Ep 62: Reclaiming Your Power: How Reconnecting to Yourself is an Act of Rebellion

Written By Asha Wilkerson

Welcome to the third week of our short series on reconnection. In our first week, we explored practical exercises to ground yourself, and last week, we talked about how reconnecting to your wants, needs, and desires is really an act of reclaiming your power.

This week, I’m talking about how reconnecting to your body and your truth is an act of rebellion, particularly for those of us who come from the African diaspora, live in Black or brown bodies, or function as worker bees in a capitalist system. Historically, systems of capitalism and colonialism were designed to separate us from our bodies, turn us into labor, and make us operate as machines.

When you pause, listen to your physical data, and choose what actually honors your spirit instead of sacrificing yourself to keep the peace, you break that cycle. Reclaiming your sovereignty doesn't require a grand, loud protest. It happens in the quiet, daily moments where you allow yourself to be fully human.

Chapters

(00:00) - Reconnecting to Yourself: Why It Matters

(01:07) - How Capitalism, Racism, and Colonialism Disconnect Us From Our Bodies

(02:10) - Reconnecting With Your Body as an Act of Rebellion

(03:12) - How Rest Helps You Reclaim Autonomy and Personal Power

(04:15) - You Don’t Have to Earn Rest: Small Ways to Listen to Your Body

(05:36) - Reclaiming Your Desires, Needs, and Boundaries

(06:18) - Honoring Your Ancestors Through Rest and Self-Connection

(06:56) - Why Capitalism Doesn’t Create Equal Autonomy

(07:35) - Do You Need to Quit Your Job to Reclaim Your Life?

(08:11) - Small Acts of Rebellion for Black and Brown Bodies

(09:32) - Everyday Boundaries: Saying No, Resting, and Choosing Yourself

(10:05) - Being Fully Human Is an Act of Rebellion

(10:39) - How to Practice Reconnection This Week

Key Takeaways

  • The Historical Disconnect: Systems of capitalism and colonialism were built to disconnect Black and brown people from their bodies and turn human beings into tools for output.

  • Reconnection as Rebellion: Reclaiming your time, resting before you're completely exhausted, and listening to your body's needs counteracts systemic exploitation.

  • The Power of Small Decisions: Rebellion isn't always grand; it shows up when you say no to things you don't want, ask for job accommodations, or simply refuse to eat the office pizza if you're lactose intolerant.

  • Reclaiming Full Humanity: Reconnecting to yourself doesn't take anything away from anyone else; it simply returns you to your inherent sovereignty and power to be fully human.

Resources & Links

  • Asha (00:01.196)

    Welcome to the third week in our little short series about reconnection for the month of August. For the first week, I gave you some exercises you could do to reconnect to yourself. So go back and listen to that episode. That is episode 59. I think it's 59. Unless it's 60. Two episodes back. Go ahead and listen. Last week, I gave you some information about.

    How reconnecting to your body is really a reclamation of your power. I said that funny. Last week I gave you some information about how reconnecting to yourself, your body, your wants, your desires, your needs is really an act of reclaiming your own power. When you know what it is that you want and what you need, then you get to make empowered decisions and powerful decisions to protect that, to meet that. But if you don't.

    know what you want if you're not connected, then it is really, really hard to feel like you have any power. And this week I'm going to be talking to you about how reconnecting to your body, your wants, your needs, and your desires is really an act of rebellion. Particularly for those of us who come from the African diaspora or who live in black or brown bodies or who

    are the worker bees in the system of capitalism that we know around the world. That capitalism and colonialism are inextricably tied together. It's also tied to race and racism, classism, all of this stuff. And so historically, if you have been in a black or brown body, if you are from the global south or your people are, you don't have historically

    A real connection to your body or to rest because your body was not your own, and rest had to be earned, and pain was not listened to or respected, and you were expected to work as if you were a machine or an animal, and not as if you were a human. And so when you spend time connecting.

    Asha (02:25.626)

    To yourself when you spend time reconnecting to your body, understanding, asking questions, really allowing yourself to make decisions based on what feels good or what is needed, you are actually engaging in an act of modern-day rebellion, and it is so glorious. It is so fun, it is amazing, it is powerful.

    It reclaims your autonomy and your sovereignty. And that doesn't mean that you just are doing this in order to buck the system, but I want you to really understand what a political statement, even if it's not intentional, it is for you to reconnect to yourself. Not just political, even though it is that, but how important it is because it actually makes you more powerful.

    It actually takes you out of the system that you don't want to play in or that you don't want to be beholden to and gives you the opportunity to make decisions that work for you. So oftentimes we are asking for ways to be more autonomous, ways to fight the system, ways to be anti-capitalist, ways to take back some of our own control in this world.

    That is ruled by capitalism. And honestly, rest and body reconnection is a great place to start. And that may sound too simple. Maybe it doesn't sound like it's, you know, woo-woo enough because that's what we talk about: healing and energy work and stuff. But it is a beautiful place to start because one, it changes your mind, and two, it is great for your body. So you do not have to earn.

    Your rest. That is something that we were taught before. Even if your job makes you feel like you have to earn your rest, I want you to think about ways that you can take your rest in small moments and small decisions, because these smaller decisions compound into bigger actions. I want you to think about ways that you can reclaim your desire.

    Asha (04:49.528)

    But the only way that you can really do that is by reconnecting to yourself, listening to your body when it tells you something is uncomfortable, listening to your body when it says we need to sit down, listening to your body when you're thirsty, even listening to your body when you need to go to the bathroom, but you're like, I'm gonna send this email first before I go, or I'm gonna wait until break time before I go. These are little ways.

    That we can reconnect to ourselves and be more fully human. We don't have to be superhuman. It's okay to tell your child to wait for two minutes while you take a deep breath. It's okay to send that email after you have eaten lunch because you need to nourish yourself right now. It's okay to say that this thing actually doesn't align with me and I'm going to delegate it.

    Or hand it off or finish shit that's time, but don't give it to me again because it is not what is best for you. Now, that doesn't mean you might not have to make some changes and some choices about who you surround yourself with, what you do for work, all those kinds of things. That's not what I'm saying. But I am saying that connecting to yourself, connecting to your body, your wants, your needs, and your desires is truly an act of rebellion. And if you are

    Thinking about ways that you can honor your ancestors, your lineage, or ways that you can honor the sacrifice that your recent ancestors or parents or grandparents have made for you. It is by taking your rest. It is by connecting to your body. It is by reconnecting to your hopes, your dreams, your wants, and your desires. And now here's the thing: sometimes your family members may not be able to support you in this endeavor.

    Because they want to keep you safe and they learned how to play the game in the system that has promised all of these rewards. But now we're saying, after generations of playing the game and playing it well, that the rewards aren't coming in the way that they have promised us. They're not. The system is not designed for us to have equal autonomy or sovereignty. It's just not. We're in a capitalistic system.

    Asha (07:18.218)

    And just that's what it is. Capitalism doesn't run on everybody being equal. It doesn't function that way. And that's not a value judgment. That's just what capitalism is. So, one way to honor your family and the sacrifices and the choices that they made is to reclaim your autonomy, to reclaim your sovereignty in the best way that you know how and in the best way that you are able.

    For the position that you are in at this present time. Does that mean I'm telling you to go quit your job and move to a new country? Only if it aligns, baby. Only if it aligns. But that's a decision that you get to make based on what feels good to you, what feels right to you, and based on your future desires. So I don't think I have too much more to say around this this week. So it's a real short.

    Podcast episode, but just understand that reconnecting to yourself is in and of itself an act of rebellion. That for people who come in black or brown bodies, we have been historically disconnected from all things that made us human. And we've been asked to be superhuman, to be machines. And if you slow down enough to think about what is happening around you and what you want, chances are you're gonna decide that the system is not for you, which is why.

    We have been kept so busy and in survival mode over the years. But you can reclaim your autonomy and your sovereignty by reconnecting to yourself. And please do not get it twisted. You do not have to do some big act of rebellion. You don't have to protest in the street. You don't have to quit your job. You don't have to leave the country unless that is a line for you. The real small daily momentary actions.

    Are the ones that are gonna make the difference for you. The saying, no, I need five minutes to think about this, the telling your kids, give me two seconds before I respond, by not being available for your boss every time they call, by saying, My body needs rest today and I'm gonna work from home, or by requesting an accommodation when you need it to actually be able to do your job and to do it well. These

    Asha (09:44.532)

    small moments. Even saying no when you actually want to instead of just saying yes because you're trying to keep the peace. Don't eat the pizza that was ordered just because it was ordered for the group if you're lactose intolerant. You don't have to sacrifice yourself for that. It's okay to say no and to make a choice that benefits you. These little acts of rebellion are really actually ways that you are reconnecting to yourself and you are reclaiming your power.

    Your power to be fully human. That's it. You're not taking anything away from anybody else. You're not creating a whole new way of being all in one go. You are just connecting to yourself and allowing yourself to be fully human, which in and of itself is an act of rebellion. So this week, go out there and be rebellious in the little ways that you can.

    I'm really curious to know actually how you're going to do this this week. So let me know what you decided to do, how you decided to reconnect to yourself in a way that felt rebellious in the moment. And it may feel scary at first because you're not used to doing it, but pretty soon it's just going to be your way of being. And you'll wonder how you ever survived without doing this for so long. All right, my friends, have a wonderful week. I will talk to you next week and the last episode about reconnecting.

    And yeah, I will see you soon. Love to you all.

Asha Wilkerson
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Ep 63: Reclaim Your Power with Your Ancestors
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Ep 61: Why Reconnecting to Yourself is Your Ultimate Superpower