BigTreeMind
A collection of conversations and
thoughts with Lana Lontos
“The BigTreeMind podcast is a collection of conversations and thoughts which we hope serve as a source of inspiration and knowledge to you.
Each episode is a creation to inspire growth and increased awareness of self.”
Episodes 8 - 18 Take a closer look into the actions we take and decision we make that influence our level of presence within ourselves and others.
Episode 15. (01/24/2023) - How to work as a creative being | Mike Hoolboom
A five-time lifetime achievement award recipient, Mike Hoolboom and I speak about making films, zen, motherhood, Judy Rebick, and our internal barriers to creativity. This episode explores the question of 'how to work' as a creative being.
Mike is a Canadian Filmmaker. 100+ film/vids. 20 features. 89 awards, 20 international retrospectives. 5-lifetime achievement awards | www.mikehoolboom.com.
Introductory music by: Ronin Imperial
Artwork by: Antonia LaMantia | www.antonialamantia.com
Support for this podcast comes from donations from people like you. Became a patron and help produce more talks like this one by visiting www.bigtreemind.com/donate
Episode 14. (09/17/2022 ) - Developing a practice of connection and listening to self | Emerset Farquharson
This is a short episode that focuses on learning how to develop a practice of caring for oneself, learning how to relate and connect to oneself and learning how to engage in this process of listening to ourselves.
Emerset gives a helpful explanation of this process and what this looks like in his own life of practicing and engaging in mindfulness and reflective practices.
Recorded spontaneously in Toronto on September 7th, 2022, at Ezra's Pound patio.
Introductory music by: Ronin Imperial
Artwork by: Emerset Farquharson
Donate: Support for this podcast comes from donations from people like you. Became a patron and help produce more talks like this one by visiting www.bigtreemind.com/donate
Episode 13. (08/02/2022 ) - Presence, connection and aliveness from a Gestalt and indigenous perspective with Jay Tropianskaia
Jay Tropianskaia, Registered Psychotherapist, Director of Training and the Senior Faculty of the Gestalt Institute of Toronto, Canada, has practiced as a Gestalt psychotherapist for the past 28 years.
In this special interview, we speak about the process of feeling more alive and present with the world around us.We also speak about the current state of the world which is much faster to respond. The insight and perspective Jay shares on presence and aliveness stem from her work in Shamanism, Gestalt Psychotherapy, and her own personal life.
We hope this episode can be a support for anyone working with their own abilities to be present or any therapist, helper, or healer who is in the role of working with others and seeking to understand the world beyond what is being said.
Introductory music by: Ronin Imperial
Artwork by Toronto-based artist and jeweller: Antonia LaMantia
Donate: Support for this podcast comes from donations from people like you. Became a patron and help produce more talks like this one by visiting www.bigtreemind.com/donate
Episode 12. (07/28/2022 ) - Writing practice can change the world: Teaching and writing with Celeste Kirsh
“Why do we have writing as human beings? It’s to express, to communicate and to design other future possibilities”. C.K.
Celeste Kirsh is a former middle school teacher. She's the host of the most excellent podcast called Teaching Tomorrow , and she is a first-year Ph.D. student at OISE.
We talk about nourishing imagination and confidence in children and adults and how the process of writing can change the world. Celeste also speaks about her own writing process and how different parts of her being (planner, creative, critic and editor) play into the process. This conversation also touches upon: school curriculums, creative writing, parts therapy, meditation, the art of good conversation, and the process of putting one foot in front of the other. I hope that you enjoy it.
Donate: Support for this podcast comes from donations from people like you. Became a patron and help produce more talks like this one by visiting www.bigtreemind.com/donate
Episode 11. (07/28/2022 ) - “Routines and rituals that nourish body, mind and spirit (and connection to self)” | Carmelinda Di Manno
Carmelinda Di Manno ( www.carmelindadimanno.com ) speaks about her path to yoga and rituals of self-care. She's a practitioner of Emotional Freedom Technique and is a conscious DJ having taught and practiced all around the world. In this episode, we speak about Carmelinda’s path to practices that support anxiety and movement of energy and the importance of rituals and routines that connect us to our presence.
Note: It is ok to not have a practice or rituals in mind when you listen to this episode. It is about finding moments of space to connect to self, such as listening to this podcast episode and just taking a moment to yourself.
Donate: Support for this podcast comes from donations from people like you. Became a patron and help produce more talks like this one by visiting www.bigtreemind.com/donate
Episode 10. (07/15/2022) - “Body and mind support each other” | Emerset Farquharson
Emerset Farquharson speaks about the body and the mind and how the body and the mind support each other. We are talking about the body and the mind working with each other rather than two parts fighting against each other. In this candid interview, Emerset shares his journey to this new perspective. This short episode is the inspiration for this season which focuses on presence and connection to self.
To give further context:
Imagine being tired and just lying down and taking a nap instead of feeling like you have to keep pushing. This episode has something to do with that. It has to do with what part of ourselves do we listen to? Do we listen to the body? Do we listen to the mind? When the body needs to rest or to move, how can the mind honour this need? When the mind needs to work through something, how can the body honour this need? Which part of us takes the lead and how can they work together instead of fighting each other?
Donate: Support for this podcast comes from donations from people like you. Became a patron and help produce more talks like this one by visiting www.bigtreemind.com/donate
Episode 9. (06/30/2022) - “Fear, hope and community healing” | Dr. Sechaba Maape on finding light in vast amounts of darkness
Dr. Sechaba Maape is a returning guest lecturer on this podcast season. He is the founder of Afreetekture, a ‘parallel design practice’. Dr Maape established Afreetekture as an alternative experimental practice aimed at producing architecture and other designs based on the philosophical and theoretical framework derived from his 10 years of in-depth study of indigenous knowledge systems and spaces in South Africa, and from the many generations of ancestors which live on in the culture and rituals in his community.
In this intimate episode, we speak about hope being possible even in the most difficult circumstances and tools which have served along the way. Dr. Sechaba Maape, grew up in a bantustan territory in South Africa, and describes his journey of struggle and acceptance and growth. He is deeply tied to his community and his roots and gives an honest and personal perspective on his upbringing and challenges to becoming who he is today.
Donate: Support for this podcast comes from donations from people like you. Became a patron and help produce more talks like this one by visiting www.bigtreemind.com/donate
Episode 8. (06/30/2022) - Introduction with Lana | presence, awareness, trauma, naming our feelings.
This podcast season is about presence and the many ways we can come into a fuller connection with ourselves and our communities. How do we experience presence? What are the practices that allow us to reconnect with ourselves? Why are we buzzing so much? Why is it so difficult for us to be present? And what kind of patterns are we creating from this buzzy state?
Lana Lontos is a registered psychotherapist in Toronto, and she gives an overview of the upcoming season and her journey to now. The golden thread in all episodes are guests with practices, rituals and modalities which support them in being more present and connected in all that they do, including their work.
Donate: Support for this podcast comes from donations from people like you. Became a patron and help produce more talks like this one by visiting www.bigtreemind.com/donate
Upcoming Episodes
Episode 15: Mike Hoolboom Coming Soon.
About the PODCAST:
How do I connect to others? How do I work with overwhelm? How can I be more present with my clients and myself? Tune in and settle into the first, second, and third wave of what you might feel about something.
The Big Tree Mind podcast with Lana Lontos serves as a source of information and inspiration to those of us who want to do work that matters but are also deeply invested in their own daily rituals and process. I'm Lana, a long-time meditation and mindfulness teacher and a registered psychotherapist in Toronto. Episodes include interviews with experts and others leaders in the field such as filmmakers, writers, multi-faceted entrepreneurs and teachers.
These episodes are a process of my own learning into psychotherapy, childhood trauma, mindfulness, yoga and addiction work. I hope these episodes inspire further integration, processing and increased awareness of self.