Episode 27 - April Axé Charmaine: Connecting with Our Bodies Through Dance
Educator, choreographer, and artivist April Axé Charmaine (she/they) joins Josie to discuss the importance of body movement in helping us connect with our body, energy, and elements of nature. Learn how dance can release trauma from the body, improve posture, confidence, and more. Axé also gives tips on how to find the right dance space that aligns with your needs.
[ID: A beige background and orange semi-circle. Text reads: The Intersectional Fertility Podcast Episode 27: April Axé Charmaine @solvidaworldwide and Josie Rodriguez-Bouchier @intersectionalfertility.]
Connect with Axé: Follow her on instagram, check out their offerings on Patreon, and visit their website and Linktree.
Episode Transcript:
Disclaimer: This is an automatically generated transcript edited to be more readable. It may not be 100% accurate.
[00:00:00] Josie: I'm Josie Rodriguez-Bouchier, and this is the Intersectional Fertility Podcast, where ideas and identities intersect to deepen our understanding of fertility and ultimately our whole selves.
[00:00:33] April Axé Charmaine is a queer Afro Fusion Artivist, committed to embodied healing justice, founder and conduit of the light energy movement, methodology, and global community, Sol Vida. Axé is a seasoned award-winning holistic performing arts educator, choreographer, director, entrepreneur, advocate for alternative education, and movement leader who is dedicated to inspiring others to radical personal freedom, pioneering progressive dance communities, and creating safe, inclusive spaces for authentic expression, personal transformation, and collective liberation.
[00:01:14] Born and raised in Denver, Colorado. Their work has appeared in the US, France, Spain, Colombia, Brazil, and Guatemala. Axé carries embodied wisdom from lineages in Ghanaian dance symbology of the Orishas, Soma Source, five rhythms, ecstatic movement, labban technique, ballet, jazz, musical theater, spoken word, guerrilla theater, performance art, yoga, and modern dance. Including Horton, Graham, Dunham, and Limon Techniques.
[00:01:46] They have been using dance, expressive arts and nature as tools for healing for 30 plus years.
[00:01:53] Axé, welcome to the podcast.
[00:02:02] Axé: Thank you so much. It is such a treasure to be here with you.
[00:02:06] Josie: Yay. Oh I want to let everyone know that Axé and I grew up together in the same community and I've reconnected with them recently to get back in touch with my dancing and to learn how to move my body in a way that feels good to me.
[00:02:23] So it's been incredible to learn from you over the past couple months.
[00:02:28] Axé: Oh, it is so tender to my heart that we have reconnected in this way and at this point in our lives as like fairly evolved from our high school selves.
[00:02:37] Josie: Yes, that's a good way of putting it. Totally, totally. So Axé, will you share with us your pronouns and where and the world you're joining us from?
[00:02:51] Axé: Absolutely. I use she and they pronouns, and I am currently on Cheyenne Arapahoe Ute plus 40 plus plus other nations that we also refer to as Denver, Colorado in the Estados Unidos.
[00:03:11] Josie: Nice. Yeah, so I would love, I'm so curious to know what this story is of yours that led you to dance, to become a dancer.
[00:03:20] Axé: Yes. Well, it's the tale of all times. And, you know, I go back and I always look at my nine year old self is when I got serious about dancing. In fact, I was sort of pushed into dance because I had bad posture. And my grandmother was like, "she needs ballet." Which is, you know, so interesting to me that that was my entry point.
[00:03:52] It was about my posture and I can tell you lots of stories about why I had bad posture. And you know, that was the beginning journey. I can look back and like see now what it was all about, but you know, a lot of it was like trauma response. Dealing with some pretty significant things in my early childhood that manifested in my body and it, you know, made me shy away from myself.
[00:04:21] And so that manifested in the body. And I'm glad that someone was able to see, like, physically that there was something off about me. And that dance became my outlet and tool for really my mental health and empowering me to be creative. I found a space in my body where I felt really at home and confident and free and happy.
[00:04:51] And so it started at nine years old, we're talking decades and decades and decades ago.
[00:05:00] Josie: Oh my gosh, that's so cool. I can really relate to that cause I as a, I'm thinking of myself as a nine year old and ballet was also my entry point to dance. And I also had bad posture because I had scoliosis. So, yeah. That's so interesting. So cool. And will you kind of expand on that and share with us, like your current self in terms of like how that manifested?
[00:05:26] Axé: Definitely. Let's take you a little bit on the, that evolution of a journey. So starting with ballet, Opened my world up. I ended up being a student of the Denver School of the Arts the first year it opened. And that was also Wow. A life saving moment.
[00:05:40] And my introduction into the dances of the African diaspora, and to modern dance and being able to make up choreography that meant something. And so those are really the things that have stuck with me. Fast forward, gosh, many travels. In different parts of the world to study dance, studied with as many teachers as I possibly could, I would say throughout my twenties and thirties.
[00:06:08] And then I found my mentor, Melissa Michaels, who is based in Boulder, Colorado and is a practitioner of Five Rhythms and also has created, and I am also certifying in Soma Source as we speak. And so this is to be able to lead embodied rites of passage.
[00:06:30] Josie: Wow. I want to know more about that. Will you expand on that?
[00:06:34] Axé: Yeah. It's so deep. It's so deep in like, oh, it's so good. You know, especially I think in Western society, we lack a lot of rites of passage. We have these threshold experiences and I've noticed through my work with young adults and being a mom myself, That we need to mark time, we need to have ritual, and we need to signify these big moments that we go through.
[00:07:04] And so through my work with Soma Source, I've been on deep, deep, deep dives of dancing and crying, as I frequently call it, to excavate my emotions, to release trauma, to understand these different archetypes that live within me. And so going through Melissa Michaels has a program called Surfing the Creative, which I highly recommend to everybody that has a desire to know yourself and your body better.
[00:07:40] And to make sense of things. But it's in this program that you get to dance all of these different aspects of yourself using the Five Rhythms as that gateway to open your portals of understanding. And it is spiritual. It is in the body, it is in the mind, and it is freeform as well.
[00:08:04] But all in all, I've been in a cohort for the past couple of years that's been training, and a big part of our work too, is the social justice lens. This is like that sweet spot where dance meets movement, meets embodiment, meets social justice meets all of the identities of the universe.
[00:08:25] That we wanna be with. And so it's a big, big, big part of what I do now in my life and am committed to.
[00:08:33] Josie: Wow. That sounds so incredible. So now you, do you teach certification in that as well?
[00:08:40] Axé: I'm certifying in it. I will complete my certification this summer. And am building programs based on Soma Source and Sol Vida methodology.
[00:08:50] Josie: Got it, okay. Okay. That's so cool. I wanna come back to that and talk more about the five rhythms. I'm also wondering if you'll explain what Sol Vida is.
[00:09:00] Axé: Yes. Well, I like to say Sol is the sun, Vida is life, and I am Axé and I'm here to bring the light. It is a light energy. It is a movement, methodology and a global dance community.
[00:09:18] It's an energy that I channeled around the age of 19. There's just, these words would not leave me alone of like, Sol Vida, Sol Vida and so it's had many different manifestations training programs, dance studio, workshops all over the world, residencies, festivals, and online programs. And so I'm continuously listening and attuning to the call of Sol Vida, but it is basically my life's work in calling to bring more light to the planet.
[00:09:50] Josie: Wow. Oh my gosh, that's so powerful. So cool. you are succeeding.
[00:09:59] Yeah, I'm just thinking like, just your energy, just being in your energy. It does feel like being in the sun. Like it just feels so warming and so affirming and nourishing and yeah, it's really beautiful.
[00:10:18] Axé: Oh, thank you so much.
[00:10:20] Josie: Yeah, yeah. Thank you for doing that important work. I'm wondering about the five rhythms and kind of how you've interpreted that.
[00:10:27] One of my favorite things that I've learned from you is dancing within the five elements. So kind of doing like freeform dance with each element. Cuz as folks know, I teach a lot about the five elements from a Chinese medicine point of view. So that really like resonated with me. So I'd love to know kind of more about that, with that kind of work that you do?
[00:10:47] Axé: Yes. Okay. So I have begun to create this framework around the ecstatic elements, which is really inspired from Gabrielle Roth's Five Rhythms. And it's this opportunity for people to tap in into their natural selves, but also this connection to the elements of nature.
[00:11:10] Part of my calling in this world right now is like, let's get back to Earth. Let's keep ourselves connected to these systems of nature. And so we will go through and we will dance these elements of nature, which include Earth. And I like to equate Earth with this space where you can push energy out, that you can release to the ground and to the earth, that which might feel stuck or strange or weird, like or anxious.
[00:11:43] That you actually have the power in your body that if you move and you think about like, I am pushing energy out, I am connecting to this earth and allowing it to fill you up as well, and giving you that grounding space. There's a lot of grounding work that just is so important in all of this.
[00:12:04] And so when we think about like dancing the element of Earth, it gives us that opportunity. I always love barefoot dancing anytime that you can be barefooted on the Earth. It's just like, that's medicine. And so we also play with fire. Fire is my sun sign in astrology, if you will.
[00:12:28] Josie: What's your sign?
[00:12:30] Axé: I'm a Leo. Leo Libra Capricorn are my main influences.
[00:12:36] Josie: Okay, nice. Love it.
[00:12:37] Axé: And that fire definitely comes out in me in many moments. I'm also pretty chill, introvert, extrovert, personality. Right. But I love the fire energy because it is bold and it sparks and it just like, comes out of you and you don't know where it ends.
[00:12:54] You don't know where it begins. And you know, that it's just like, what is it like to let that like happen inside of you and just shake it out and let it be chaotic even? And so. Fire's. Awesome. It's very energizing to play with that. It can also wear you out if you're not doing it from a grounded position.
[00:13:15] And so a lot of this conscious dance work requires you to actually stay conscious, like and this, I love to talk about this little difference. It's like, you know, I grew up as like a raver. I love to trance out and, you know, go far, far away. And one of the greatest things that has been a change with me and my dancing self is studying these rhythms and realizing I don't have to leave my body to connect.
[00:13:48] So that's that's a big deal. We could talk about that for a long time. But I'll talk about the other two elements. Well, three other elements. So air, the idea that you could actually let wind beneath your wings. I also love to infuse these dances of the Orishas, so these deities that have been identified in Yoruba culture that represent different elements of nature.
[00:14:16] And Oya represents winds, and I'm thinking a lot, we're in the spring equinox right now, these winds have changed. How can you just like let that flow through you? How can you clear yourself out, clear your energy around you? And within you?
[00:14:32] And then, oh gosh, let's not forget about Agua . I'm really into water energy. In fact, I've really connected to the Orisha of Oshun for most of my adult life. Which Oshun is the goddess of sweet waters of the river. Exemplifying beauty and then we have Yemoja. I like to think a lot about as we tap into the water elements.
[00:15:00] But what, you know, water in itself is cleansing. But also what does that mean to be in your personal flow. What does that mean to allow yourself to move continuously in a state that is water. And it is ever, it can be ever changing as well. Water is a very powerful element. What does that mean to let it wash over you?
[00:15:24] I think of undulations and body rolls. I think like my hip hop stuff is like body roll, body roll. I'm in my flow and that's fun. And then the final element I like to play around I say, is the element of you. What is it like for you to be everything that you are, to be all of these elements all at once and in your highest divine self?
[00:15:52] And that that can be expressed in multitudes and to accept the fact it's going to change continuously. And to have that gentleness and that love and that compassion for yourself as you discover. What it is.
[00:16:09] Josie: Oh, I love that so much. I remember when I first learned that when I was following your teaching with that. I was like, oh my gosh, I'm the final element.
[00:16:20] Axé: Yes, you are!
[00:16:26] Josie: That was like such a fun, like wow. Like full body rush. Yeah. I loved that. So cool. I also loved when doing those dances that it, that you were like, you know, this can change. Like find your element in where you feel comfortable today, but like, this will change, you know, from day to day or hour by hour, which element you feel comfortable in.
[00:16:51] Totally, yeah. So cool. Ugh, I love that. Cool. Well, I would love to talk about kind of the intersection between body movement and fertility and being in a queer trans, non-binary BIPOC, I'm saying PGM now instead of POC. So People of the Global Majority, body.
[00:17:14] And I also like to say body movement instead of exercise, because I think that word exercise can really trip people up. I know it trips me up. And then also, You know, being queer, trans, and non-binary person from the global majority, finding affirming safe or safer spaces to move in can be challenging.
[00:17:32] So all of these things, you know, kind of layers upon layers of challenge here. And, you know, and then moving can be so important to like open up those energy channels for bringing in, you know, a new spirit into the world. And feeling in your body enough to feel more fertile and for those hormones to be more balanced and for all of it to, you know, work more optimally.
[00:17:56] So I'm wondering if we can talk a bit about that. Like how do you feel, will you elaborate on like, how do you feel when you dance? And is it, is it that you feel safe enough in your body to be able to dance? Or is that dance enables you to feel safe in your body?
[00:18:13] Axé: That's such a great question and yes. You've got me thinking about all of my identities as well. And like these things that we need to overcome to feel safe in our body. I'm someone that identifies as queer and Black and many other things. Gender non-conforming. And femme all at once. So, I, gosh. I think that dancing makes me feel safe.
[00:18:43] That's when I do feel safe. That is my personal home and I know that is not the case for all people. It is probably my most fluent language is moving my body. And that I generally, when I get into my anxious states, or my afraid states, or my tight clenched up states that my immediate way to feel better is to move my body. And that is probably one of the safest places that I know.
[00:19:22] Josie: Wow. Do you remember how you got to feel safe? Or was there a time where you didn't feel safe?
[00:19:27] Axé: Yeah, it's so interesting. There's so much complexity in the dance world and you wouldn't believe how many dance forms there are.
[00:19:35] I have been dancing for over 30 years, and I continuously find new communities, new dance styles. And there are places where I've been great and there are places where I have been hurt. And so I think back into like my initiation into dance, and I think it was, I mean, I had like a great entry.
[00:19:55] It was like immediately people affirmed my presence. I was immediately put in a space of leadership in my adolescence and it was egoless. And it was just like pure. And so I think I just had that very solid foundation to be like, Oh, this is, this is my space, this is my safe space.
[00:20:22] And so I've been able to carry that throughout with me, and I have come up against challenges with that. Particularly I would say, even in the last five to maybe five years. Where it's been, you know, as I've stepped more into different dance communities, you come up against different things and you're like, oh, maybe I know too much at this point too.
[00:20:47] It's just like this is a problem. I see. You know, just being a leader, I know what it means to hold space, so I'm like, I'm always super protective of people that are in my space and I always, it's like, do no harm. And unfortunately, there's a lot of dance spaces that do do harm.
[00:21:09] Which is a big part of why I do what I do.
[00:21:12] Josie: Right, right. That's such a good point. And yeah, having experienced being in your space, you are a true master at holding space. Yeah. Absolutely.
[00:21:22] Axé: Wow, thank you.
[00:21:25] Josie: Yeah. And you know, when you're dancing, I mean, that is being so vulnerable and so you are, it does open you up to harm, you know, depending on what the space is like or what the teacher's like.
[00:21:38] I wonder if you have any advice or tips on like what to look for in spaces? Or how to know, how to know, like maybe some flags to look out for.
[00:21:52] Axé: Oh gosh. Oh, not the flags. I'm like, let's bring in the green flags. Well, I am also like a practitioner of yoga. And I didn't like yoga until I found the right teacher.
[00:22:09] And so I just think your teachers and facilitators make all the difference. And you know, as I can tell, you know, we're on the Intersectional Fertility Podcast. I know you're extremely progressive, probably radically progressive, as am I. And so we go above and beyond the call to signal to our communities. This is a safer, brave space.
[00:22:33] And we say these words in our descriptions like, who is this for? All are welcome. Or this is femme, this is nb, this is, you know, and I hate that we have to use these identities, but it's also like something I do. In marketing even. Just to let you know.
[00:22:52] You're gonna be okay here. I think the biggest thing that we see in a lot of the dance world, it's just like probably cultural appropriation. And like misuse of ritual. And so, you know, just do your research about people before you go. Into spaces with them. Most important is that you do give yourself the opportunity to try things.
[00:23:17] And I, I sure do live by the four agreements as well. And so, you know, it's to not take things personally and it's just like, take risks. Take risks and put yourself out there. And also, you know, there's just the power of intention setting.
[00:23:35] When you go into a space. How do you wanna feel? What do you wanna be, what do you wanna learn? And invoke that as you go along. So I don't know if that's helpful or not. It's hard to come up with the red flags, I always like attempt to focus on positive things. Then like if they're, if it's like super feeling like woo woo, and like, who are you to teach this? Don't do it. If you're asking yourself, is this gonna be weird? It's probably gonna be.
[00:24:09] Josie: For sure. For sure. I think that's great. And just to listen to yourself. If, if something feels off, it's probably off.
[00:24:18] Axé: Yeah. And permission to like get out of there whenever, you know. That's one of the things I think we do in our bodies a lot is we abandon those signals. It's like we know. And I've done this to myself a million times.
[00:24:33] Yep. Is like I put myself in these, I go to these retreats or I go to a festival and I'm like, I'm so excited about this. And then something hits the flag does go off and I'm like, This, I don't feel okay anymore. And like it's okay to leave or it's okay to stop or it's okay to ask. For what you need to make it feel better.
[00:24:54] But that requires that practice of listening to your intuition and advocating for yourself. Which I want you to do. I want us all to do that.
[00:25:04] Josie: Oh my gosh, a hundred percent. And it's interesting, this actually comes up in so many conversations I have with folks around choosing the right doctor for fertility journeys and choosing the right clinic and just being brave enough to walk out if it doesn't feel good. So I think that's really good advice. I think you can apply it to so many things.
[00:25:27] Axé: I love that you say that because I just think that we haven't been trained very well. It's such a, you know, we've been trained to conform. And it's like you just go through it. You just deal with it. You just do it. And it, I'm just like, no, we're not doing that anymore.
[00:25:40] Josie: Right. Yeah. What exactly. What's the point? Yes. I love that. So yeah, along those lines, like how can folks start their own movement practice? Like, do you have pointers like where to start?
[00:25:57] Axé: Where to begin. Oh, I have lots of ways to begin. And the first thing is to set that intention. I want to move my body. You know, I think one of the like simplest ways to get in that a lot of people can relate to is, you know, I know a lot of people that grew up dancing in their room with the doors closed, nobody could see them. And you're just jamming out, doing your dance in your room by yourself.
[00:26:32] That's a fun place to start. I get flashbacks to myself at being young. I was so into Cyndi Lauper. And I would just be like jumping on my bed and like going crazy. Cyndi Lauper, Madonna and Prince. Those were my like formative artists.
[00:26:48] Josie: The Holy Trilogy.
[00:26:50] Axé: And so they were very bold and audacious. And I'm sure that's why I am who I am. But yeah, the first thing is to say, I wanna move. Second thing, We talked about the elements earlier, that's like a pretty, I think, accessible way to move organically. This is like, we're talking about conscious movement also, you know, there's so many resources online now.
[00:27:19] I mean, I used to be like, never will we study dance on YouTube . That's not real. And now, you know, we make YouTube tutorials right. It's just like try different stuff out and see what excites you. There's, like I said, there's just so many forms of dance and you know, I also swore I was never gonna like look at TikTok, but by God there's something there.
[00:27:47] And it's fun. I'm not super active on it, like producing stuff on it, but I think it's a great research tool. And there's just so many different dance challenges and you just see so many different types of bodies. Just taking risks and like moving their bodies.
[00:28:05] And so move. I'm also. Pretty, what do I gonna call myself? I'm just a nature enthusiast, but I frequently go on walks and those walks frequently turn into dance walks. Or just like, Let your body do what it wants to do. Without judgment. That's, that's the big thing.
[00:28:31] If you can release that shield of judgment and just be like, oh, my hand wants to twirl and my elbow is like, wanting to stick out or like, I really wanna shimmy, like for like a while, do it. I love that. And one more thing. Yeah. This is my, my preaching sermon to everybody. Five to 15 minutes a day, put on one song, put on three songs, and go.
[00:29:02] Josie: Yes. I love that advice. Yeah. You had said recently in one of the classes of yours that I took to just do five songs a day. And when you said that, I was like, oh, that's so doable. I could just, and like you said, even one song or three, That's so doable. Yep. Yeah, totally. Yeah, I love that. And it sounds like, like starting alone might be better than starting in a group. What do you?
[00:29:26] Axé: Well, it depends on your personality. I know there's people that really thrive in the social. And you wanna like take your BFF and like go to a class and so do that. Yeah, I think if you're feeling it, there's like, go take a class or even get on a Zoom class if that feels good to you.
[00:29:49] And again, you know, pay attention to the kind of music that you like and the types of movements that happen to inspire you and seek out some of those opportunities. You know, even if it's, you know, I go through different phases with my dance practice and study, but sometimes I'll just take, you know, one type of class a month.
[00:30:11] Like just keep switching up the types of classes and until you find where it is for you.
[00:30:19] Josie: Yeah. That's good. Yeah, yeah. Cuz I was gonna ask too, like, is it important to learn the types or the more structured at first and then like break those rules?
[00:30:30] Axé: Oh yeah, that's a, oh that's a fun question there, Josie. Cause I've been there and done it all and back again. Yeah, it's so interesting and I'm assuming most people that are listening to this are adults. So, you know, I say do what you feel if ballet's calling you. Try that. It is an excellent foundation for other movement studies, more classical movement studies if you wanna be able to turn, if you wanna be able to leap.
[00:31:04] If you wanna be able to jump, doing ballet is great if you want to learn expressive movement and release. I love modern dance. I think it's so emotive. The kids these days would probably call it contemporary, but I am a die hard modern dance advocate. And then there's just so many different world types, flamencos coming to mind.
[00:31:35] Like tying that back into Earth Energy if you're like, oh, I know, I have a lot of anger issues from time to time. I do too. I do too. It's like, where can we get our rage released? And I think about flamenco just like stomping and clapping and snapping and all of that. That's like so cool.
[00:31:54] And you know, African dance is high energy. It can be very high energy, particularly West African dance. If you're like, man, I just wanna like, feel myself and challenge myself. That is a great gateway as well.
[00:32:11] Josie: I love that. Gosh, I never would've thought flamenco for getting rage out. That's fascinating.
[00:32:18] Axé: I just came up with that, but I was just thinking that that feels, that sounds like a really good way to go there.
[00:32:26] Josie: Totally. That stomping. Yeah. Yep. Ugh, I love that.
[00:32:30] Axé: Stomp the floor. Crumping too. Don't forget Crumping. That is one of the best ways. I think that's one of the best rage, anger. Stick it to the man kind of energy.
[00:32:43] Josie: Yes. I love it. Yeah. And what are your thoughts on like someone learning a dance that is not part of their culture or their heritage or lineage?
[00:32:55] Axé: Yeah, I think we've all get pulled into the different cultures and communities that we are here to learn about. And so, Yeah. I think it's actually a really good thing to experience as many cultures and ways of life that you can, that's a big part of my upbringing and why I am who I am. I think it helps for understanding, and of course like there's that saying of maybe like, take a step back if that's not your thing.
[00:33:32] Be willing to listen and observe and receive that wisdom in a different way. So yeah, I think it's, I think it's pretty neat when we all get to experience each other's cultures.
[00:33:49] Josie: Totally, totally. And through dance is so cool. Yeah, I love that. And then I'm thinking too about just clothing around dance. What are your thoughts on getting the right clothing?
[00:34:04] Axé: Oh golly gee whiz. Well, I'm a little different in my beliefs about that. When I prepare people like to do movement with me, I am like, wear something that you feel comfortable in that feels good. You can actually dance in.
[00:34:23] One of the biggest barriers, I think, to ballet and classical dance is what you have to wear. In fact, I had a lot of self-esteem issues growing up with the pink tights and the black leotard. And so I'm like, I never wanted anybody to feel like that. When you step into like ecstatic and conscious dance communities, it can be the whole gamut.
[00:34:47] You know, you can do your whole hippie stuff, you could do some cosplay, you could be barely wearing clothes. And so I think it just really depends on where you're going to, but I think the most important thing is that you feel comfortable in your body and that you actually are wearing things that you can move in.
[00:35:06] The older and more radical I get, the less clothes I seem to be wanting to wear, but that's, like I'm having like a, some sort of midlife awakening.
[00:35:17] Josie: I love that. I love it. Free the body. Yeah. That's such a good point. I think it is a barrier for folks to get started with dance. I know it feels like a barrier to me, especially around my gender. Because I'm like, as I'm getting more clear on my gender or exploring it more, it's like things I used to feel comfortable moving in I don't feel comfortable moving in anymore. And it's like where do you search for, you know, for clothes that feel good to you? If it's not like, immediately or you know, more obviously available.
[00:35:55] Axé: Yes. That is a good question. And I think everybody's feelings about what feels good to them is different. Yeah, it's so interesting, but I just, I love things that actually feel good on the body and you'll often see me, I wear a lot of jogger and tracksuits.
[00:36:17] That's also my uniform at this point in life.
[00:36:20] Josie: I love it. I love it.
[00:36:21] Axé: And it feels very gender neutral to me. And actually I feel more like my, like boy fem. Fem boy self. Which has been fun to embrace more later in my life.
[00:36:33] Josie: I love that. Yeah. That's so cool. Yeah. I love knowing what people's like uniforms are.
[00:36:41] Axé: Yeah. I think it was a year or two ago. I'm like, tracksuits? Yes. Yes.
[00:36:51] Josie: I love it. So I'd love to ask you the question that I love, that I ask all my guests when they come on the podcast. So in Chinese medicine, we refer to our fertility as our essence. And the more we're able to get in touch with who we really are, or our essence, the more we're able to access our fertile potential or our creative power.
[00:37:13] So that's what I teach is like how to bring our whole self or our essence into the fertility journey. Do you have any practices or rituals in place that allow you to connect with your essence or your whole self?
[00:37:26] Axé: I love this parallel between our work. I know when you said that it makes me think of Axé, which is also my name, but Axé is also like an affirmation or a signal that we feel the spirit.
[00:37:40] That we feel like we have expressed our highest self in our whole embodied self. For me that means what does that mean for you to get connected to your spirit, into your highest self. What are those tools? And in fact I've got, I will share this with you all, but I published a document called 111 personal rituals for the Embodied Revolution.
[00:38:11] Josie: Yes, I looked at that document. It's wonderful.
[00:38:15] Axé: Ah, thank you. And so those are basically my top 111 ways to tap into essence, and there's a variety of ways of doing that. I'm a big writer. I still do. Julia Cameron's morning pages practically every morning.
[00:38:36] Josie: Ugh. Amazing.
[00:38:37] Axé: And so that's one way to tap into essence is like, I think to get into your essence, you have to be connected to yourself, and that means that you probably need to be connected to how you're feeling in the moment. And being able to express that in some way. And so writing is a way to do that.
[00:38:59] Visioning. I love creating like vision books and vision boards and getting the hands into the mix. Playing with the pastels, playing with the paints that it might not be apparent at first, but that you can reveal your essence and your understanding to yourself and. Again, this nature connection.
[00:39:21] I literally am that person you will see hugging trees in the middle of the parkway. Out here in Park Hill, and just like sniffing and hugging and but like really just, you know, this earth and nature devotion. I'm also A chant. I chant nam myoho renge kyo. I pray. And I set lots of intentions and make lots of ritual.
[00:39:53] Even like just lighting candles and burning sage. It's just like, What are those ways that tap you back into your divinity? Cuz I think that's really what we're talking about. It's like, who did you come here to be without all of this other crap. And layers that are, you know, constantly distractions to our higher selves.
[00:40:15] And so what are those practices? I take a lot of baths and. I dance a lot. I dance almost every day.
[00:40:27] Josie: Amazing. Those are wonderful, beautiful suggestions. I love those so much. I actually grew up listening to that chant. Isn't that funny? And my mom had it on cassette and we listened to it like all the time.
[00:40:45] Axé: I love that the cassette is so evocative and it's because of my mom that I chant that as well.
[00:40:51] Josie: Okay, awesome. Oh, I love that. Yeah. Oh yes. And Julia Cameron's artist way. That was one of my favorite exercises and books in high school. Yeah.
[00:41:03] Axé: You found it in high school? No wonder you were so advanced. I always thought Josie was the coolest in high school. And I'm like, oh my god, now you're even more amazing.
[00:41:14] Josie: The feeling was mutual, is mutual. I love it. So how can people find you and support you and sign up for all your things and download the 111 thingsdocument?
[00:41:27] Axé: Yeah, do it all. Yeah. Well, we'd love to be in this global community with you and invite you to join us on social's. Instagram is like the place to be @solvidaworldwide.
[00:41:46] And then we have our website, solvidaworldwide.com. And those are where you can find the resources and the connection points. Yeah, we're doing a lot of movement to, to shift normalcy and to disrupt systems by returning to our bodies and get in free. So thank you for asking and thank you for sharing and thank you for being.
[00:42:16] Josie: Absolutely. Yeah. Thank you so much for the work that you're doing. I wanna let everyone know too, and I'll link to all that, everything you just mentioned. And I wanna let everyone know too, that Axé has a wonderful Patreon for folks to join and get monthly dance prompts and classes that have been amazing.
[00:42:37] And also I just did a virtual dance retreat with Axé in January for the whole month. It was incredible. And then they also just took a group down to Baja, right? You just got back from Baja.
[00:42:49] Axé: Mm-hmm, we just got back from our first dance camper retreat in Baja. Centering intuitive sensuality.
[00:42:55] Josie: Ugh. Incredible. Yeah, I wished so badly I could have gone on that. Next time hopefully. So. Yeah. So definitely get on their list, join their Patreon, find them on Instagram, do all the things.
[00:43:09] Axé: Ah, thank you so much.
[00:43:11] Josie: Of course. Yeah, thank you.
[00:43:17] Thanks for listening to the Intersectional Fertility Podcast. To get customized fertility recommendations based on your Whole Self Fertility Method Element, join my mailing list at intersectionalfertility.com and get immediate access to my two minute quiz. If you like the show and wanna hear more, tap Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and please leave us a review. It really, truly helps.
[00:43:43] The Intersectional Fertility Podcast is hosted by me, Josie Rodriguez-Boucher, and produced by Rozarie Productions with original music by Jen Korte.
All content offered through The Intersectional Fertility Podcast is created for informational purposes only, it is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.