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The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast - 359: Ahimsa in Times of Conflict with Rula Wardeh

359: Ahimsa in Times of Conflict with Rula Wardeh

01/22/24 • 59 min

The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast

The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast

359: Ahimsa in Times of Conflict with Rula Wardeh

Description:

One of the most important yoga teachings is ahimsa, usually translated as non-violence or non-harming. How do we practice this in times of conflict like the one we are witnessing now in Gaza, Palestine? What can we do to make a difference? Rula Wardeh shares her perspective on the obligations we all have to show up during times like these.

Rula is a Palestinian yoga teacher, who studied yoga in Canada. She lives in Jordan, an hour away from the Occupied Territory of West Bank, Palestine. She has family and friends in Gaza and her yoga students are all Palestinian. Rula introduced Yin Yoga to Jordan in 2012 and she now leads a unique Yin Yoga immersion course in Jordan & Cairo. Rula is also one of the directors and founding members of the NGO Yoga Mandala Project which provides refugee communities in Jordan with psychosocial Yoga and trauma related sessions.

In this conversation, Rula shares what her experience has been like holding space for Palestininans as Gaza continues to be bombarded and held under siege by Israel. She speaks about yoga activism, how she draws on the teachings of yoga and the 8 limbs for support as she continues to speak up for ceasefire in Palestine, and what yoga teachers can do in these times to make a difference.

If you have been wondering how you can show up and practice ahimsa as a yoga teacher in times of conflict, this episode is for you.

Key Takeaways:

[2:05] This podcast is sponsored by OfferingTree and Pelvic Health Professionals.

[2:55] Shannon introduces her guest for this episode - Rula Wardeh. This episode originally aired as a live conversation in December 2023.

[5:22] What does Rula do as a yoga teacher?

[8:16] Shannon shares some context about the 1948 Nakba in Palestine.

[10:38] Rula shares how she started serving the population of urban refugees.

[13:03] How has it felt for Rula to hold space for Palestinians or people who have family in Palestine? What has she learned from the experience?

[21:08] Rula speaks to her experience of yoga activism: How do we implement what we have learned and what we teach in yoga?

[25:26] We can start feeling disconnected from what is happening in Gaza when we only focus on the numbers. We need to also focus on the individual, personal stories coming out of Gaza.

[28:55] What can people do when it feels to dysregulating to look at the news?

[32:38] Rula explains how we can practice ahimsa in times of conflict.

[36:17] We can draw on teachings from the eight limbs of yoga to guide us in how we should show up in times of conflict.

[41:18] Shannon shares a comment from a live listener: How we feel is quite frankly irrelevant in the face of people being murdered. We should not be centering our feelings, especially not on social media.

[41:58] How can you seek out the real truth and not fall into the trap of confirmation bias?

[44:00] Watch the rest of this full interview with Rula on YouTube.

[44:35] People are not their religion, their culture, or their government. We need to be mindful of conflating those.

[46:47] What should we do if we're afraid to speak up or if we spoke up and got attacked?

[50:10] Shannon reflects on her biggest takeaways from this conversation with Rula.

[56:29] Hang out live with Shannon inside Pelvic Health Professionals.

Links:
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The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast

359: Ahimsa in Times of Conflict with Rula Wardeh

Description:

One of the most important yoga teachings is ahimsa, usually translated as non-violence or non-harming. How do we practice this in times of conflict like the one we are witnessing now in Gaza, Palestine? What can we do to make a difference? Rula Wardeh shares her perspective on the obligations we all have to show up during times like these.

Rula is a Palestinian yoga teacher, who studied yoga in Canada. She lives in Jordan, an hour away from the Occupied Territory of West Bank, Palestine. She has family and friends in Gaza and her yoga students are all Palestinian. Rula introduced Yin Yoga to Jordan in 2012 and she now leads a unique Yin Yoga immersion course in Jordan & Cairo. Rula is also one of the directors and founding members of the NGO Yoga Mandala Project which provides refugee communities in Jordan with psychosocial Yoga and trauma related sessions.

In this conversation, Rula shares what her experience has been like holding space for Palestininans as Gaza continues to be bombarded and held under siege by Israel. She speaks about yoga activism, how she draws on the teachings of yoga and the 8 limbs for support as she continues to speak up for ceasefire in Palestine, and what yoga teachers can do in these times to make a difference.

If you have been wondering how you can show up and practice ahimsa as a yoga teacher in times of conflict, this episode is for you.

Key Takeaways:

[2:05] This podcast is sponsored by OfferingTree and Pelvic Health Professionals.

[2:55] Shannon introduces her guest for this episode - Rula Wardeh. This episode originally aired as a live conversation in December 2023.

[5:22] What does Rula do as a yoga teacher?

[8:16] Shannon shares some context about the 1948 Nakba in Palestine.

[10:38] Rula shares how she started serving the population of urban refugees.

[13:03] How has it felt for Rula to hold space for Palestinians or people who have family in Palestine? What has she learned from the experience?

[21:08] Rula speaks to her experience of yoga activism: How do we implement what we have learned and what we teach in yoga?

[25:26] We can start feeling disconnected from what is happening in Gaza when we only focus on the numbers. We need to also focus on the individual, personal stories coming out of Gaza.

[28:55] What can people do when it feels to dysregulating to look at the news?

[32:38] Rula explains how we can practice ahimsa in times of conflict.

[36:17] We can draw on teachings from the eight limbs of yoga to guide us in how we should show up in times of conflict.

[41:18] Shannon shares a comment from a live listener: How we feel is quite frankly irrelevant in the face of people being murdered. We should not be centering our feelings, especially not on social media.

[41:58] How can you seek out the real truth and not fall into the trap of confirmation bias?

[44:00] Watch the rest of this full interview with Rula on YouTube.

[44:35] People are not their religion, their culture, or their government. We need to be mindful of conflating those.

[46:47] What should we do if we're afraid to speak up or if we spoke up and got attacked?

[50:10] Shannon reflects on her biggest takeaways from this conversation with Rula.

[56:29] Hang out live with Shannon inside Pelvic Health Professionals.

Links:

Previous Episode

undefined - 358: Community and Communication with Shannon Crow

358: Community and Communication with Shannon Crow

The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast

358: Community and Communication with Shannon Crow

Description:

Many yoga teachers are dealing with tiredness, overwhelm, sadness, and many other difficult emotions as we navigate living through the active genocide taking place in Palestine. Community and communication can be a good solution to dealing with these heavy emotions and the challenges of consistently showing up for causes we care about.

In this episode, Shannon reflects on what has been helping her as she faces some of these big emotions. She shares how being out in nature, doing yoga, and meditating has been helpful to get clarity and different perspectives.

It is also easier to keep going when you have community to support you in doing the work. Shannon talks about the different places she has found community, including a Discord server called Yoga Teachers for Change. In times like these, community and communication are what we can lean on and draw strength from.

Key Takeaways:

[5:09] Shannon reflects on how community and communication have come up for her recently.

[8:07] Many yoga teachers that Shannon has spoken to have shared feeling many heavy and deep emotions. Shannon shares what helps her get through those tough days.

[10:17] Shannon shares her experience of drawing inspiration from nature.

[12:34] Shannon pops in to share a complaint she has about Wordpress, and why she prefers OfferingTree instead.

[15:31] Shannon reflects on the clarity and different perspectives that sometimes become available when you spend time in nature, do yoga, or meditate.

[17:36] Shannon shares more about the Discord server called Yoga Teachers for Change.

[19:11] With a collective community, you can lean on each other for support and take it in turns to keep the torch burning.

[23:15] Shannon has also talked about the importance of community in a previous episode with Linda Sparrowe.

[24:49] Shannon highlights some other community initiatives that you might be interested in.

[27:40] Keen to hang out with Shannon in real time? Check out the Yoga for Pelvic Cancer series with Tyla Arnason.

Links:

Gratitude to our Sponsors, OfferingTree and Pelvic Health Professionals.

Quotes from this episode:

"What I know is that in my heart, I'm going to keep living in this world that I know is the world that I want to be a part of where we are all connected and we can make a difference."

"Look for the people who are up for communicating right now, who are talking about this, who feel safe to talk about it, who can take this on."

"I know that many yoga teachers care about this de...

Next Episode

undefined - 360: Nature Meditations with Ray Zott

360: Nature Meditations with Ray Zott

The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast

360: Nature Meditations with Ray Zott

Description:

Meditation does not have to be just sitting down and being still. There are other ways to meditate, including being out in and connecting with nature. Ray Zott (she/her/they) talks about how nature offers her a sustainable mediation practice and how she helps others meditate in nature too.

Ray is a yoga therapist whose greatest joy in their work is connecting people to nature. She has worked as a park ranger for 12 seasons in a variety of national parks and is currently also building out a retreat center in Costa Rica. In their work, Ray supports all kinds of folks through yoga therapy, nature, and boundary work.

In this episode, Ray shares more about how she discovered this unique niche for her yoga therapy work after her experience supporting her husband through his traumatic brain injury. They explain why connecting to and with nature can be the perfect meditation, especially for those who find it difficult to sit still, and offer ways to find connection to nature even if we live in cities or urban settings. Shannon and Ray also discuss the healing powers of nature, spiritual meanings we can find from being out in nature, and how we can turn to nature for lessons and guidance in difficult times.

Key Takeaways:

[2:02] This podcast is made possible by OfferingTree and Pelvic Health Professionals.

[4:25] Shannon introduces her guest for this episode - Ray Zott.

[7:09] Ray share's a little bit about her morning routine.

[8:24] What is the work that Ray does and who do they do it for?

[11:02] How did Ray's work with being in nature and nature meditation start?

[14:01] What does meditation in nature look like?

[16:18] What are some guidelines Ray offers for meditating in nature?

[18:32] Shannon and Ray discuss where inspiration for their yoga practice and yoga therapy comes from.

[21:10] What are some ways we might find connection with nature if we live in a city or suburban area?

[26:37] Shannon pops in to share some of the struggles she is having with her Wordpress website, and why she prefers OfferingTree.

[29:31] Shannon has recently been feeling an immense gratitude for her life right now, while also experiencing guilt about what is happening in Gaza. How does Ray deal with this?

[32:45] Shannon has been turning to nature to help her deal with a lot of grief.

[36:49] We can learn a lot from nature and we don't have to know all the tree names or plant names.

[39:25] Shannon and Ray discuss finding spiritual meaning in nature.

[41:24] How else does the practice of connecting with nature impact Ray or the people she works with?

[47:02] Ray and Shannon contemplate whether part of the healing power of nature comes from how we experienced it in our childhoods.

[48:22] Check out Ray's podcast on Apple Podcast and Spotify.

[50:58] Shannon shares her biggest takeaways from this conversation with Ray.

[56:25] Hang out online in real time with Shannon in Pelvic Health Professionals.

Links:

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