Training Materials: Mastering Empathic Listening and Compassionate Practice



Statement

Show some kindness some compassion to everyone you come across, even if they don’t seem to want it. What might come off as arrogance, rudeness, negativity, or sarcasm are hints at deeper oppression and trauma. You never know what struggles someone is facing beneath the surface where the dreams meet the bone.

Meditation

So, if you would, take a deep, deep breath. Hold the breath, let the tension that's in your body collect around that breath, and then slowly let it go. And again, take a deep breath. Hold, and slowly let it go. Hold. For the next few moments, allow your mind to connect to your breath. Notice the rhythm of your breath. Hold. If a thought or a feeling interrupts that rhythm, just notice it, and then ever so gently reconnect your mind to your breath. Hold. And if you would, just one more time, just fill up your lungs completely. Hold to the count of five, and then ever so gently and mindfully let it go. And when you're finished, bring your focus back to the circle.