In the past week, we witnessed a transition of power within the United States government. In the first 24 hours after Biden and Harris were inaugurated, the Muslim ban was reversed, DACA protections were strengthened, the Mexico-U.S. border wall construction was halted and the Keystone XL Pipeline ceased. Executive orders with some of the most inclusive language in U.S. history prevented discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation. We’ve also seen the Bernie memes and embraced the numerous places where he has appeared: a visual representation of what it means to “show up” and “do the work.” When we consider power, we must ask ourselves how will we choose to wield the agency we do have access to? How can we identify our strengths and use our positionality as a force for good.

This week we offer the following activities to catalyze this exploration.

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would have been 92 this year, and though he is physically gone from this world, his legacy of moving this world towards justice continues. People are still working to end racism, to have basic human rights, and for there to be equity. While we can honor the changes that have been made, it is essential to remember the journey towards having civil rights is far from over. As you enter into this day, we invite you to take space to engage with the following practices:

For those of us in the northern hemisphere, winter has arrived. With her presence comes all the wisdom of this season that beckons us to move into ease, slowness, and subtle growth. During this time, seedlings incubate beneath layers of snow and decaying life, pausing before awakening into what they will become. We too, can see this time… and perhaps this year… as a time of great rest, heightened slowness, and awakening into what can be. If we look closely, we can feel the subtle (and not so subtle) shifts that have been occurring internally and societally all around the world.

This Monday, we bring you some exercises for reflection on existing in collaboration with the winter season.

You were born whole. Whole in your identities. Whole in your place in this universe. Whole in your unique expressions of self. Even though too many stories around us tell us we are fractured - too much, not enough, caught between binaries, meant to be boxed, we know that we are whole exactly as we are. We are whole in all of our beautiful complexity.

Sometimes, it’s hard to feel this beauty when so many people, structures, and institutions are telling us we don’t deserve to be multitudes, that we can’t exist as we are. This week’s prompt is a guide for you in the moments when you don’t feel enough, when to honor all of yourself feels like a journey you are embarking on alone. You are not alone. We are here for you at Kneading Change and we will be doing this work alongside you.

2020 is a year to remember to say the least. For many in our community, the unpredictability of the year has brought many moments of sadness and rage which have consumed our personal lives and clouded our worldview. Too often we try to “keep it together” or “suck it up” and the result is that the anger, grief and frustration that needs to pass through our bodies ends up getting stuck. True resilience and perseverance includes space for moments of overwhelm. We deserve to feel our emotions, even amidst the chaos, and we need to hear their messages clearly- especially if we hope to transform them into something else.

This week we share some activities designed to help you release and realign.

Did you know that going back just 7 generations, 254 people had to exist for you to be here. This isn’t even counting the ancestors that were- chosen, adoptive, and supportive- who nourished the roots of your lineage. When we honor ancestral connection- and the stories each of us carry- we realize that all of us hold more pieces of our history, right now, in this moment, than we may even consciously recognize. Whether it is the names passed down through generations, the memories you heard as a child, the continued presence of those who have come before you, or a deep desire to develop a relationship with your deeper family lines, you are in exactly the right place to begin.

Today, we offer the following exercises to guide you in tapping into your ancestral connections or in deepening the ones you’ve already begun to cultivate:

When do you feel the most loved? Is it receiving a hug? Spending the day with someone you love? Receiving a beautifully written letter celebrating you? Coming home to find a gift from a friend? Finding out that your children did all the dishes without being asked?

According to Gary Chapman there are 5 different ways that people experience love: acts of service (like if someone does chores for you, fixes you a meal, etc.), presents, physical touch, quality time, and words of affirmation (examples of this are love letters, giving a meaningful compliment, etc). You may know immediately what your love language is, but if you don’t, you can always take a free test on the 5 Love Languages website and it will tell you which love languages are yours!

With the holidays approaching, Covid-19 spiking and many states going back into lockdown, it is entirely likely that many of us are feeling unsettled and uncertain about what’s next. We may be feeling grief (or for some of us relief) in not being able to spend in-person time with our family and friends this holiday season. Regardless of how you’re feeling or where you’re located the following exercises are offered with the intention of bringing you a sense of rootedness and lightheartedness. By allowing ourselves to engage in playfulness even in the most stressful of moments, we give our bodies time to rest.

An innate component of our humanity is the giving and receiving of stories. It’s how we entertain, make sense of things, and pass on information. Stories breathe through us and as individual human beings and members of collective cultures, we are living stories. Nearly every culture has a creation story to help us make sense of how we came to be. Similarly, cultures, families, and societies have stories that connect us with how we should be in the world - what to value, what is taboo, and how to be in connection with earth and other living entities.

Following are some exercises for you to connect the teachings of creation: those taught to you and those you claim for yourself.

The relationship we have with our body is one of the most essential relationships we’ll ever have. Amidst election cycles, increasing rates in COVID, and lots of readjustments this year, we encourage you to take a moment and connect with the home that is your body. Following are some practices to help build this connection.

To feel at home in your body...

Each and every one of us has our own connection to home. Home as a place. Home as a group of specific people. Home as an embodied sensation. Here at Kneading Change, we believe that home and identity are intertwined and that when honored fully they can nourish our sense of wholeness. If you’re wanting to deepen your connection to home or figure out what home means to you - in this moment- join us this week in engaging the journal prompt and exercises below.