à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Healing
Stripping Away Clothing and Illusions in a Marrakesh Hammam
A handful of us “Unsettled” adventurers in the Medina of Marrakech decided to visit a public women’s hammam (bathhouse), to experience it like the locals. Unlike its upscale counterparts, this hammam is BYOB (bring your own bath gear) so we shopped for supplies. One of our local helpers led us a short distance from our riad to some … Continue reading
#MeToo: Thoughts on Vulnerability, Victimhood, Secrets and Privacy
During my freshman orientation at Bryn Mawr College, the resident advisor invited us into her dorm room to sit on the floor in a circle and get know each other. To break the ice and build connection, she wanted each of us to share something we were either bad at or nervous about (so I … Continue reading
What’s Scarier than Public Speaking? An Aikido Rank Test
It’s a truism that many people fear public speaking more than death. I can safely say that an Aikido rank test is more terrifying than addressing a group of people. When I began practicing Aikido in early 2017, I sought an intense physical and spiritual challenge to lift me out of a dark place. I … Continue reading
Feldenkrais Off the Mat: Awareness Through Mushrooms
The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. – Marcel Proust It’s quite easy to live somewhere and stop seeing it. If a person is distracted, preoccupied, rushed, or hyper focused, or if their mind has told them that “there is nothing to see” or “they’ve seen it … Continue reading
An Open Letter to Ivanka Trump from One Daughter to Another
Dear Ms. Trump, I, too, am a daughter of a complex if not difficult man, a man who, while he had loyal friends, trusted colleagues and loving family, was not universally understood or appreciated. He is no longer alive but, if he were, he might agree with some of your father’s political positions. I watched with curiosity as you introduced your father to the Republican … Continue reading
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