#33 Belonging while Indigenous

Oct 3

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In this episode, Dr. Mona chats with Asha Frost, an Indigenous (Ojibwe) healer, best-selling author, speaker, and guide.

To begin, Asha reflects on how Indigenous identity is often associated with trauma, especially in the context of colonization. While acknowledging this painful history, she emphasizes the importance of also recognizing Indigenous joy. She finds joy in communal laughter, ceremonial gatherings, and in seeing her children grow up with fewer burdens of trauma. To her, joy is intricately tied to resilience and the reclamation of cultural practices that were taken from previous generations, such as language and ceremony. She views her role as part of a generational shift — carrying forward the joy of her ancestors and expanding on it to pass down to her children. This reclaiming of culture helps her connect both to her children and her own sense of self.

The conversation delves into the concept of re-indigenizing. Asha explains how her sense of joy comes from re-indigenizing spaces, whether through storytelling, connection with the land, or dreaming. This process involves reclaiming traditions and practices that were lost or colonized, allowing Indigenous people to reconnect with their roots. Asha explains how people who don’t know their ancestral roots, particularly those in the U.S., can navigate this process of reclamation. By reconnecting with the earth, the land, and the spiritual practices that resonate with them, people can access the wisdom of their ancestors. Indigenous people have cultivated this form of listening for generations, and non-Indigenous people can learn to do the same, even if they lack specific knowledge of their lineage. Our connection to our ancestors and roots doesn't have to be tied to a specific place or culture. It can be found in the natural world, in family traditions, or in the stories and practices passed down through generations.

Next, Asha unpacks the intersection of culture and spirituality, particularly from her perspective as an Indigenous spiritual teacher. She reflects on her earlier desire to disconnect from her Indigenous culture due to growing up in a racist town in the 1980s. As she reconnected with her cultural roots, Asha experienced a spiritual reawakening, which she describes as being closely tied to her ancestors and their presence in her life. She highlights the importance of curiosity in accessing this deeper knowledge. Dr. Mona shares own experience of growing up in a segregated, racist environment where cultural assimilation seemed like the only way to fit in. She recounts her desire to abandon her Egyptian heritage, including her parents' native language, in order to blend into a community divided starkly between Black and white. Like Asha, she describes a fracture that eventually led to her spiritual awakening, marked by a profound connection with her late grandmother. This reconnection with her ancestry led her to engage more with her culture, family, and community, illustrating how belonging can stem from cultural roots.

Before wrapping up, Asha highlights her own work creating resources for spiritual practitioners, often connecting them with Indigenous spirituality. After having a private practice for many years, she felt called to make her teachings globally accessible in order to help other people expand their own reach, too. Her guidelines are intended to be a catalyst for people to return to their own belonging, medicine and ancestors. She also highlights some Indigenous spiritual practices to help us recenter our awareness and connection with creation.

Finally, Asha shares what belonging means to her: spaciousness within her cells and sacred waters.

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0:40 - Dr. Mona introduces today’s guest, Asha Frost.

4:37 - How Asha experiences Indigenous joy.

11:44 - Re-Indigenizing and cultural reclamation.

15:37 - How non-Indigenous people can also re-indigenize.

19:02 - The intersection of culture and spirituality.

25:59 - Asha’s work connecting spiritual practitioners with Indigenous spirituality.

29:01 - Appropriation concerns.

32:30 - The importance of reclaiming who we are.

33:54 - Other Indigenous spiritual practices.

37:54 - What belonging means to Asha.