Creation for Liberation Podcast

In this final episode of Season 2, Chetna talks about what liberation looks, feels, sounds, smells and tastes like to her, on the day of recording the episode! She names the importance of realizing our freedom here and now on our collective creation and liberation.  She calls back and weaves in various gems from some of the conversations during this season of the pod, and invites you as the listen...

In this episode, Sara and Chetna talk about: What liberation smells like, sounds like, feels like for Sara All of our energetic pathways as music, and the unblocking of those pathways bringing music and liberation to the world Chetna’s journey with the Bansuri and the permission to make music Sara’s relationship with the banjo as a way to soothe her soul as she’s in relationship to the instrument...

In this episode, Lama Rod and Chetna talk about: What liberation smells like, sounds like, feels like and looks like for Lama Rod from both an abstract and embodied experience Contentment and acceptance alongside the wrongness, suffering and crisis of the world The subtle practice of “holding the chaos and crisis, instead of the chaos and crisis holding you” Holding space for everything that’s ari...

In this episode, Feroza and Chetna talk about: The creative process being a spiritual one, and how honoring that is transcending the inner critic that says “you’re a fraud” Feroza’s relationship with her creative muse Creativity rising up in her like water that have to be poured out based on experiencing a lot of emotions Creativity also rising up in her when her muse comes gently knocking Develop...

In this episode, Ameera and Noa talk with Chetna about: What life is like lately for each of them at the time of recording this conversation at the end of February, around 140 days after October 7th What “peace” means to each of them today, alongside the violence that they’re actively threatened by daily How Ameera holds the human need to defend and protect against violence while working for peace...

In this episode, Chetna shares: The Chetna Unfolding newsletter where she’s been publishing more recently about longing and depression as portals, second arrow suffering, the addiction to binary thinking, and more Ahimsa and nonviolence, and the confusing contemplation about what peace means today The day count and loss of 30,000 Palestinian lives, 1,400 Israeli lives, and uncountable plant and an...

In this episode, James and Chetna talk about: Art as alchemy and permission to be bold and expressed The importance of leaning into creativity during these times of violence, multiple genocides and divisiveness How art is often born out of suffering, and how James’ creativity is fueled by grappling, pain and what feels hard to make sense of Turning the pain, the lead, into beauty or gold; releasin...

In this episode, Chetna talks about: Some of Chetna’s recent longings The pain and ache of longing, and the inevitability of it as humans The distinction between the content of our longings and Longing itself The human tendency to chase after the longings, as symbolized by hungry ghosts  The clarity, awe, love and truth that comes with being with longing, especially in community How contemporary a...

In this episode, Kiran and Chetna talk about: Kiran’s partnership being a space where she could be her full, queer, androgynous self in her vulnerabilities and wins Morning meditation with Deepak Chopra and Oprah as a way to reset, start the day positively, take responsibility for her self-rhetoric, and get herself ready to step out into the world The practice in partnership of separating behavior...

In this episode, Luis and Chetna talk about: Luis’s journey of sharing more of himself in his work, claiming himself as a model, playing with make-up and being free Going from a stable and “successful” job at Kaiser to a queer-centric and indigenizing therapeutic practice Sharing himself authentically in room as a therapist with his clients Luis’s journey of identifying as an indigenous person thr...

In this episode, some of what Ruthie and Chetna talk about: Ruthie’s soul’s work and dharma to welcome and love all the parts of us, including those that have been shamed or rejected Ruthie’s story of being hit by an ambulance, being hospitalized for a month and getting a wire implanted in her spinal cord infusion Growing up as a sweet Southern girl and her doing everything she had to do for belon...

In this episode, Chetna shares about: The safety of relying on logic The willingness to be open to possibilities beyond logic A practice that allows us to consult with our mind and our heart wisdom The inner critic living in the mind The importance of movement (getting the heart rate up) to be able to consult with the heart The ancient intelligence of the heart Examples of folks moving through har...

In this episode, Megan and Chetna talk about: What dance means to Megan, a way to relate to the world, to space and other bodies, and self-express beyond what people assume  How in her body and Asian identity, she’s explored her physical strength through movement practices Breaking through walls of expectation through exploring movement through the body Going beyond the rigid way of what “dance” i...

In this episode, Hana and Chetna talk about: Resistance and activism through frizzy hair Creating new worlds through visual art; drawing what we want to see in the world, from cool fashion to authentic femininity Clothes as wearable art yet co-opted by capitalism that make it seem frivolous The paradox in Hana’s art between colorful and vibrant and dark and creepy The power in what is deemed as “u...

In this episode, Rupa and Chetna talk about: How her upbringing supported and didn’t support her creativity Being in a fallow period with music-making Processing grief with the lives lost and fundamental shifts after Covid The artist process, with music and healing, being one of sitting and listening, integrating and express at the edge of the unknown The Deep Medicine Circle’s landback work, evol...

In this episode, Kelsey and Chetna talk about: What “decolonizing” means to Kelsey Holding the both/and of being a settler and belonging on a particular land Cultivating belonging within oneself and with the larger earth community Honoring the truth of interdependence as a way to fostering belonging Practices of connecting with the earth and “offering breath” and care Kelsey’s tree friends and how...

In this episode, Amit and Chetna talk about: Putting ourselves in roles or boxes with the labels and identifiers we use to introduce ourselves How the ego relates to over-identification and control Defending our ideas and needing to protect them as a cause of suffering The ego’s need for security and its nature of insecurity Compassion for the ego and how it tries to help us be secure Finding secu...

Yo! Peace and warmth good people. It’s about to be Season two/dos/be/do/due of the Creation for Liberation podcast! I’m really leaning into the process of experimentation here, which is what I see creativity as. And in this season, we’re centering conversations with creators and liberators at the intersections of art, education, medicine, yoga, spirituality, science, somatics, social justice and m...

Welcome to the final episode of season 1 y'all! What fun experiment this podcast has been and we're ending with some quality conversation and wisdom from two new and lovely friends, Hitoko Okada and Inez Inok't. Some of what we get into: Hitoko's background as a lineage craft and textile artist and community arts facilitator Inez's background as a muralist, mother and indigineous activist Decoloni...

Just checking in with y'all on a few updates since we've been away from the podcast for awhile. Thanks for listening to the unfolding of the Creation for Liberation pod, y’all. So cool! Stay tuned within the month for the final episode of season 1. We love you!!!  Upcoming events: Our series of IG LIVE conversations on funk and love, liberation through birthing, compassionate art, and rejecti...

In this episode, we get into: The inspiration of folks fasting for Ramadan and increasing their God consciousness The intention of sharing and inviting you into the 3-Month Abundant Creativity Excavation Program When the program began and how it’s grown to 200+ alumni across the globe How we use language to open up new worlds for ourselves The definition of “creativity” and how problematic it is W...

In this episode, we vibe on: How in the midst of crisis and violence, it’s pertinent to take the time to love on and uplift the people around you, to check-in on them and know that that too is activism Heart intelligence from a yogic and ancient Egyptian perspective Research on the heart organ and it’s impactful communication with the brain The heart’s “little brain” Alyssa’s perspective of not sh...

In this episode, we get into: The inspirations of Morning Pages and Evening pages and its effects on sleep and mental clarity  The inspiration of the Devotion Chart and the Aluna Method by Juliana Luna How “knowing” provides us with safety, control and security The type of “knowing” that’s valued in our colonial culture Some history of human rationalism and its effects today How “knowing” doe...

In this episode, we get into: Gratitude for you as a listener, reviewer, giver of your valued attention to this podcast, thank you! The western definition of “discipline” How Yoga sees discipline How Kung Fu sees discipline The balance and yin/yang of empowered discipline Reclaiming discipline as an empowering practice versus a punishing practice Using words that resonate with us Taking the strugg...

In this episode, Chetna talks about: Two indigenous women-lead organizations that offer important resources for native and non-native folks: Spirit of the Sun and All My Relations Podcast What the inner critic is... Five traits and tendencies of the inner critic: 1. black or white thinking 2. motivating but actually invalidating 3. highly triggered by uncertainty 4. internalizing of oppressive val...