Staying Open

This short Radical Rest practice is about staying open-hearted when you disagree.
For many of us, especially those with sensitive or neurodiverse nervous systems, conflict can feel unsafe, and our bodies react before our reason catches up. In this gentle reflection, I’ll guide you to pause, breathe, and create space for curiosity instead of reactivity. Because staying open doesn’t mean agreeing with everyone, it means choosing awareness over ego.

Transcript

Hello,

I'm Alice and today's micro-meditation is called Staying Open.

This practice is about what happens when you don't see eye-to-eye with someone,

When a conversation,

Opinion or belief clashes with your own.

For many of us,

Especially those with sensitive or neurodiverse nervous systems,

Disagreement can feel unsafe.

Our bodies react before our reason catches up.

Today,

We'll explore how to stay open,

Grounded and kind,

Even when we don't agree.

Let yourself arrive in this moment and if it feels comfortable to you,

Close your eyes or soften your gaze.

Notice the surface beneath you,

The weight of your body,

The rhythm of your breath.

You don't need to force calm,

Just feel supported where you are.

In your own time and in your own way,

Bring gentle attention to your breath.

If it helps,

Imagine each inhale softening the space around your heart and each exhale releasing a little of the tension that comes from needing to be right or feeling misunderstood.

Continue to breathe in your own way and at your own pace,

Allowing a little more space inside you to flow.

It's only human to want to be right,

It's also human to feel defensive when somebody sees the world differently,

But every perspective is shaped by the life that person has lived,

Their experiences,

Beliefs and wounds.

Staying open doesn't mean you have to agree,

It means you choose curiosity over judgment.

You pause before reacting,

You ask what might this person be needing or protecting.

When we meet conflict with awareness instead of reactivity,

Our nervous system begins to trust that difference isn't danger,

It's diversity.

You can hold your truth and still make room for somebody else's.

That's emotional flexibility and it's a quiet kind of strength.

Now take a slow steady breath in your own way,

Maybe bring a hand to your heart and remind yourself that openness doesn't make you a pushover,

It makes you wise.

And as comedian Ricky Gervais once said,

Just because you're offended doesn't mean you're right.

Sometimes it's good to remember bringing a little humor to the situation can often soften a disagreement.

I hope you enjoyed today's radical rest and I hope you're able to carry this small calm with you and know that this is a space you can return to whenever you need.