Indigenous Student Wellness Day: Balancing Your Four Directions
- Date
- November 30, 2023
- Time
- 9:30 AM EST - 4:30 PM EST
- Location
- POD-250, Podium building (350 Victoria Street)
- Open To
- Indigenous students, faculty and staff
- Contact
- Bradley Gibson bradley.gibson@torontomu.ca
Indigenous students, faculty and staff are invited to join the fourth annual Indigenous Wellness Day on November 30, 2023 in POD-250.
2024 theme: Balancing Your Four Directions
The theme Balancing Your Four Directions revolves around the pursuit of wellness by engaging in activities that promote self-care in the spiritual, emotional, physical, and intellectual dimensions. This theme emphasizes the importance of finding equilibrium and well-being in the face of ongoing challenges in today's contemporary world.
Indigenous community members will gather to exchange meaningful pathways to wellness through meditation, yoga, mental health and wellness strategies and food sovereignty. The workshops will be hosted by knowledge keepers and community members, aimed at providing support for the wellness goals of Indigenous students at TMU.
Schedule
9:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. | Breakfast
10 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. | Opening with Brian Norton
Join Brian Norton for the opening of the fourth annual Indigenous Wellness Day. Brian will kick off the day’s events and introduce the theme, Balancing Your Four Directions.
Brian is Program Manager, Gdoo-maawnjidimi Mompii Indigenous Student Services. He is Anishnaabe from Chimnissing First Nation, also known as Beausoleil on the shores of southern Georgian Bay. Brian is committed to being a life-long advocate for higher learning and strives to deliver services that are essential for the success of the Indigenous students at TMU.
10:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. | Counselling for Indigenous students with Lisa LaFreniere
Join Lisa Lafreniere for an overview of the culturally-supportive counselling services available for Indigenous students through the Centre for Student Development and Counselling (CSDC).
Lisa is an Indigenous trauma counsellor, nutritionist and social worker with the CSDC. Since 2021, the CSDC has been providing this service in response to the discovery of undocumented burial sites at Indian Residential Schools. The ongoing discoveries compound the intergenerational trauma experienced by Indigenous communities. The service focuses on supporting Indigenous students and addressing the collective community's grief and anger through healing and action.
10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. | Intro to yoga and pilates with Shayla Stonechild
Join Shayla Stonechild for an interactive intro to yoga and pilates session. Honouring the medicine wheel and the duality of the four seasons, the four directions and the four states of our wellbeing. This hatha vinyasa yoga practice will focus on alignment of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of ourselves. The session will begin with a seated meditation, followed by a hatha vinyasa yoga sequence and ending with a breathwork session to release old stories and patterns. The class is accessible to anyone. We suggest you bring a water bottle, yoga mat and journal.
The practice is dedicated to honouring the land (Treaty 13 Territory) that we have the privilege to practice on.
As a Mètis and Nehiyaw Iskwew (Plains Cree Woman) from Muscowpetung First Nations, Shayla has always been a catalyst towards Indigenous youth and women unlocking their full potential. By reclaiming their voices, bodies and spirits that have been silenced and stolen throughout history and humanity.
Shayla is an award-winning TV Host of APTN's "Red Earth Uncovered", yoga instructor at "CMMN GRND" with over 500+ yoga teacher training hours, and is the first Indigenous person to be on the cover of "Yoga Journal" Magazine. She is a part of Lululemon's diversity and inclusion committee in Vancouver.
Shayla is a vibrant voice for Indigenous women and youth and has been active in the movement to reclaim Indigenous voices and world views. As a steward for Indigenous wellness, representation and leadership in the mainstream, she has become a catalyst for change in wellness communities where there has often been a lack of meaningful engagement and programming for her community. She is helping to lead a powerful shift in humanity, guided by the belief that the arts, meditation, movement and a reclamation of Indigenous ways will lead us all towards healing.
11:15 a.m. to 12 p.m. | Nutrition for students with Cordelia Sheppard
Join Cordelia Sheppard for nutrition strategies and tips to support your mental health and wellbeing. While it’s easy to let nutrition slide when you’re a busy student, eating balanced meals can support your academic journey by giving you the strength you need to focus. Cordelia will share budget-friendly healthy eating tips, suggest energizing study snacks and meals, emphasize the significance of mindful eating and provide information about community resources for support.
Cordelia Sheppard is a mixed Mi'kmaq and Canadian settler, graduate from TMU’s Nutrition and Food program and a former Indigenous Peer Support worker. She is passionate about human rights, environmental sustainability and preventative medicine.
12 p.m. to 1 p.m. | Lunch
1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. | Chair yoga with Lisa Derencinovic
Join Lisa Derencinovic for a chair yoga workshop where she will guide you through foundational poses to increase circulation, improve flexibility, relieve cramps and stiffness and support your overall well being.
Originally introduced to the fitness world as a modified version of hatha yoga for individuals with health implications and the elderly, chair yoga is a skill anyone can add to their daily routines. Chair yoga is an ideal exercise for those suffering from conditions such as chronic pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, osteoporosis and multiple sclerosis.
Lisa is a registered social worker and counsellor with Counselling with Lisa. She is dedicated to teaching mindfulness and yoga to help people regulate their emotions, find relaxation and foster self care.
2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. | Full Moon, Grounding and Letting Go Meditation with Amy Desjarlais
Join Amy Desjarlais for a guided meditation connected to the full moon, grounding and letting go.
About Amy Desjarlais Waabishka Kakaki Zhaawshko Shkeezhgokwe (White Raven Woman with Turquoise Eyes)
Amy is the Lead of Rebirthed Teachings in Indigenous Initiatives in the Office of the Vice-President, Equity and Community Inclusion at TMU. Rebirthed Teachings is a group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous staff working together to educate about our shared history together. Amy is also an instructor for Anishnawbe Health Toronto’s Community Health Worker Training Program. Her community work includes sitting as an executive board member at the Centre for World Indigenous Studies, and a General board member for Community Music Schools of Toronto. She is a member of Spiritwind singers with performances all over Tkaronto as a group and individual hand drummer.
3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. | Intro to Expressive Storytelling with Philip Gellar
What stories are calling to be told and how can we tell them? Join a fun and participatory workshop that aims to open you up to the possibility of storytelling using your voice and body. Come experience the world of play and imagination using improv, gestures and games as tools for expression. This event is open to all levels and abilities, no preparation or materials required.
Philip Jonah Logan Geller is a Métis (Red River) and Jewish (Ashkenazi) theatre artist, director, scholar and educator. They are focused on decolonizing their process by listening to and dialoguing with ancestral and cultural knowledge, through circular (anti-oppressive) spaces and land-based storytelling. They have been through a BFA from University of Alberta, an MFA from York University, and are pursuing an MEd in Urban Indigenous Education from York University. Although, more importantly, they learn from all the incredible relations—human and more than human—that they have the fortune of visiting with.
Meet n greet with community partners
From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., we invite Indigenous students to meet n greet with both internal and external community partners to learn about health and wellness programs, services and initiatives.
Sign up for 30-minute reiki and/or massage session
From 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., we invite you to sign up for a 30-minute reiki and/or massage appointment with reiki masters Monique Gibson and Nyasha Angel.
Sign up for 20-minute oracle and tarot card reading
From 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., we invite you to sign up for a 20-minute oracle and tarot card reading with Sarah Dennis.
This event is wheelchair accessible
The university is committed to the accessibility and inclusion of persons with disabilities. If you require any additional accessibility accommodations to ensure your full participation, please email Bradley Gibson, Indigenous Academic Support Advisor, Gdoo-maawnjidimi Mompii Indigenous Student Services, at bradley.gibson@torontomu.ca.
Questions?
If you have any questions, please email Bradley Gibson, Indigenous Academic Support Advisor, Gdoo-maawnjidimi Mompii Indigenous Student Services, at bradley.gibson@torontomu.ca.