In this episode of the Embodied Living Podcast, I interview Kelly Petrie, a contemplative educator with deep expertise in Buddhism and mindfulness.
Kelly introduces us to the Five Buddha Families (aka the Five Wisdom Energies) and how understanding their qualities and learning styles has shaped Kelly’s experience teaching autistic kids and yoga students.
Kelly uses the Five Wisdom Energies in many ways. For example, she explores how these energies influence her movement practice. She asks:
“What would it feel like if I went into, downward facing dog as Ratna or Earth? And then, while in that posture, what would it then feel like if I were in the Vajra element or the Padma element, you know?
[I try to feel] the subtle shifts in my inner experience as I mentally play around with this imagining of these Buddha families manifesting in the moment.”
And she offers her own wisdom about the dance of energy between herself and others:
“What is my energy that I'm bringing to the situation? And is it complementing the other person's energy or is it creating sort of a combativeness or, little friction? And recognizing that even though we might have like certain propensities toward one or two energies as the way that we learn or the way that we are in the world is that all of them are available to us and so I have to recognize when I'm freezing space, and when I'm dancing with space.”
Today’s interview is a fascinating look at the intersection between wisdom and movement, relationships, and learning.
Podcast Timestamps:
[00:00:00] Intro
[00:04:30] What are the Buddha families?
[00:09:24] What are the five Buddhas?
[00:02:24] Maitri Space Awareness
[00:11:58] The Buddha families and autism
[00:18:33] Confusion and wisdom
[00:22:07] The learning styles of the Buddha families
[00:24:15] Teaching with the Buddha families
[00:25:59] Elemental energy in a movement practice
00:34:16] Main insights from the Wisdom Energies
[00:37:08] Kelly's contact information
About Kelly Petrie
Kelly is a Contemplative Educator and an authorized associate teacher for Irini Rockwell's Five Wisdoms Institute. She has been working with the Five Buddha Families for years.
You can reach Kelly at the Maitri Center for Mindful Living
Share this post