“There's no magical return. We're not all going to return to an unblemished time in history, and if we know that...what do we have to do? Who needs to have conversation with whom? Who needs to heal what relationship? Who needs to ask for what permission? Who needs to offer something back?” This week on the podcast, Prentis Hemphill offers us these questions in conversation about how we can be in relationship with each other at this very moment in time. In recognition of the tremendous intricacies of our experiences when it comes to our collective histories, forced severances, and the manipulation of trauma in our society, Prentis shares how embodiment is a resource that allows us to connect with the Earth, recognize grief as an entry point, and shape the impossible into possible. 

In conversation, Prentis and Ayana also explore what it means to heal across time, the importance of boundaries, recovering our capacity within a system that violently seeks to concentrate trauma, and the detrimental impacts of our obsession with innocence. Recogizing the connections between these topics, Prentis reminds us of the importance of training ourselves to pay attention to the ecosystem we are a part of, while grounding in the tremendous potential that embodiment provides us when it comes to capacity, relationship, mending, and a deep desire for connection.

Prentis Hemphill is a movement facilitator, Somatics teacher, and practitioner, working at the convergence of healing, collective transformation, and political organizing. Prentis has spent the last 15 years bridging wellbeing and power building as a part of movement building organizations, most recently as the Healing Justice Director at Black Lives Matter Global Network. In 2016, Prentis was awarded the Buddhist Peace Fellowship Soma Award for community work inspired by Buddhist thought. At present, Prentis is the founder and leader of The Embodiment Institute and The Black Embodiment Initiative as well as host of the Finding Our Way Podcast.

♫ The music you heard on this episode is “New Dune” (Instrumental) by Tan Cologne, “Codetalker” by This Flame I Carry, and “Let The Cards Fall” by The Breath.

Episode References

The Embodiment Institute

“Letting Go of Innocence” by Prentis Hemphill

“Contagion, Consent, and Connection” by Prentis Hemphill

“How the Wonder of Nature Can Inspire Social Justice Activism” by adrienne maree brown

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