This week’s episode of “The Critical Social Worker” was titled “Episode #23: ‘Unearthing the Human Core with Zenia: A Little Zen, Storytelling, and Forest Therapy.’” The podcast is currently in its second season, putting it in the top 1% of podcasts, according to Jack Butcher: https://www.reddit.com/r/Entrepreneur/comments/o22h74/the_art_and_science_of_getting_to_the_very_top_of/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
“The Critical Social Worker’s” host is Christian Ace Stettler, a professor in the social work department, at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and a PhD student. Ana Fulcher was this episode’s cohost. She is an aspiring, junior, social work student intrigued by the importance of breath work and nature therapy, both addressed this week. This week’s guest was Zenia, the founder of “A Little Zen.” She wears many hats, being a registered social worker, psychotherapist, registered yoga instructor, and a mindfulness coach. As I learned from this week’s podcast, Zenia impressively completed her bachelor’s degree in social work and her yoga training simultaneously.
Episode #23 of “The Critical Social Worker” went over the helpfulness of trusting your intuition, breath control and exhaling to release tension in your mind and body, and how yoga teaches this. It also covered the under personalization of social work. Over the course of the podcast it is discussed how social workers might deal with this and Zenia’s main input was to “treat people like humans.” It also went over forest/nature therapy, which is a great tool because when people are side-by-side, such as in a situation like hiking, instead of facing each other, they are generally more comfortable with sharing their thoughts and feelings. It was also talked about how nature helps people realize the impermanence of things and how nothing stays the same forever. This can help with life problems and the realization that they won’t stay forever. A good example of this in nature is the changing of the seasons.
The podcast episode addressing nature therapy made me think about my version of it. My version was the experience of working on my grandparents farm. Walking through the woods for eight hours a day, some days to put up fencing, clear pasture, pick up sticks for better fields, or whatever I may have been doing, was very calming and the refreshingness of being outdoors as well as endorphins from physical activity was a type of therapy for me. Being with the animals, although domesticated, added to my version of nature therapy. It’s simple things like seeing how tiny a calf is in comparison to how big they are when they grow up and how you can see everything around you because you’re so tall when you’re sat atop a horse that can really change your perspective, physically, and mentally.
https://meditationaustralia.org.au/
https://www.innerdimensiontv.com/
Mindy Haley
I really liked your reflections from the time you spent working on the farm. At what ages (roughly) were you doing this work? Were you ever resentful for the requirement to work outside on the farm, or did you always embrace it as a form of therapy, or maybe just a type of work you enjoyed? I liked how Zenia talked about being “banished” to the outdoors as a kid and acknowledged the good and bad that came from that experience so I’m asking if you can share similar insights about your own.
I am grateful that you included the links at the end of your blog for the resources that were mentioned during the Podcast. I want to check out Cosmic Kids Yoga, but I didn’t write it down right away and it has already slipped out of my mind.
Devin Gittlein
Hi Mindy! I worked at the farm from about the time I was fifteen to seventeen. There were definitely some days when I dreaded getting up and going as it was a type of job, but overall I really loved it and as soon as I got started with my day I felt good being outside and doing the work. I am a person who likes to have an explicit goal and that made the farm a good fit for me, like fence this one field, move these twenty cows from one field to the next, etc. I didn’t feel “banished” so much like Zenia mentioned in the podcast and I think that is because I was older and more of a choice!
Tesha Hudson
Hi Devin,
I enjoyed reading your blog. The idea that people have an increase in willingness to have deep conversations while walking side by side is quite interesting. It made me reflect on some of the more intimate conversations I have had with my friends and loved ones while out in nature. I also appreciate that you included links in your post because I plan on looking into the cosmic kids for my own daughter.
Devin Gittlein
I’m glad you’re able to get good use out of the links Tesha! My youngest siblings do yoga before bed to wind down and they generally do poses out of a book they have but I am excited to see how they like the Cosmic Kids Yoga channel. Some of my best “deep” conversations have been on my moms front porch in rocking chairs. I think the mindless movement helps me not focus on how sometimes sharing things with other people can be awkward or embarrassing as well as the aspect of sitting beside the person helping me feel less pressure.