“…and they just have no idea” | Speciesism April 20, 2017, plus three more April events

“Intelligent people who are making a good living, who are politically aware…  and they just have no idea.”  – Speciesism

Hi everyone,

If you haven’t yet seen this must-see, deeply philosophical, thought-provoker, here’s your chance. A Screening of Speciesism with filmmaker Mark Devries will be hosted by the Golden West College Peace Studies Program, Thursday, April 20, 6:30pm – 9:30pm. RSVP.

This screening is the pre-conference kick-off event, in advance of the Friday, April 28, 8:30am – 5:00pm 11th Annual Golden West College Peace Conference: “A Sustainable Peace: Equity, Equality, and Environmental Interdependence in the 21st Century”. This year’s intersectional theme is well represented in the broad variety of speakers, a line-up that won’t disappoint. The $25 pre-registration includes vegan breakfast and lunch, plus the full day conference. As in past year, the event is zero waste. PRE-REGISTER.

The day before the GWC conference, we will be out at Cal State Fullerton for the Thursday, April 27, 6:30p – 8:30pm Socially Accepted Practices and Traumatic Impact on Adolescents’ Development.We will have a very interesting conversation that night with special guest Gene Baur, plus Dr. Nicole Jafari, and Fullerton residents, Bruno Barba, Dulce Barba and Audrey Waight, (all featured in our yet to be released documentary, ‘So Give Me An F’). Admission is free. RSVP.

The day after the GWC conference we will be in Irvine for the Saturday, April 29, 9:00am – 4:00pm Crises in the Ocean: How Compassionate Action Benefits Us All, Featuring Gene Baur, Jonathan Balcombe and Kate Mackey, plus a vegan cooking demo by Joni Marie Newman and compost demo by John Craig. This free event includes lunch, so after you see how Joni made the yummy tacos, you will get to eat them. And Gene and Jonathan will be signing books that day. After the morning and mid-day program, People’s Climate March – Orange County will commence at 2p. RSVP.

Four April events on critically important topics being presented in very interesting ways — hope to see you often between now and the end of the month.

In the spirit of Ubuntu,
Barbara English, LMFT, CBT, TRE® Certification Trainer
Co-founder and Executive Director, Living Ubuntu
livingubuntu.org | facebook | donate »
living vegan (facebook) | plant powered oc (facebook)
occlimateaction.org | facebook
(949) 891-2005

[Ubuntu] n. We belong to the greater whole.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Living congruent with our values | Upcoming events

The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.
– Martin Luther King, Jr.

Hi everyone,

As much as December offers a time to look back reflectively on the year that was, January brings a clean slate to begin again. It provides us with the opportunity to re-commit to the process of living congruent with our values and the life we genuinely aspire to live. Sometimes summoning our will isn’t enough because as homeostatic beings, we need transformation to come from a deeper place within us if it is to be lasting. Finding ways to re-inhabit our own body and surrounding ourselves with social support can be essential in re-aligning our life. Spending time in nature and with animals is another aspect. The sense of feeling that we belong to a greater whole can be fostered by the micro-experience of feeling well-connected to those who are nearby, regardless of species.

In 2016, Living Ubuntu will be increasing its emphasis on support for health, well-being and compassion – for us as individuals, and for the greater whole that extends far beyond humanity only.

In a gentle way you can shake your world (2016) — Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE) 5-session group series

In a gentle way, you can shake the world. – Gandhi

In a Gentle Way You Can Shake Your World (2016)

Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE)

A five-session group series

Flowering Seed Studio
4001 Birch St, Unit A
Newport Beach, California 92660

 Saturdays, 9:30a – 11:30a

• February 6
• February 13
• February 20

***NO SESSION ON FEBRUARY 27 ***

• March 5
• March 12

Early Registration by Wednesday February 3: $100.00 for 5 session series

After February 3 (contact us for space availability): $125 for 5 session series

If you wish to attend, but are experiencing financial hardship,  please contact us.

Questions? Email: info@livingubuntu.org, or call: (949)891.2005.

*Please note: Attendance at the first session is required for participation in this series. Attendance at all sessions is strongly encouraged in order to receive maximum benefit.

***

Description: There is no prerequisite for participation in this series. It is intended for both first-timers and those already experienced with TRE.

Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE) is an easy to learn body-centered method created by Dr. David Berceli. Successfully used in many different countries and conflict zones, it is a simple technique that helps release stress or tension from the body that accumulates from every day circumstances of life, difficult situations, immediate or prolonged stressful situations, or traumatic life experiences (e.g., natural disasters, social or domestic violence, PTSD). Symptoms of unresolved trauma or chronic stress may include difficulties such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, body pain or trouble concentrating.

TRE consists of six simple exercises that help individuals release tension from the muscles, which in turn relaxes the anxiety of our minds, by evoking a muscular shaking process in the body. The exercises elicit this shaking in a controlled and sustained manner. When evoked in this way, this shaking, also called “self-induced therapeutic tremors” or “neurogenic tremors”, begins to release deep chronic muscular tension held within the body.

See also:

• What is TRE?
• David Berceli interview in South Africa about TRE
• What are Neurogenic Tremors?
• Dr. Robert Scaer thoughts on Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises

***

• Please wear soft, flexible clothing that does not restrict breathing or movement.

• Some of the exercises are done lying on the floor. The workshop room is not carpeted, please bring a mat or blanket to lie on to increase your comfort.

• Participation in somatic exercises, while safe and effective, could lead to physical or emotional upset. Each participant needs to stay within their own physical and emotional ability.

***

Barbara English is a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist, Certified Bioenergetic Therapist, Certified TRE Provider, and TRE Certification Trainer with over 25 years of experience in psychotherapy. Her training included a strong focus on Early Development and Infant Mental Health. Working from a mind-body perspective, she utilizes relational somatic methods as part of the healing process for those seeking recovery after abuse or trauma. Recognizing that current Western models of recovery are grossly inadequate for addressing the pervasiveness of traumatized societies, locally and globally, she founded Living Ubuntu in 2005 and serves as its volunteer Executive Director. She is a 2009 Carl Wilkens Fellow.

[Ubuntu] n. Every human being truly becomes a human by means of relationships with other human beings. 

Please support Living Ubuntu — tomorrow is the last day for 2015 tax-deductible gifts

I think there’s a mythology that if you want to change the world, you have to be sainted, like Mother Teresa or Nelson Mandela or Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Ordinary people with lives that go up and down and around in circles can still contribute to change.

 – Jody Williams

Hi everyone,

We are coming to the end of a year where Syrian refugees have been demonized, those from African countries utterly forgotten, fear of terrorism ruled the day amid unchecked domestic gun violence, phrases like “Black Lives Matter” astoundingly still stir controversy, more than nine billion land animals died in the U.S. to produce meat, dairy, and eggs — and — the ‘best-ever’ global climate deal is a gross mismatch of goals and substantive approach. What’s next?

Human beings are generally homeostatic creatures. It sometimes takes crisis or desperation to stir us. The good news is, that is often our very best opportunity to seek and accomplish something better.

I reflect time and again on the words spoken by some of the much needed wise leaders of our time who hold vision for what ‘better’ might look like, and how we get there:

Naomi Klein speaks of climate change as the ultimate call-to-action-game-changer that gives us a chance, in fact, insists that we see the world and how we operate within it from a totally new and dramatically different paradigm, i.e. “This Changes Everything.”

David Berceli speaks of global trauma as our invitation to evolve, “…into a more ethical, moral and caring species.”

Gene Baur speaks of our food choices as the opportunity to reduce suffering by pausing to ask ourselves, “What would be the kind thing to do?”

Carl Wilkens speaks of the need to “…recognize in each one of us, there’s such a potential for good and there’s such a potential for evil.”

Daniel Siegel speaks of how we are all in this together: “To make this world different we have to realize that the self is plural, it’s an absolute delusion that’s killing the planet to think that the self is separate.”

In the coming year, may we all find ways, more so than ever before, to reaffirm, embody and express our shared connection to goodness.

On a final note, tomorrow is the last day for year-end donations to count as tax deductible for 2015. We really need your generous support to be able to keep going. Please consider giving to Living Ubuntu. Contributions of any size will be received with much gratitude. DONATE HERE.

Happy New Year :)

Thank you for staying engaged,

Barbara English, LMFT, CBT, TRE Certification Trainer
Co-founder and Executive Director, Living Ubuntu
livingubuntu.org
(949) 891-2005

[Ubuntu] n. Every human being truly becomes a human by means of relationships with other human beings

“…a community that we are to join and enhance.”

This understanding of the self-regulating nature of earth, we didn’t know about this for 400 years in science, we just didn’t. But now we’re realizing we are destroying billions of years of creativity that enabled all of this vitality to exist. But we’re awakening to that mistake and now we see, instead of thinking of earth as something to exploit and use, we are beginning to realize, it is a community that we are to join and enhance. That’s the big shift.
– Brian Swimme, PhD, Cosmologist (Love Thy Nature)

Hi everyone,

What happens when our entire society has been living in a state of long-term chronic stress? In truth, lot of things get really messed up in our physiology and that affects our thoughts, feelings and behavior. Here’s just one example: we tend to get polarized, and our focus narrows. Within that there is a tendency to under-react and/or over-react. In other words we lose some of our ability to accurately perceive threats.

As much as refugees may currently be taking the brunt of this, perceived by some through a lens of exaggerated threat, many are likewise grossly underestimating the climate threat. And there does seem to be a pattern that those perceiving refugees as greatest threat also seem to be least concerned about climate. The cruel irony is, unaddressed climate change risks greatly increasing the number of refugees rapidly.

Recent climate reports have had a common theme: climate change is already here, and it is getting far worse, far faster than scientists ever thought could be possible. We are in the awkward position of needing to applaud every positive step that has been and is being taken, and at the same time, recognize that we are nowhere near where we need to be. In fact, as we have recently reached the level of a 1 Degree C rise in global temperature, there is recognition that the previously set goal of not exceeding 2 Degrees C is too high. We must seek to stop it at 1.5 Degrees C. This will be a gargantuan challenge.

As the Paris climate talks commence on December 30, we need to raise our voices in support of effective, enforceable, global climate agreements.

Come join us Sunday, November 29 for a climate rally at the Irvine Spectrum. Please RSVP so we can communicate last minute updates about the event.

If you do not live locally, look for a rally in your area as there will be many across the world on that day, the eve of the Paris talks.

Also, the Frida Cinema got so many calls from people wanting to see the film, This Changes Everything, that they added an encore screening for tomorrow, Tuesday, November 24, 7:30p. Buy tickets here.

One more thing. Thanksgiving is Thursday. We have much to be grateful for.

For those seeking an alternative to turkey on Thanksgiving, here is one of many helpful resources:
Recipes for The Ultimate Vegan Thanksgiving Menu: From Meatless Main Courses to Dairy-Free Pies.

In the spirit of Ubuntu,
Barbara English, LMFT, CBT, TRE Trainer
Founder and Executive Director, Living Ubuntu
livingubuntu.org | facebook | donate »
(949) 891-2005

[Ubuntu] n. My humanity is caught up, is inextricably bound up, in what is yours.

…what is important is how the body feels — Intro to TRE Sep 26

…[most] are not aware of the lack of aliveness in their bodies. People are so accustomed to thinking of the body as an instrument or a tool of the mind that they accept its relative deadness as a normal state. …what is important is how the body feels.
– Alexander Lowen

Hi everyone,

Next Saturday, September 26, 10a – noon, Living Ubuntu is hosting Intro to TRE – Fundraiser: Trauma Recovery for East African Refugees. Many of you are familiar with this method, created by Dr. David Berceli. For those of you that aren’t, I want to encourage you to come give it a try. (See: What is TRE?)

I first learned Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE) from Dr. Berceli back in 2004, and it is not an exaggeration to say it dramatically changed my life and the path I was pursuing. The story is too long for email, so if you want to hear it, we need to meet up for coffee ;)

By now I have had the privilege of teaching thousands of people, and countless times I have heard how it helped them sleep better. The list of additional benefits is long. For those who continue to practice it over time, stories of significant healing and a way of being able to enjoy living differently in their own skin are plentiful. Recently, I even heard a story about how it helped someone’s tennis game :)

I am very passionate about the wish for us all to have more access to compassion and live more embodied, healthy lives, so I could go on and on. Instead, I am just going to issue the invitation again – come give it a try and see how you feel.

Intro to TRE – Fundraiser for Nepal this Sunday, June 14

Compassion is not a quality to be cultivated in isolation, aloof from life. It is easy to be compassionate from a distance, when your heart is undisturbed. When you are surrounded by those who love and care for you, when you have built a world where pain is repressed or ignored, you can easily immerse yourself in thoughts of love and tolerance. Yet that is a fragile world, built on foundations that will always crumble. Compassion speaks of the willingness to engage with tragedy, loss, and pain. Its domain is not only the world of those you love and care for, but equally the people who threaten you, the countless people you don’t know, the homeless person you meet on the street, and the situations of anger and hatred you recoil from. It is here that you learn about the depths of tolerance and understanding that are possible for each one of us. It is here that you learn about dignity, meaning, and greatness of heart.
– Christina Feldman

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the short notice. We have accepted the international invitation to participate in “Global TRE Shake… to Ground Nepal”.

This coming Sunday, June 14, 4p-6p, in Newport Beach, we are offering Intro to TRE – Fundraiser for Nepal. This event has a minimum suggested donation of $20.00. ALL proceeds will directly benefit TRE For All in collaboration with TRE-Humanitarian Support Asia (TRE-HSA) as they seek to: Create and Install a Sustainable TRE® Relief Program in Nepal for Long Term Earthquake Recovery.

Can’t attend, but want to contribute? DONATE HERE.

Still not sure what TRE is? Check out the videos below.

• ·         What is TRE?
• ·         David Berceli explains TRE
• ·         Dr. Robert Scaer, thoughts on Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises

Want to join us on Sunday? RSVP: info@livingubuntu.org.

(And bring a mat or blanket to lie down on, the room is not carpeted.)

See bottom of this email for additional upcoming events.

“…widening our circle of compassion…” (and new TRE group starts tomorrow)

A human being is a part of a whole… [but] he experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest…. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. – Albert Einstein

Hi everyone,

Last Thursday, Orange County for Climate Action (OCCA) had a great turn-out for, “A Conversation with Craig Preston: Solutions to Climate Change”. (See more about CCL’s Carbon Fee & Dividend plan here.) Then on Sunday, we had a lot of fun (amidst the seriousness of the topic) on our visit to the Southern California location of Farm Sanctuary. You can see the photos here. I had no idea how crazy-big the pigs would be, not to mention how ridiculously tall the full grown male steers were – wow! A little intimidating until you find out they are just as friendly and affection-seeking as a cat or dog.

Come celebrate with us this weekend! TODAY is last day to register.

Hi everyone,

Toward a More Peaceful World is this coming weekend and as gentle reminder, online registration ends this evening, January 14 at 11p.

My recent emails have emphasized the 2-day workshop being presented by Dr. David Berceli, but that isn’t the only great thing happening this weekend. The Living Ubuntu Birthday Celebration will be Saturday evening and registration for that is separate from the workshop. So if for some reason you can’t make it to the workshop – come celebrate with us in the evening!

We have gotten amazing donations for the silent auction. Need an iPad? Acupuncture? Wine tasting? Come place your bid! Plus we have several Ubuntu-themed activities that we think you will really enjoy, and of course lots of really tasty, great food too ;)

Net proceeds will benefit Trauma Recovery for East African Refugees in San Diego. Make sure to register by 11p tonight so you can join us in having a great time Saturday evening and help support this critically important project all at the same time.

And if for some reason you just can’t be there this weekend, support the project by donating here.

Grateful for your continued engagement and support,

Barbara English, LMFT
Founder & Executive Director, Living Ubuntu
livingubuntu.org
(949) 891-2005
[Ubuntu] n. a person is a person through other persons

***
Two incredible events — register for both by 11p TONIGHT!

Celebrate Living Ubuntu’s 10th Birthday!

Toward a More Peaceful World

Dr. David Berceli and Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE)

A 2-day workshop January 17-18 | An evening celebration January 17

Golden West College
15744 Goldenwest St
Huntington Beach, California, 92647

Net proceeds will benefit Living Ubuntu’s Trauma Recovery for East African Refugees in San Diego.

Open to the public. CEUs available for LMFTs and LCSWs.

Click here for more info or to register by January 14.
—
Much gratitude to all of our partners, donors and sponsors!

LIVING UBUNTU
GOLDEN WEST COLLEGE PEACE STUDIES PROGRAM
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE FOR BIOENERGETIC ANALYSIS
CARL WILKENS FELLOWSHIP
THE GRAIN PROJECT
I-ACT
SAN DIEGO TRAUMA-INFORMED GUIDE TEAM
TRE, LLC

BLUE HEART COMMUNITY ACUPUNCTURE
BRIDGETTE HANNING
BUDDHAMOUSE EMPORIUM
COSTCO
CUMMINS & WHITE, LLP
LARA MONTAGNE PHOTOGRAPHY
MIDAN AL TAHRIR
MOTHER’S MARKET
PRP WINE INTERNATIONAL
STAPLES
STEVE KAYE PHOTOGRAPHY
SWEET SENSATIONS
THE LIVING TEMPLE
WHOLE FOODS
***

Time to end the overwhelm – 6 more days to register for Toward a More Peaceful World

…if our muscles and guts are set to respond to danger, then our mind will tell us that we have something to fear….
The degree to which we cannot deeply feel our body’s interior is the degree to which we crave excessive external stimulation.
 – Dr. Peter Levine

Hi everyone,

Okay – first, the bad news.

In today’s world, most of us feel overwhelmed, either chronically, or intermittently. There is just so much to deal with and on so many different levels of life. Overwhelm is everywhere in our society. It’s epidemic. We don’t easily admit the truth of how overwhelming life can be, and what it really indicates about our quality of life and health as individuals and as a society. Most of us have grown accustomed to living right on the edge; we stretch our capacity just about as far as it can go, and then often, we just stay there. We adapt to life in this unnatural state and come to think of it as just the way life is. But it takes a toll, some of it we notice, some of it we don’t. Even taking a break is not enough. It doesn’t still our mind for long, muscles remain tight and tense, mood less than ideal, and sleep is disturbed. Overwhelm sits only one notch below “I can’t” and we cling desperately to staying within the belief that “I can” – even when that requires a bit of denial.

Now here’s the good news: you still have six more days to register for Toward a More Peaceful World.

It’s the start of a new year – an excellent time for change. Equally powerful to your body’s instinctual survival response, is your body’s instinctual recovery response. Most people due to societal conditioning and other factors have utterly suppressed and lost access to the body’s wisdom. That doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Chronic overwhelm means you are stuck. Come get unstuck. In service to your own health and well-being, come experience what is possible for you when your body is able to remember what it already knows how to do naturally – how to recover.
Let’s come together in making this much needed personal and cultural shift. Your tense muscles, spinning mind, and significant others will all thank you.

BTW: We have added a group discount, so make sure you sign up with a friend, or lots of them :)

Barbara English, LMFT
Founder & Executive Director, Living Ubuntu
livingubuntu.org
(949) 891-2005
[Ubuntu] n. a person is a person through other persons