Paradoxes of Presence is a mutual support container and somatic play space for anti-capitalist visionaries to experiment with pacing, polycrisis, contradictions, & choices.

Through an intentionally slow-release time capsule spanning half a year, we explore themes of embodied urgency, where it comes from, and the deep transformation of our reactive impulses and default behaviors.

We center that we are more powerful together than we are alone, and that these times need us to expand our capacity for nuance, equanimity, generative conflict, & creativity.

What becomes possible in our lives and movements when we take time to breathe, notice our patterns, & try new behaviors? What clarity, courage, & commitments do these practices require of us?

What is at stake if we don’t act with intention, strategy, & care?

Calling all who wrestle fiercely with these questions.

We are living through times of fierce urgency. The festering legacies of colonial and racialized violence on Turtle Island and around the globe encompass genocide, ongoing war, manufactured famines, climate catastrophe, swelling fascism, forced migration & disappearances of immigrants, mass incarceration, murdered & missing Indigenous women & Two Spirits, torture, exploitation & abuse of life, land, water, & air, the ongoing covid-19 crisis & destruction of public health systems in the united states, hate crimes & mass shootings, ruptures within our movements, communities, families, friendships, workplaces, and schools… & on & on.

We know ceasing harm on all levels of society is necessary for true healing and transformation to be possible. Our movements need to be nimble & active to defend Earth and lives under attack.

&,

Caring for ourselves & one another as we organize cannot be an afterthought.

We need to “move at the speed of trust,” deep listening, disability justice, & attunement to our wounds so we don’t perpetuate cycles of harm against one another or ourselves.

Can we slow down while scaling up at the same time?

Join us as we enliven these inquiries through practice.

While we know our well-being as humans is dependent on the wellness of all life & land, we can struggle to escape heightened states of alarm & reactivity as we bear witness to intensifying violence, injustice, threats, & attacks. Though our bodies may tell us we need to slow down, we may habitually ignore or push past these cues. Perhaps we feel as though we can’t or mustn’t slow down while others suffer, so we prioritize responsibilities like work, school, caregiving, organizing, or direct action.

Can self-care & collective care co-exist? Can we be interdependent & still have boundaries?

When so much needs to change, what are realistic (& unrealistic) expectations?

Can we ground ourselves in the pragmatic AND dream expansively?

Incorporating mindfulness, somatics, & the creative toolkit of InterPlay, Paradoxes of Presence will dive deep into these questions, knowing that we cannot answer all of them.

Join us as we unpack the tensions of our times, explore our tendencies towards rushing, develop & strengthen skills to ground our nervous systems, share stories, & unlock the wisdom of our bodies through play & supportive witnessing. Between sessions, you’ll be given concepts, practices, & invitations to voluntarily engage with the material as you choose.