Community

MHM Ep.1: Gendered Expectations and The Self-Made Man

in , ,

Happy Monday REVOLUTIONARIES!!! We're really excited to share a new project a couple of us have been dreaming up!

MHMBanner

The idea for The Mental Health Mash-Up came up for Skye and me as we were talking about the complicated intersection of being bodies, brains, hearts and spirits in this big, beautiful and sometimes chaotic world.

We wanted to explore the way we understand, experience and talk about mental health, how this is seen through the lens of our queerness and how our queerness is seen through the lens of mental health.

We wanted a place where we could discuss the struggles and complexities of being queer so we could honor how it affects our well-being and our access and understanding of "being well" in positive and negative ways.

We wanted to have a place for community dialogue and process where we could sit down, have a cup a coffee and... just figure stuff out together.

Thus, The Mental Health Mashup was born! This podcast is part information, discussion, healing circle and support and process group and we'd love to hear from you! Leave us a comment or send us an email if you'd like to get involved, have a topic/question or just want to let us know that you're out there in the universe, a big mash-up of body, brain, heart and spirit, trying to make it through this rough and tumble journey of life!

Enjoy our first episode!

---------

Mental Health Mash-Up Ep. 1: Gendered Expectations + The Self-Made Man

Ep1TransConf

You can listen directly below:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/compassionaterevolt/MHMEpisode1ExpectSelfMadeMan.m4a

Or visit our LibSyn Channel: Here

----------

Episode Description

Join Skye + Traci as they kick off the Monday Morning Mental Health Mashup with Episode 1: Gendered Expectations + The Self Made Man.

The COM|PASSionate REVOLT team is gearing up to run two workshops at The Trans* Asterisk Conference at UC Riverside, Feb 27-28, 2015! This is the 2nd annual occurence of this conference which seeks to address issues of trans* health, well being and to provide resources for trans* youth and advocates. Follow the link for details and registration.

In this episode Skye and Traci will discuss the objective of their workshop, titled Taming the Hulk: Temperance for the Transmasculine Journey, which aims to deconstruct the intersection between gendered expectations and the creation of identity for transmasculine individuals by looking at:

  1. The exploration and uncovering of one's most authentic masculine identity
  2. The complications of how "passing" and one's attachment to passing fits into this identity
  3. How to integrate what the world tells us about ourselves with the men we see ourselves to be

We hope you enjoy and we'd love to hear your thoughts!

You can reach us at compassionaterevolt@gmail.com

www.compassionaterevolt.com

www.compassionaterevolt.wordpress.com

COM|PASSionate REVOLT FB

In COM|PASSionate REVOLUTION,

Skye + Traci

 

Ahimsa + Sangha

in ,

Happy Friday beautiful, shining, powerful community! We just wanted to send everyone off into the weekend with a little a lot of warm fuzziness!!!

FarmSanctThankYou

Last Friday we tested the power of the sangha (community) and practiced ahimsa (non-harm) with an acoustically accompanied yoga class and dinner event to raise donations for Farm Sanctuary! Coffee Shop Covers for COM|PASSion was a lovely night of good yoga, great food and heart warming community building! Deep Dog Yoga opened their doors and Joni Marie Newman, vegan chef and cookbook author (Just the Food), spoiled our bellies with tacos from Fusion Food in the Vegan Kitchen!!! We talked yoga and veganism and life. We can't think of a better or more healing way to have spent a Friday night!

We are happy to say that we were able to send off $100 worth of love to Farm Sanctuary! You can see just a few of the furry and feathered faces that you supported with your COM|PASSionate donations above from our trip to the farm last year! We had our hearts set on adopting some turkeys this past Thanksgiving to come stay at revolution headquarters but with a possible move on the horizon for the core COM|PASSionate REVOLT team we were really happy to be able to support in a different way with your help and generosity!

Thank you so much community! What an amazing way to start of the the new year with an intention of COM|PASSion!!!!

In gratitude,

Lila, Turkey Lurkey, The Largest Brown Eyes You've Ever Seen, Mischevious Goats, Lounging Piggies and, of course, The COM|PASSionate REVOLT Team

Slowing down...

in

Good morning COM|PASSionate REVOLUTIONARIES! We  hope that you had some time for self-care the past couple of weeks and that you feel rejuvenated and/or recovered from the winter holiday season.

We've been meditating on slowing down.

There's been a lot of movement over the past year. We set our intentions high and seeing some of those intentions actualize into fruition is pretty amazing. Some of them have manifested in ways that are recognizable to the seeds of intention that were planted in our mind's eye. Some of them have taken on a life of their own. Plans have been made, re-made and scrapped. Around mid October we realized that we had fallen into a productive but frenetically energized wind tunnel. It took us until mid November to realize that it might serve us to set our sights on getting a bit more grounded. We didn't feel like we had started to find our footing again until a couple of weeks ago.

So we've been meditating on slowing down.

We're still saying yes to movement. Especially, movement towards this amazing healing community we're starting to see actualize. However, we're doing so with a grounding breath of gratitude so we don't miss everything there is to be grateful for already in existence all around us.

If you're also coming back and sinking into the schedule and present-ness of the new year we'd like to offer this meditation to settle in and slow down.

IMG_3998

--------

Meditation on Slowing Down

Find a comfortable grounded seat. If you're fortunate enough to be able to find some warm outdoor space like us in Southern California or can find a quiet place to bundle up and enjoy the winter chill we highly encourage you to take your practice outside.

We've been loving a winter warming hibernation oil mix that we made for this meditation. It contains Orange to cheer and lift any seasonal lowness, Pine Needle to clear and open ourselves up and Cloves to warm and comfort.

Get grounded. If accessible actually on the ground but any comfortable seated or standing position will do. If utilizing oils place some underneath nose, on temples and heart space.

Palms up on the knees or open forward (if standing) is always a little bit more receiving. Palms down or near sides is always a little bit more grounding.

Start to take deep full breaths stretching your capacity for prana or life force. Find the edges of your breath- the biggest inhalations and fullest exhalations you can take. Feel your breath come up against the edges of your body container. Then return to a grounding count (i.e. an inhalation/exhalation count you can hold for the same amount of time.) Start to concentrate on your edges against your clothes and then transition focus to where your clothes or feet meet the earth.

Feel it solid beneath you. Draw breath up from abundant earth into body. Sit up taller with each breath or if standing let soles of the feet root downwards, arms become engaged by sides and crown of the head pulls up towards the sky. Radiate.

Enjoy this grounded radiation good for settling in, practicing being present and being open to the coming moment for as long as you'd like. When you feel sunken in and refreshed. Invite your breath to gently return to it's natural meter and softly open your eyes. It's completely normal to find that your breath's natural meter may be a bit more expanded than when you started your practice. Stay seated or still for at least five breaths after you have opened your eyes before returning to normal activities. Take time to process after if your mind wishes. This can be done via conversation, art, journaling or within community sending us a comment here!

--------

In present COM|PASSion and Gratitude,

The REVOLT

COM|PASSionate Inspiration: Seeds

in ,

Seeds

Dear REVOLUTIONARIES...

Get stuck in the potential,

the tomorrow,

the light to come,

the rainbow after the storm,

the strength that is fostered in those of us that have had to fight a little harder to be seen, heard, nurtured.

Any support that was begrudged you-

Any respect not given-

Any tears mocked-

Any experience invalidated is not a measure of your worth, your value, the divinity that is to spring forth from the seed that is your essence.

Know now, dear REVOLUTIONARIES,

you with soft hearts,

you with souls so deep that the darkness cannot be navigated,

you passionate fighters,

you compassionate spirits,

you with gaping wounds and blinding light,

you beautiful world weary animals,

you, You, YOU,

that have been buried alive and now claw for the sides and gasp for breath,

grow now you once buried, majestic seeds,

let your shivering, shimmering, strength break through.

In nurturing,

COM|PASSionate REVOLT