Category: Science & Health

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Ableism

Ableism is “a system that places value on people’s bodies and minds based on societally constructed ideas of normalcy, intelligence, excellence and productivity. These constructed ideas are deeply rooted in anti-Blackness, eugenics, colonialism and capitalism. This form of systemic oppression leads to people and society determining who is valuable and worthy based on a person’s appearance and/or their ability to satisfactorily [re]produce, excel and “behave.”


You do not have to be disabled to experience ableism.

–A working definition by Talila “TL” Lewis in conversation with Disabled Black and other negatively racialized folk, especially Dustin Gibson; updated January 2020

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Olive Bieringa on the Ecosomatics Classroom

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Interview with Olive Bieringa; The ecosomatics classroom is a roving experimental project that intertwines the fields of ecology, biology and other sciences along with dance and the somatic practice of Body-Mind Centering

Link to Article

Excerpts

“Ecosomatics is an emerging interdisciplinary field which connects embodiment practices such as dance and the healing arts with ecological consciousness. It is a dynamic approach to learning and living and a manifestation in how the moving arts can facilitate a lasting positive impact upon the natural, and the social landscape.”

  • How can we can access knowledge from other disciplines to enrich our own?
  • How can embodiment/movement play a role in how we accumulate knowledge?
  • How can our somatic knowledge expand research in other fields?
  • How can embodied and empathetic practices help us to evolve as human beings and transform our environmental consciousness?

Notes

I’ve always been drawn to the eco-somatic framework;

Strengthening appreciation and connection to the places we live and play has been at the heart of my career–Parkour being an eco-somatic practice that brings together ecological consciousness with movement education, improvisation, and play. I believe it is critical to facilitate a physical and emotional connection to our natural world in order to expand our ability to empathize and take action on the larger challenges facing us as a society today.

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Lithium: Your Sanity or Your Kidneys | NPR

“Jaime Lowe started taking lithium when she was 17, after a manic episode landed her in a psychiatric ward. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and for more than 20 years, the drug has been her near-constant companion. She’s taken it for so long that she can’t say for sure where she ends and lithium begins.”

Two of my favorite programs from NPR include RadioLab and Only Human. I first heard this episode, Your Sanity or Your Kidneys, years ago and it has stuck with me every since. It disturbed and frightened me that simple salt imbalance in our bodies could radically change our reality, sanity, and personality.