E006 Rev Michiko Bown-Kai Fasting

Let’s Be Well Together Podcast - Episode 6

Date: March 8, 2022

Participants: John Webster, Sammy Damaren, Cameron Earnshaw and Sheila Webster

Guest: Rev. Michiko Bown-Kai

Start times and Segment Summaries:

[0:00:19] What’s On Your Mind: Part 1 of Sheila’s interview of Sammy. Get to know our co-host.

[0:08:55] Expanding Minds Interview: [Spiritual Wellness] We interview a Minister of the United Church of Canada, Reverend Michiko Bown-Kai. There’s a brief introduction of our series of interviews in the area of spiritual wellness. Michiko tells us about fasting and spirituality from the perspective of Christianity, as a United Church Minister.

[0:25:08] Adventures of the Starving Artist: Making lemonade out of lemons? How about honking ear training?

[0:30:10] Move Your Body: Sheila and Sammy talk about yoga – how they got into it.

[0:35:16] Running Popup: John talks about why he doesn’t see wellness as a zero sum game.

[0:38:03] Flipside of the Coin: Sheila and John talk about how parents may not know what they’re doing all the time, even if their children believe that they do.

Quotes and Take-Aways:

Rev. Bown-Kai - [In the context of historic tradition], the idea around fasting was that not eating or drinking was seen as a way of showing devotion or sacrifice as part of a spiritual practice. It’s taken different forms over different times. More commonly today many people are familiar with the practice of fasting for the season of Lent, which is the 40 days leading up to Easter, where people choose what they are going to give up.

Rev. Bown-Kai - When you participate in something like this [fasting], it helps connect someone to the tradition. Knowing that there are Christians in the past who engaged in the practice helps you to understand that you are carrying on something that was seen as important and worthwhile by the ones that came before us. Also, as a Christian it helps to connect to actual stories in the Bible.

Rev. Bown-Kai - When I think today about what it means to be Christian and practicing, I think one of the most counter-cultural things we can do is to love ourselves, and take this concept of Christian love and not only send it to others in terms of caring for our neighbours, but also turning it inwards.

John – what popped into my head is that wellness can be a resource and fortunately it’s not a zero sum game. We can help ourselves and we can help the people around us. Let’s just fill this whole world up and make it overflow, if we can.

Bulletin Board Quote brough to you by Sammy: She just shrugged her shoulders and said “well”, and I cried.

Guest Information: Reverend Michiko Bown-Kai is a Minister of the United Church of Canada. They studied Social Justice and Peace Studies and Political Science at the University of Western Ontario before attending Emmanuel College for their Master of Divinity program.

Over the past decade Rev. Bown-Kai has engaged in ministry in many forms: as a Sunday School coordinator, program coordination at The United Church’s General Council Office, a youth group leader, an intern minister at East End United Regional Ministry, and most recently as the minister at Saint Luke’s United Church.

Rev. Bown-Kai is always excited to learn more about cultures, languages, and nature. You can often find them biking, highland dancing, or befriending as many dogs as possible

Rev. Michiko Bown-Kai’s website (with their contact page): https://michikobownkai.wixsite.com/ministry

Connect with Let’s Be Well Together Podcast:
website: https://letsbewelltogether.com⁠
Follow our Instagram account: @lets.be.well.together use hashtag #letsbewelltogetherpodcast
Provide input on Instagram using hashtag #letsbewelltogetherinput
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Thanks for joining us,
(-(-_(-_-)_-)-)   Your wellness check-in team
John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila and Julie

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