Thoughtful Wellness Revolution

S3 E4: Midseason Episode

0:00 Greetings

1:02 Elon Musk and Twitter

8:01 PR, Pseudo-realities, and fascism

18:08 The paradox of tolerance

24:42 Living with integrity and ethical dilemmas

29:02 What happened to our Twitter page

Resource on understanding pseudo-reality

Paradox of Tolerance

For transcripts and bonus content, check out our Substack https://thoughtfulwellnessrevolution.substack.com/

Join us for Co-working Hours (November 15 & 29) or Meditation + Chill (November 17)

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Theme song: Katy Pearson

S3 E3: Harpinder Mann — Creating the spaces that you’re seeking

We’re back with our third interview of the season and excited to introduce you to Hapinder Kaur Mann, a yoga and mindfulness educator and the co-founder of the Womxn of Color Summit. On this week’s episode, we get into Harpinder’s story and journey, personally and professionally, with wellness and yoga. She shares some of her wisdom with us that leaves both Hien and Zahra, and hopefully yourselves, some space for reflection about our reactions. Then Harpinder gets into her journey with yoga in white-led spaces and how she reconciled that journey with her personal experiences as a Punjabi Sikh, and finally what led her to working more specifically with folks of color. Harpinder is kind enough to share with us how the Womxn of Color Summit began and the revelations that brought her there. We get into a conversation about certifications and the commodification of wellness practices. Harpinder also shares with us some of her own process for decolonizing and fighting against the engrained capitalistic standards imposed on us. Additionally, we hear about Harpinder’s own journey of decolonization in terms of her yoga practice and education. Zahra and Hien wrap up by gushing about Harpinder’s vision and work. Plus, they get into more talk about religious influences and spiritual practices.

Harpinder Mann (she/her) is a Sikh-Buddhist Punjabi-American yoga asana and meditation teacher currently living on Tongva Land. Her childhood consisted of trauma from domestic violence, sexual abuse, and bullying which set her on a journey of healing through yoga, meditation, activism, and brave community. Now she aims to move through the world with compassion and joy.

This led her to create Harpinder Mann Yoga in 2018, where Harpinder now works with womxn of color 1:1 on reclaiming their power & intuition to be free through yoga asana, meditation, breathwork, and spiritual connection. She has over 800 hours of yogic training within the traditions of Raja, Vinyasa, Kundalini, and Prenatal Yoga from respected teachers across the globe. Without her teachers, ancestors, and women before her, none of this would be possible.

She is also actively working to decolonize wellness by creating community and providing real accessibility to her ancestral practices for BIPOC as the co-founder of the Womxn of Color Summit, an equitable community organization focused on creating brave and inclusionary spaces for womxn and non-binary people of color to share stories and knowledge as well as make impactful change.

https://www.harpindermann.com/ 

https://www.instagram.com/harpindermannyoga/ 

https://www.tiktok.com/@harpindermannyoga/ 

For transcripts and bonus content, check out our Substack https://thoughtfulwellnessrevolution.substack.com/

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Theme song: Katy Pearson

S3 E2: Sunaina Madhav Dasi — ”You’re always going to grow in love”

We’re back with Season 3 Episode 2, welcome our next guest Sunaina Madhav Dasi, a multidimensional yoga teacher, model, and artivist. You won’t want to miss this rich conversation because Sunaina, a dedicated lineage follower, talks about their experience with yoga and spirituality. Zahra and Hien ask some questions about the process for initiation, ritual, practices, and more. Sunaina tells us their firsthand experience entering a lineage, as well as the mysical and synchonisitic experiences that led them on their path. We learn more about specific to Sunaina’s lineage as well as their thoughts on traditonalism versus modernism, when it comes to carrying on these practices. Sunaina tells us about their mission to make these practices accessible for the people who’ve been barred from learning their ancestral traditions. Sunaina talks to us about the 3 S’s that guide their path, which you can learn more about in this episode. And the grace we must have for ourselves throughout our journey. We talk what it mean to bring a child into the world in 2022 as Sunaina prepares to do so themselves. And Hien and Zahra wrap up by sharing their awe for Sunaina after their conversation. If you’re into yoga and spirituality, it’s an episode you won’t want to miss!

About Sunaina: Sunaina Madhav Dasi (they/them) is a multidimensional human that holds many identities. They immigrated from Bangalore, India to the States in 1996 and are currently settled on the ancestral lands of the Arapaho, Cheyenne and Ute Nations. Sunaina is a mixed race person (Indo-Aryan and Dravidian) and speaks Tamil as their mother-tongue. Their yoga practice is deeply rooted in Hinduism, Bhakti and social justice. They follow the lineage and teachings of their ancestors and Sri Paramahamsa Vishwananda as they took initiation into Hari Bhakta Sampradaya. Sunaina uses their neurodivergent superpowers to create a more community-centered world that focuses on individual healing by embracing one's unique purpose. They believe that the answer is already within us when we choose self-love, accountability and awareness. With their unique lens of the yogic path, Sunaina creates spaces to reclaim traditional practices, decolonize minds and abolish oppressive systems that affect us at an energetic and societal level. Outside of their practice they enjoy modeling, photography, dancing and directing photo shoots.

Sunaina's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/su9nah/

For transcripts and bonus content, check out our Substack https://thoughtfulwellnessrevolution.substack.com/

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Theme song: Katy Pearson

 

S3 E1: Dinh Do — Leaning into community care

Gun violence content warning at 1:55-2:11

This week we are back with the first of our lovely guests for the season, Dinh Do, a mental health facilitator and advocate from New York City! Dinh’s warmth radiates through this episode as we talk about her journey with mental health and her work as an advocate for mental health. We get into the pandemic and how that impacted our mental health and how Dinh found power through connection and care circles during that time. We really get into what it means to hold space and support others, something Dinh does through her BIPOC community spaces. We learn about what motivated her to start this work and hear about what the future may hold for her work. We get into our need for rest and Dinh shares with us rest as one of her practices. Plus, we get to hear from Dinh more about her own experiences throughout the last few years that led her down this path of a career change. You all know we love having our friends on these podcasts and as a dear friend of Hien’s, you won’t want to miss the joy, equanimity, and coziness of this episode.

About Dinh: Growing up, I was told my voice didn’t matter. However, the call to serve during the beginning of the pandemic was stronger than my chains of silence. Now as a mental health facilitator and advocate I’m helping others raise their voices together as a form of bonding and healing at my BIPOC* Community Care events (*Black, Indigenous, and People of Color). Utilizing intentional themes and guest speakers, folks come together virtually in a safer space where everyone can feel seen, heard, and validated. I also proudly co-created the Uplift Asian Women Retreat in Dec 2020 and Nov 2021 to center Asian voices and wellness. Be on the lookout for my next retreat in the next couple of months. Ever since, I’ve been doing everything I can to uplift and connect BIPOC folks and have not looked back! I love talking about: LGBTQ+ Asian experience, inclusivity, self care, yoga, plants, creativity, food (especially SWEETS)!

Dinh’s Instagram: http://Instagram.com/DepVietGurl

For transcripts and bonus content, check out our Substack https://thoughtfulwellnessrevolution.substack.com/

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Theme song: Katy Pearson

S3 E0: Happy 1 Year Anniversary!

In this episode, Zahra and Hien welcome you into Season 3 by sharing our reflections of the podcast on our 1 year anniversary. We also share where we think the podcast is going. Thank you so much to all our listeners!

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Theme song: Katy Pearson

Bonus Episode Preview: Jennie Joseph

Jennie Joseph is a British-trained midwife who fights to ensure every person has their healthiest possible pregnancy, birth and postpartum experience with dignity and support.

Jennie created The JJ Way® which is an evidence-based, maternity care model delivering readily-accessible, patient-centered, culturally-congruent care to women in areas that she terms 'materno-toxic zones'. Her focus and drive is to ensure that Black women and other marginalized people remain safe and empowered inside broken and inequitable maternity health systems that have become dangerous and all too often, lethal.

She is the Executive Director of her own non-profit corporation Commonsense Childbirth Inc. which operates a training institute, health clinics and a birthing center in Orlando, Florida, and is also the founder of the National Perinatal Task Force, a grassroots organization whose mission is the elimination of racial disparities in maternal child health in the USA. In July 2020 her school, Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery became the first and only privately-owned, nationally accredited midwifery school owned by a Black woman in the United States.

Jennie is the founder and a proud member of The Council of Midwifery Elders, she serves on the Advisory Council for the Congressional Black Maternal Health Caucus, is a Fellow of The Aspen Institute, and has been recognized as a TIME Woman of The Year 2022 for her work in promoting perinatal equity.

Website: https://commonsensechildbirth.org/

Listen to the full bonus episode by subscribing to our Substack for $5 a month.

Follow us on social media

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If you enjoyed the podcast, please rate and review on Apple or Podchaser

Theme song: Katy Pearson

Bonus Episode Preview: Melissa Jay

Dr. Melissa Jay (she/her) is a cisgender, able-bodied, Nehiyaw (Cree) member of the Métis Nation of Alberta, registered psychologist, and assistant professor at Athabasca University. She uses her privilege to pave paths towards trauma-informed, socially just, anti-oppressive support by integrating ancient wisdom traditions and psychology. As the current Indigenous Director for the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association, she is grateful to walk alongside Indigenous kin, across Turtle Island. Melissa is also director of Canmore Counselling and Trauma-Informed Yoga Psychology School, dedicated to her own healing journey and lifelong studentship. She lives in Chuwapchipchiyan Kude Bi (Canmore, AB) with her spouse and rescue dog, Lulu.

Website: https://www.canmorecounselling.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/canmorecounselling/

Listen to the full bonus episode by subscribing to our Substack for $5 a month.

Follow us on social media

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If you enjoyed the podcast, please rate and review on Apple or Podchaser

Theme song: Katy Pearson

Bonus Episode: It’s 2022 and we’re still talking about Bennifer

Surprise! It's another pop culture episode. This time Zahra and Hien talk about Bennifer and their wedding and individual controversies. We also talk about their astrology and enneagram. This episode was recorded on August 22, 2022.

We promise Season 3 and more interviews with our guests are coming soon.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck wed at ‘imitation plantation’ in Georgia

Ben Affleck's response to Finding Your Roots controversy

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Theme song: Katy Pearson

 

Bonus Preview Episode: Inara Valliani

Inara (she/her) is a 1st year Master of Public Health candidate at UNC-Chapel Hill in the Gillings School of Global Public Health. Inara became passionate about public health after witnessing and experiencing the chronic effects that health disparities pose on the well-being of communities, specifically on people with marginalized identities. She has spent a significant portion of her academic career studying health equity, substance use prevention, and adverse childhood experiences. She currently serves as a Graduate Research Assistant in the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center supporting junior faculty and BIPOC staff on grant writing mechanisms. Additionally, she works with Planned Parenthood’s Muslim Organizing Program in the South Atlantic Region, where she supports community mobilization efforts through coalition building, facilitates meaningful conversations about sexual and reproductive health, and empowers fellow Muslim Americans in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Area.

In her free time, you can usually find Inara listening to music or going to concerts. A typical conversation with her will likely include anecdotes about her hometown Atlanta, her love of Dunkin Donuts, and her extensive sneaker collection.

Listen to the full bonus episode by subscribing to our Substack for $5 a month.

Follow us on social media

Twitter: @ThoughtfulWRPod

Instagram: @ThoughtfulWellnessRevolution

If you enjoyed the podcast, please rate and review on Apple or Podchaser

Theme song: Katy Pearson

Bonus Episode Preview: Celebrity Culture & The Social Contract

In this extra bonus episode, Zahra and Hien talk about celebrity/influencer culture, the social contract, and how we’re all mining our lives for content in 2022. Subscribe for $5 a month to listen to the full 50 minute episode.

Social Contract Theory

The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by 14th Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu

Follow us on social media

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Theme song: Katy Pearson