Happy Diwali and  Día de los Muertos~

Both Diwali and Día de los Muertos serve as powerful acts of cultural affirmation and resistance against historical erasure and marginalization. These celebrations embody the resilience of communities reclaiming their identities and fostering collective healing.  This mirrors the foundational purpose of the mission of Earth Eagle Somatics: embodying the resilience through community and reclamation of our liberation through collective healing. Diwali, known as the Festival of Lights, symbolizes the triumph of good over evil, hope over despair, and self-determination over oppression. It invites people to honor their heritage, spirituality, and the enduring struggle for justice, illuminating paths toward liberation and collective empowerment. 

How is your yoga practice, in all of its eight limbs, serving your liberation? We are reminded by modern-day scholars, spirit-guides and yogis, especially in the BIPOC and Queer intersections, that we cannot engage in liberation work for others if we are bypassing our own.

Similarly, Día de los Muertos is rooted in pre-Columbian and indigenous Mesoamerican traditions that survived colonization and adapted through the integration of Catholic influences. It is a poignant reminder of the strength of cultural traditions and the refusal to let them be silenced or forgotten. The holiday embodies remembrance as an act of resistance, where families celebrate the ongoing presence and influence of ancestors. By creating ofrendas (altars) adorned with marigolds, photos, and symbolic items, communities not only honor their loved ones but also affirm their right to their history and voice.

In what ways is your yoga practice, in all of its eight limbs, working to affirm the (oftentimes silenced) history and voice of your own story?

Both celebrations emphasize communal solidarity and the interconnectedness of generations, uplifting the idea that liberation is achieved by remembering one's roots, sharing collective stories, and sustaining bonds across time. They stand as acts of love, resistance, and celebration of life in the face of historical and systemic challenges, reaffirming that liberation is anchored in the unity of community and cultural self-expression.

YOUR YOGA THIS WEEK COULD LOOK LIKE embodying these liberatory  cultural celebrations with a bow and with reverence and with ACTION:

• VOTE LIKE YOUR UTERUS DEPENDS ON IT, (if you don’t have uterus, please try that on for a minute to the best of your ability, and then pretend like you do and then vote accordingly.)

• BREATHE AND PRACTICE ASANA AND THEN CRY AND THEN DRINK SOMETHING WARM

• RAGE DANCE

• HELP A LITTLE CRITTER  (animals, children, plants)

• TREE LISTEN (walk, find a tree, connect your crown chakra to its trunk, shut the fuck up and listen for 2 minutes…)

•  COOK  ROOT VEGETABLES FOR PEOPLE YOU LOVE THEN GAZE AT THEM WITH LOVE WHILE THEY EAT YOUR FOOD

•  WALK  TO RELEASE RAGE AND LET YOUR EYES BE WIDE OPEN AND YOUR EARS TOO FOR FOREST SOUNDS OF PEACE

• SING TO FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE OR ANYONE ELSE 

• SUBMERGE YOUR BODY IN HOT WATER WITH SALT AND STAY IN THERE UNTIL THE SHARP EDGES OF YOUR ANXIETY MELT OFF 

• HOLD HANDS WITH YOURSELF WHEN YOU ARE FALLING ASLEEP 

• WRITE A LETTER TO YOUR INNER CRITIC OFFERING HER A SABBATICAL

• REST MORE THAN WAS COMFORTABLE OR ACCEPTABLE IN YOUR FAMILY OF ORIGIN

• GO INTO THE WILD, GATHER  OLD BONES, FEATHERS,  AND OTHER DEAD THINGS AND MAKE AN ALTAR WITH A PRAYER FOR THE THINGS YOU HAVE LOST

• CALL SOMEONE AND TELL THEM YOU ARE RIGHT HERE WITH THEM IN THIS MOMENT

• USE YOUR PAID WORK TIME TO DO SOMETHING JOYFUL THAT ACTIVELY RESISTS OR DISRUPTS  INSTITUTIONAL AND SYSTEMIC  HARM

• USE YOUR  PRIVILEGE TO INTERRUPT HARM FOR ANOTHER BEING

• TALK LESS

• PRACTICE MUTUAL AID AND POOL YOUR RESOURCES WITH COMMUNITY 

• READ SOMETHING ANALOG WHEN YOU FEEL THE DOOM SCROLL HABIT TAKE OVER

• WHAT ELSE? LET’S CROWDSOURCE THIS.

May we use our community anchors and self-expression as an act of resistance towards any policy, practice, or person who aims to divide and violate our most basic human rights and those of most historically marginalized community members.  

Let’s commit the next week of our  lives to be in full dedication of love and resistance. They are not separate. 

With courage,

Kelly