Gayatri is the intern supporting the Angeles Chapter’s Activist Academy program. They also volunteer and is a social media volunteer with our chapter communications coordinator.
Hi readers! I'm delighted to join the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter as the intern supporting their 3rd annual Activist Academy. I participated in this academy last year, and it was such a beautiful bonding experience and growth journey that I knew I wanted to be a part of making that magic happen again for the next cohort.
I’m very passionate about supporting people who care deeply about the world but feel powerless, stuck, numb, anxious, or unable to feel joy the ability to become clear on how to care for themselves and find clarity on their activism path. I have a master’s degree in Yoga Studies and did my research on how a decolonial, holistic yogic lifestyle can support animal rights and climate justice activists with their mental health and resilience.
Since then, I’ve created a project called bodhisattvism which helps empower changemakers through climate psychology, and powerful Yoga mindfulness practices and philosophy. The bodhisattva principle comes from Buddhist philosophy and entails a being who dedicates their beliefs and behavior to the liberation of all sentient beings. Every month or so I lead spaces called "Yoga Climate Cafes” where folks come together to open up about their thoughts and feelings on the intertwined political + environmental crisis, and get to share a deep sense of grounding and coming back to our divinely interconnected Self.
In my free time, I enjoy putting together thrifted outfits and being experimental with my sustainable fashion looks. I also love nurturing my co-living community Haus of Liberation and spending time with my free roam rabbit companion. Sometimes, I host people there for vegan potlucks and buy nothing trades. I can get a little hoardy about my recycling sorting (haha), having separate piles for old fabrics, electronics, filmy plastics, and little trinkets I forage (usually on roads) that I turn into beads for jewelry making. I also like to make fun social media posts on my journey, interests, values, and share about the cool LA eco-events I visit. Over the past few months I’ve crafted memes for the Sierra Club Angeles chapter Instagram as well!
And of course, how could I forget being outside! My favorite experiences with Nature include escaping the world of "must do's" and "must have's" and finally just being able to be. It's an ancient feeling where I'm able to use every ability of mine to play, explore, breathe, and observe. I enjoy hiking, writing poetry, meditating, dancing, filming, photographing, eating plants + fungi, watching animal friends, camping (though never enough!), singing, and hanging out with friends outside.
I love making friends and collaborating with people on projects so if you have any ideas or would just love to connect, don’t be shy to reach out! Let’s keep nourishing our mycelium :D
My vision for this year’s Activist Academy cohort is for the participants to feel solid and confident about their activist careers (whether they choose to pursue it professionally or not) through tools they get to practice and the lost-lasting connections that they build. I hope that confidence can come from a place of knowing that they don’t have to be perfect–since one of the best parts of activism is that it’s a lifelong learning journey.