[zoomshowcase name=”#OIS2014″ /]
…but a picture with words can tell the whole story. #OIS
we’re going to do all again in the winter of 2015. tell your friends!
for more info, please email us at events@universalpartnership.org
a beautiful Fall backdrop ushered in the weekend of Oppression In the Soma retreat at Garrison Institute on Friday, September 26th, 2014. it was an amazing retreat, with amazing participants, who dove deep in for self- + collective liberation.
over the next few weeks, we will share more on what we did + what we accomplished. for now, here are a few things folks shared with us about the retreat + their experiences.
on the option to fundraise their way to the retreat:
“the crowdsourcing piece of the Oppression in the Soma retreat was truly gratifying and humbling. The process of putting out the call and receiving was a transformative lesson in itself! And it really added to my whole retreat experience to enter with the support of my community. People who have very limited engagement with somatics, buddhism, or social justice are asking me about it with open ears and hearts. Powerful means to broaden the reach of the wisdom you offer beyond the immediate retreat participants! Thank you for providing an easy tool to raise funds. Without it, I would not have been able to join in the fun! Much gratitude and bless.”
– Danielle saint louis
on the personal transformation tip towards self-liberation:
“I feel like I literally have new eyes, choices I didn’t see as choices before, belief in myself, and a reclaiming of lies/frameworks that I no longer need. I feel very precise with my words. I’m sleeping alot and just want water and grapes (even tho they taste too sweet) and kale. I feel like I always am telling the truth. I see love in everything. I see human bodies with their spirits in them. I hear what their souls are saying through their bodies through the other stuff that comes out of their mouth. I feel decisive but not rushed. I feel light/ease and peace. And I feel, with a new word to use, spacious. I feel like making choices that make me better and the world better all at once because they are one decision.”
on self-love + gratitude:
“Signing up for this training itself is an act of self-love. No matter where you are in your personal transformation, healing and commitment to social justice – the ‘Oppression in the Soma’ training is essential to getting started and continuing”
-sethu nair
the right place, at the right time for this life changing experience:
“Attending the Oppression in the Soma retreat with Rusia Mohiuddin and angel Kyodo williams was a truly life changing experience for me. When I entered the retreat I was skeptical, but I opened my mind and heart and put my trust into the facilitators who made me feel very comfortable with them both right away. I came to the retreat exhausted, burnt out, and just not sure what I needed to do to start a process of healing that had been a long time coming for me. By the time the retreat was over I felt like I had learned so much about myself and how oppression becomes locked in the soma that I was finally ready to begin working through and processing both past and recent traumas and start truly start to heal. I will begin one on one consultations with Rusia soon to continue the work that I have started. I have already begun to tell all of my friends about what a transformative experience I have had and I especially recommend this retreat to anyone whose identity is the target of multiple intersecting systems of oppression and who is engaged in various resistance movements and struggles for collective liberation.”
-kat young-stevens
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- OIS: Group Photo
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- Taleigh
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- Ian shooting
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- Leadership
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- angel
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- leadership
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- OIS: Group Photo 2
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when we think about our leadership in the context of the socio, political, economical, + environmental landscapes, we inevitably come up against the deeply embedded ways in which systems of oppression continually shape who + how we are in the world. this retreat aims to explore, with a somatic lens, the many ways in which oppression limits our ability to align our leadership, acutely, with the values + principles that drive our work. By exploring the impact of social, economic, + political conditions, the oppressive nature of how these spheres function in our society, we can ultimately reveal the depths in which these oppressive societal conditions live in our beings + how it can limit the impact of our individual + collective leadership.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS UPCOMING RETREAT, PLEASE CLICK HERE
click to watch on mobile device
it is true that what we can accomplish together is far greater than what can do on our own. however, the skills and qualities of the individuals who make up the sum, greatly impacts the effectiveness of what they can achieve together. it is with this intention, that we must cultivate our individual leadership, that the Youth Power Project of Make the Road NY assembled for a staff development retreat to learn about embodied leadership at the headquarters of Universal Partnership.
having worked on aligning their values and principles on an organizational level at a recent staff retreat with the principle of UP, Rusia Mohiuddin, the staff traveled outside of the city to dive deep and explore the qualities of their individual leadership towards envisioning how they want to intentionally show up in the world. what resulted was truly an authentic display of strength, camaraderie and courage.
the training was really impactful… I feel stronger as an individual and as a woman. anyone who has the opportunity to embrace themselves, they way I did today, is truly fortunate.
-Adilka Pimental, YPP Staff
Dana, Cynthia & Jessica share their leadership visions
each staffer explored their historical shaping to learn about their current somatic shape. this is no small feat but rather a huge leap towards embracing their histories, appreciating all of what makes them who they are and accepting that they can chose to change in order to create greater inner alignment to how they want their leadership to be in the world. unequivocally brilliant!
the staff team also practiced the 31 Jo Kata to assess their individual leadership and how it shows up in action. practicing as a whole team, ypp staff gained insight into their group dynamics and learned where they need to make both individual and collective leadership adjustments.
the jo practice makes me feel like a warrior!
-Mateo Tabares
at the end of a long day, each of them had practices developed to inch them towards their vision for their leadership and a set of collective practices to do as a whole team.
cultivating embodied leadership is an act of courage and self-love. the staff of youth power project of make the road ny, summoned this and then some. Check out THIS VIDEO to learn more about ypp’s experience with Universal Partnership’s Embodied Leadership. To learn more about the work of YPP, please visit MAKE THE ROAD NY.
I admit that I enjoy and actually look for a good challenge. I thrive in challenging environments. I make the best of a given situation and feel comfortable assessing and navigating rough waters. Therefore when I saw Universal Partnership’s #30daysUP meditation challenge, I thought – why not? A challenge to sit, meditate, and clear my mind – let’s go! I knew I needed it, my mind was running game all over me!
I will admit, this challenge came in a good time for me – I was prime to do something to better manage my emotional and professional state of mind. I had just undergone quite a brutal beatdown when having to deal with extremely untrustworthy individuals and hoping they would do what is best for the people they represent. Unfortunately, my hopes were set too high and I entered full body, heart, mind and soul without the appropriate gear to manage it all. In the past, I had used meditation as a tool to help me cope with the daily strain on my body and heart when the daily job of LIFE took a toll on me. I will admit that during this time I had some other kinds of support. A friend of mine – let’s call him Smarty, really kicked into gear during this time. He helped me by listening, informally coaching, and highlighting aspects of my thought-process and communication skills that I had overlooked needed major work. Just imagine – I got two gifts from him, a book called Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity and the Mind-Map Book. Now, if that’s not an indication of the “troubles” he saw in my flow, than I’m not sure what else could be.
Along comes the #30daysUP challenge and I will admit – it really took me to the next level of my evolution. I started on April 7th and I am still going strong. I can’t lie, there was a moment that I sat up to 18 minutes…then I had to go back down to 3 minutes! I’m now back up to 11 minutes and every day working my way up to my goal of 15 minutes daily. I can see things in a way that I never had before. I’m more open and less reactive. I have noticed that when something is triggering me, I know that breathing can get me through it – so I inhale, take in the moment – and exhale. I then am ready to either respond, or simply let it go until I can really handle the reaction that will follow in a productive way.
Just last week, I knew that if I didn’t meditate every day, I wasn’t going to get through it all – but it was more than just the meditation. Its as if I started paying attention and being more present in all aspects of my life. I have not only kept meditating beyond the 30 days (sometimes more than once a day when I feel the need to reboot), but when I do miss a day – I’m not as hard on myself and immediately get back to it the next day. I have also started to write in my journal, listen to music, and read. It’s as if I’ve slowed down – but not necessarily my work flow or productivity, just what I prioritize and emphasize as needing immediate and stressful attention. Sometimes, my days are jammed with non-stop activity, but I can now stop, take a moment to take-in what is happening, and assess my next steps.
For example, one of the ways I used to manage relationships was going straight to the point without too much fluff or thought on who I was speaking to. So much so that at times I had no filter and it was as if I was interacting with objects that didn’t feel or react as a result of what I was saying and doing. My self-awareness was a bit off…to say the least. Am I 100% aware now? Not 100%, but definitely much more aware than I have ever been and working towards a much clearer and purpose-driven self. The #30daysUP challenge wasn’t the only time I started meditating. I had been doing it on and off for about two years. Yet, seeing the UP’s mind the gap video, the structure, the posts and the tweets got me excited to be a part of something with a community of individuals who were striving to simply become better for the sake of helping others be better. It’s what got me motivated to really try to stick to it and stay on course.
The idea that a daily practice could help re-train my mind to reconnect with my heart, my breath, my body, and ultimately with others is truly fascinating to me. So simple, yet it took me this long to get here.
Meditation was not like other stress-coping mechanisms like when I choose to write in my journal or swim, but it has helped me reflect and re-train my eyes to see, my heart to feel, and my mind to think about what is there in that present moment. I’ve learned to identify in much less time the things that make me happy, mad and those that take me off course and ultimately procrastinate. My mood is much less random, and I can actually feel and understand what is going on with my body and where my mind is. I value the present so much more than I ever have, and I know it can only get better. Thank you Rusia, #30daysUp and all who participated. Let’s keep it going!
Lucia is the Executive Director of La Fuente
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