photo by Ana Figo
Breathing is a Radical Act
ZOOM Workshop
Monday Jan 16
We can deepen our experience of rest, joy and pleasure by paying careful attention to our breath and our bodies. This type of awareness can be difficult for folks in our community because our bodies are often sites of violence and erasure.
This session will give you the opportunity to practice breath and body awareness in an environment that honours the enormous risk involved in "being present."
Join Ronnie (they/them) as they take you on a journey into the realm of pure experience - a tender complement to support your GOODIE BAG! experience
photo by Ana Figo
Acupuncture with Adrienne
Monday January 16
Adrienne Mak, Registered Acupuncturist, (they/them)
Hi! My name is Adrienne. I am a Registered Acupuncturist and a musician.
I am a queer, non-binary, second-generation Chinese settler practicing & living here in Tkaronto.
My practice of Traditional Chinese & East Asian Medicine is informed by my ever-evolving personal relationship with my ancestors, and my desire to engage in a version of collective healing that sees us each as unique individual pieces of a complex and shifting whole.
I endeavour to create a space where, with my support, you can navigate your own healing, and engage with your body's own healing wisdom.
Some of the issues I see often in clinic include stress, anxiety, grief, depression, managing self-medicating with substances, managing chronic pain, acute injury and pain, issues with sleep and dreaming, digestive issues, effects of antibiotic use, menstrual pain and irregularity, pregnancy related issues, pre & post op care.
photo by Ana Figo
Tattoos with Faith (flash sheet)
Tuesday Jan 17
Faith likes classic tattoos. They appreciate the history of tattooing globally and wish to contribute to the culture in a meaningful way.
In a previous moment, Faith had worked in social services and was a Co-Founder of Pieces to Pathways, a peer-led substance use support program for queer and trans youth.
Currently, they make tattoos, take photographs, browse used book stores and continue to develop a spiritual practice.
photo by Ana Figo
Photo Portraits with Ty
Wednesday Jan 18
Expansive, Creative, Trans–cendent. In this photography session you'll work with mutli-disciplinary artist and photographer Tyler J Sloane (they/them) on your creative portraits.
Tyler's previously photographed such artists as; Kuya Atay, Bilal Baig, Aria Evans, and Halal Bae, and has a unique desire to capture the wonderful fullness of Trans & Non-binary individuals.
In this session you'll have a brief consultation to talk about all things self in front of the lens, ensuring a level of confidence and comfort can come before the camera clicks, and then work toward a fluid session that'll lead to two portraits.
NOTE: There will be no styling or make-up assistance, but a steamer and access to dressing room will be made available.
photo by Ana Figo
Massage with Rei
Thursday Dec 19 or Friday Dec 20
I am a queer Registered Massage Therapist practicing trauma-informed bodywork. I work through a lens of harm-reduction, consent and anti-oppression.
I am devoted to helping my clients better understand how, why and where pain manifests and gets stuck in our bodies.
My treatments are client-directed and geared toward pain-relief, pain management, nervous system regulation and self-awareness.
photo by Ana Figo
Embracing Gender Diversity
ZOOM Talk
Friday Jan 20
This talk will be broadcast on ZOOM as well as in person at Buddies in Bad Times. Join from bed or come to the theatre to watch with pals!
king yaa (always lowercase, thank you!), pronouns are they/them/king! king yaa is a genderqueer person of trans masculine experience and their sexuality is queer AF. Their Blackness is their superpower!
king is an intersectional feminist and their work centers queer, trans, and non-binary folx well-being through full spectrum of life experiences, including grief & loss and sex & pleasure. They also train intentional health and wellness practicioners on developing the competencies to care for and to create safer and inclusive practices for queer, trans and gender diverse people.
king yaa supports folx of all gender identities, sexual orientations in all bodies to have the audacity to intentionally & unapologetically have compassion for self, in all their complexities, as a radical act of taking up space and insisting on themselves. They are invested in decolonizing health and queering up reproductive justice, as well as, the collective healing and liberation of queer, trans and nonbinary folx, especially People of the Global Majority, aka BI&POC.
photo by Ana Figo
Follow Up Support & Chat with Ronnie
These one-on-one consultation sessions are being offered to support you in your process of integrating your GOODIE BAG! experience into your daily life, art practice, and healing journey.
Here are some parameters that may help you decide how you want to participate in these sessions:
- You do not have to prepare anything for our sessions. We will work together in the first few moments to determine what makes the most sense for us to discuss/do.
- I am a psychotherapist, however, the consultation being provided is not psychotherapy. It's plausible that we may discuss some aspects of your history, coping strategies, existential dilemmas, referrals, and/or any questions you have about the healing process or questions in general. The important thing to note is that we will not be establishing an on-going therapeutic relationship.
- You are in the driver's seat, so if you'd like to switch topics or end the meeting at any time, it is your choice.
All information that we discuss will remain confidential to me. What happens in our meeting(s) will not be shared with anyone. Only you can decide if you would like to share information from our consultation for the benefit of the project. In that case, only you can decide exactly what is shared.
Ronnie Ali (they/them) is a Registered Psychotherapist and Well-being Consultant at Leaves on a Stream, a consulting practice that centres ethics and mindfulness in consultation and trauma-informed social programming.
They’re also a Diversity Consultant with the equity and inclusion “dream team,” Challenge Accepted, and an Associate Faculty at the Toronto Institute for Relational Psychotherapy.
Ronnie has provided therapeutic supports to queer, trans, racialized, Indigenous and similarly marginalized communities for 10 years.
In 2020, they built a consulting practice, Leaves on a Stream, to educate others about the roots of oppression and trauma in the hope of ending long-term cycles of violence that impact the most vulnerable people in our communities.
Ronnie is an immigrant-settler, trans femme, queer, person of colour, living and working on the traditional territories of the Anishinabek, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Haudenosaunee, Wendat, Chippewas, Seneca and Petun First Nation, which are subject of the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant.