music, and how art culture continues to shape him into a teaching artist who is dedicated to spreading the message of community love and personal power through theatre, movement, and conversations. Eric’s journey is a beautiful example of being Ni de Aqui, Ni de Alla (not from here or there) and how living at life’s many intersections of culture and identity can be messy and joyful. About this podcast: Each episode of This American Rice features one of our favorite co-conspirators who will share personal stories about the (sometimes messy) intersections of culture and identity, personal practices, and a delicious recipe we can all enjoy together. By sharing these simplest of pleasures we are weeding out the legacy of manifest destiny. Stay in conversation We hope you're enjoying This American Rice! We’d love to hear your reactions and feedback on this and future episodes. Instagram: @TharavadaYoga [https://www.instagram.com/tharavadayoga/] Facebook: @TharavadaYoga [https://www.facebook.com/TharavadaYoga/] Youtube: @TharavadaYoga [https://www.youtube.com/@tharavadayoga] Email: TharavadaYogaChat@gmail.com Episode Music from Pixabay [https://pixabay.com/]: Together Forever, Anton Vlasov [https://pixabay.com/music/search/Anton_Vlasov/] Jho Deep - Rain, Mepa ExyZ [https://pixabay.com/music/search/jho%20deep/]

4. This American Rice: D. Anaya

Pull up a seat and grab a plate! At this virtual table we center food as connection, storytelling as medicine, and pleasure as resistance! We hope you are hungry. We are grateful to have D. Anaya as our special guest on this episode of This American Rice. She is the Founder and Creative Grief Guide at Adventures of Grief Girl, Co-host of Grief after Dark Podcast, and Indie Publisher,  AGGink.  As a Grief Guide, D. uses over 35 years of performance arts research and experience in visual arts, storytelling, poetry, puppetry, physical theatre, painting, photography, book making and journaling to encourage bereaved (mothers) to consider “play” as a healing experience. She is a true innovator, creator, and healer. Through multisensory installations, live performances, and grief talks, D inspires creativity and a passion for surviving crisis through creative means. D. shares a recipe that is simple, spicy, and warming - The Mystic Fireball. This drink is perfect as we head into shorter days, darkness, and coldness. Whether enjoyed hot or iced, with whiskey or without, the spicy notes and delicate cream of The Mystic Fireball help us find a good excuse to slow the F down and breathe. Grief is truly complex and in this conversation with D. we explore its many dimensions. D. shares insight on her practices and rituals that help to uplift and empower individuals (and herself) to take ownership of their human experiences, create play and pleasure as a ritual practice, and to share their own stories with others in solidarity. About this podcast: Each episode of This American Rice features one of our favorite co-conspirators who will share personal stories about the (sometimes messy) intersections of culture and identity, personal practices, and a delicious recipe we can all enjoy together. By sharing these simplest of pleasures we are weeding out the legacy of manifest destiny. Resources https://www.facebook.com/adventuresofgriefgirl/ [https://www.facebook.com/adventuresofgriefgirl/] https://instagram.com/adventuresofgriefgirl?igshid=187lrqaql06oi [https://instagram.com/adventuresofgriefgirl?igshid=187lrqaql06oi] Stay in conversation We hope you're enjoying This American Rice! We’d love to hear your reactions and feedback on this and future episodes. Instagram: @TharavadaYoga [https://www.instagram.com/tharavadayoga/] Facebook: @TharavadaYoga [https://www.facebook.com/TharavadaYoga/] Email: TharavadaYogaChat@gmail.com Episode Music from Pixabay [https://pixabay.com/]: Together Forever, Anton Vlasov [https://pixabay.com/music/search/Anton_Vlasov/] Jho Deep - Rain, Mepa ExyZ [https://pixabay.com/music/search/jho%20deep/]

3. This American Rice: Mike Sagun

We are so glad you have joined us to convene around the virtual table where we center food as connection, storytelling as medicine, and pleasure as resistance! This episode features Certified Professional Men’s Coach, facilitator, and teacher, Mike Sagun. Mike facilitates EVRYMAN's FUNDAMENTALS program -- a monthly virtual experiential intensive program that helps men develop and strengthen emotional intelligence and he leads men's retreats all over the United States. His work is simple: he helps men feel. Mike is currently launching a brand new retreat in Mexico in February 2023! This exclusive experience will be an opportunity for men to let go of energetic weight and reset their nervous systems. The impact of Mike’s work has a ripple effect well beyond his clients -his work truly impacts families, friendships, and communities. Mike shares his special Golden Milk Smoothie recipe with us. This recipe is inspired by the traditional Indian drink made with tumeric, cinnamon, ginger, and other spices. These spices come together to soothe the gut and reduce inflammation. Mike transforms golden milk into a smoothie that can be enjoyed as a meal or after a workout. Mike also shares stories and history about his Filipino ancestry, learnings from his immigrant family,  and what it was like growing up in the US and discovering the many facets of Self. Mike currently lives in the iconic little town of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico with his husband and pitbull rescue. When he's not working with men, he's probably tending to his plants and garden, moving his body, watching the Golden State Warriors, or in the kitchen cooking a meal. About this podcast: Each episode of This American Rice features one of our favorite co-conspirators who will share personal stories about the (sometimes messy) intersections of culture and identity, personal practices, and a delicious recipe we can all enjoy together. By sharing these simplest of pleasures we are weeding out the legacy of manifest destiny. Resources www.mikesagun.com [http://www.mikesagun.com/] IG: @mike.sagun Book a free intro call: www.mikesagun.com/contact [http://www.mikesagun.com/contact] Internal Family Systems website:  https://ifs-institute.com/ [https://ifs-institute.com/] Stay in conversation We hope you're enjoying This American Rice! We’d love to hear your reactions and feedback on this and future episodes. Instagram: @TharavadaYoga [https://www.instagram.com/tharavadayoga/] Facebook: @TharavadaYoga [https://www.facebook.com/TharavadaYoga/] Email: TharavadaYogaChat@gmail.com Episode Music from Pixabay [https://pixabay.com/]: Together Forever, Anton Vlasov [https://pixabay.com/music/search/Anton_Vlasov/] Jho Deep - Rain, Mepa ExyZ [https://pixabay.com/music/search/jho%20deep/]

12: Grief as Medicine | Series 3: Winter Solstice

Thank you for joining us for another episode of the Vegetation podcast. This is episode 2 of the Winter Solstice Vegetation session with our magical co-conspirator, Jen. Our introspection on (re)generation continues and we begin to explore the connections among grief, eldership, and the shadow self. Can we challenge ourselves to begin to see grief as a medicine that can hold us? What if we believed that grief could be an expansive space where we could allow for a deeper understanding and connection to love and humanity? We know these are some deep questions and we do not have answers for you, but we have a comfy seat waiting here for you to listen in and ponder alongside us. We can't wait to see what sparks for you after listening to this episode! Resources In this episode we discuss  The Kiss of Death [https://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/files/kkk_flyer_1964_covington_(1).compressed.pdf]. This illustration is included in propaganda  that was distributed at a KKK rally in Covington, Tennessee in 1966 (only 56 years ago). Stay in conversation We hope you're enjoying the Vegetation: Meditation in Community podcast. We’d love to hear your reactions and feedback on this and future episodes. Stay in conversation with us on Instagram (@TharavadaYoga), Facebook (@TharavadaYoga), and/or send us an email at TharavadaYogaChat@gmail.com [TharavadaYogaChat@gmail.com].

11: (Re)generation | Series 3: Winter Solstice

Annnnnnd we are back! We have been on sabbatical for the past two months and we are so excited to share an all new series of the Vegetation podcast. In this series we travel back to 2021 Winter Solstice and our Vegetation session with one of our favorite co-conspirators, Jen (she/her).  Jen is a speech therapist by trade and a deep feeler by inheritance. She is interested in seeing the world through a lens of emotions, loves a ritual, and cherishes the ever-growing connections to the Grandcestors. Together, we begin to explore (re)generation: the continual cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Life is constant regeneration, yet we move too quickly or are too focused on the many “what ifs” of the future to acknowledge or recognize our incremental evolution and growth in this continual cycle of (re)generation. Join us as we pause to (re)connect with the love and magic that surround us, helping to guide us with every step of our own (re)generation.  Stay in conversation We hope you're enjoying the Vegetation: Meditation in Community podcast. We’d love to hear your reactions and feedback on this and future episodes. Stay in conversation with us on Instagram (@TharavadaYoga), Facebook (@TharavadaYoga), and/or send us an email at TharavadaYogaChat@gmail.com [TharavadaYogaChat@gmail.com].