Welcome Kaira Jewel Lingo, author of We Were Made for These Times and coauthor of Healing Our Way Home. Kaira shares her journey from a communal upbringing and monastic life with Thich Nhat Hanh, her work in nurturing community, and her exploration of racial identity in spiritual practice.
Her gentle guided practice is beautiful and completely original. We notice the experience of our skin - its age, its protective and permeable nature, its colour, and its history. Afterwards, Tasha shares how profound this was for her, feeling her mixed white and Black heritage, which at times can feel like a battlefield playing out on her own skin.
Our conversation afterward is frank and open: on race and ancestry, on how every person - regardless of skin color - has a role to play in healing the collective trauma of racism and colonialism. We talk about the larger “skin” of community - the role community has to play in offering support and safety, and yet also how hard that can be to find in a culture whose values so often separate and isolate. Is this changing? There are signs it may be. As Thich Nhat Hanh used to say, there is no more noble task than true community building.
Hopefully, this podcast can be a space for community - a place where we can explore together the many different ways of being human :)
Let us know in the comments how this practice was for you!
The Afterparty
This week, we discuss Kaira’s powerful authenticity — revolutionary to think of gentleness as being powerful, yet it is! Then Tasha shares her honest thoughts on how Jeff makes space for BIPOC conversations but sometimes seems to hover on the outside, unsure. We talk about how everyone is affected by racism, how we all have skin in the game and need to show up without our masks - whether it’s a mask of distrust and anger or a mask of guilt and confusion. So healing. Then we talk about ADHD, because … well… we’re ADHD!
*In an effort to sustain our antics, the Afterparty will move behind ye old paywall soon!
Find Kaira Online: www.kairajewel.com
A Resource for community building: The CEC community activation kit
That’s all for now! Thanks for tuning in & see you next week.
Love always,
🧘🏽♀️ Tasha & Jeff 🧘🏼♂️
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