WorldWild Podcast

'We've lost the language of the dorsal state, which our deeper states, our otherness states'. In the third of this series on the Polyvagal theory, we are joined by Holly Bridges who explains its connection to Autism and 'otherness states'.  Tune in for a deep dive into bodily states, neuroception, and what might be possible as open up spaces for other ways of being...

In the second of a series on the Polyvagal Theory, we are joined with respected and passionate Polyvagal clinician, consultant and lecturer, Deb Dana, to speak about what kinds of stories we tell ourselves and what this really tells us about the state we are in. She provides insight into ways to re-connect with the ventral vagal - or as she calls it: home. It is only through the body that we feel safe, so learning how to nourish our nervous system to get to that place time and time again can turn our limiting beliefs into 'stories of possibility'. Join us as we go deep into the body as we aim to befriend the nervous system...

In the first of a series on being in your body with reference to the Polyvagal Theory, we chat with Rachel Lambert, the singing forager, who not only regales us with songs about wild plants but also shares with us her journey through somatic therapy training, her teaching philosophy, the topics of stillness and movement, and the tendency in our society for wanting to pin things down into abstraction and the need to dance with language...

Ethnobotany seeks to investigate our relationship with plants, in the wider sense it is how we relate to the earth as a living planet. How we turn to it when we are met with frightening prospectives, and how we turn away from it in our quest for control. By tapping into humanity's exceptional potential, but not turning exceptionalist, we aim to seek ways to bring ourselves back into the complexity. Discussing this with us this week is returning guest Lukasz Luczaj, ethnobotanist and author of the new book On The Wild Side. Tune in for a peek at a wilder world...

Journey with us into the biochemistry of reward, addiction’s evolutionary role, and life-supporting mechanisms, plus how they can be subverted by mechanised systems. We also discuss bee-keeping, de-organisming things, foraging as normal human behaviour, and being human when we are less than fifty-percent human cells. Joining us is Fred Gillam, medicinal mushroom teacher and forager, as we seek out a north star to guide us towards well-being...

We need to know the other living things around us. The work of remembering and documenting these intricate and intimate relations is one that receives little fanfare and even less funding. What Eleonora Matarrese is doing, then, is a deep unearthing of these relations through historical documents and literature. It is this that informs her cooking and the approach she takes in her restaurant in the mountains in Northern Italy, bringing forth remembrances to communicate through wild food...

What happens when you become your own datum? Social scientist and forager Leanne Townsend finds herself turning into her own study subject as she looks at the lifestyles and practices that make up modern foraging. What comes to the surface time and again are the relational aspects of our ways of being; that which tells us where our beliefs, our practices, and our sense of self comes from is often rooted just below the surface. We dig a little deeper to find out more...

We've been grounded and before we take another journey around our room we should take a look at what's growing in the front garden, you might be surprised how many edible plants can go in a salad of many wild things just under your nose! In this episode we're joined with Kate Blincoe, author of The No-Nonsense Guide to Green Parenting, to discuss how we can all stay grounded in these trying times and inspire the next generation at the same time...

What can we do in and around our homes to revitalise our relationships; with our landscapes, our communities, our bodies? Joined by wild food and outdoor adventure guide, Adrian Boots, we endeavour to come up with ways to weave ourselves into the fabric of life. One-eye backward, one-eye forward, with our feet firmly in the present...

Learning is empowering, that much we know. So how do we go about teaching whilst lessening the grip of authority and control - thereby empowering the individual to be their own authority, to embrace their own experience and to develop a relationship with a wild plant as commonplace as a dandelion. We are talking with Robin Harford, the man behind EatWeeds and author many foraging guide books, about what we can do right now to be more at home in nature and to embrace the sensory experience...