Welcome,
Everyone.
I'm glad you're here.
My name is Michelle Maldonado,
And I'd like to share a foundational awareness practice with you that's designed to help bring about three key insights.
First,
Clarity of intention.
Second,
Understanding our power,
Presence,
And impact.
And third,
Opportunities for wise action-taking.
If we take a moment to consider how complex,
Volatile,
And uncertain current societal conditions are,
As well as the spectrum of emotions we are feeling individually and collectively,
It's easy to feel a sense of overwhelm and confusion about how to engage with the world from a place of strength,
Groundedness,
And calm.
In this practice,
We will move through the four stages of human bridge building,
Borrowed from the Bridge to Better model,
By exploring how we show up in each of the four transformational quadrants of self,
Family,
Community,
And organization.
The breath we focus on is the normal flow of the in and out breath,
Allowing it to rest in its natural rhythm and cadence as we meet what arises with profound self-compassion and curiosity.
Let's get started.
To begin,
Find a comfortable position,
Sitting quietly as you set an intention for yourself to be open and curious about what comes up,
Receiving what arises with equanimity.
You may sit or stand comfortably,
Just allowing whichever position you choose to let you feel both alert and relaxed.
Feel free to close your eyes or cast them in a soft and downward gaze.
And let's take three deep breaths in and out,
Allowing your mind to settle,
Your body to settle,
And your breath to settle into its natural rhythm.
In and out.
As we explore the four journey quadrants of how we can build bridges with others to serve as agents of transformation.
First,
Let us bring our attention to our heart space by gently placing a hand over the heart,
Allowing it to simply rest there.
Placing a hand over the heart can often bring a sense of comfort when we explore difficult thoughts,
Emotions,
Or experiences.
Next,
See what you notice.
Perhaps it's the weight of your palm against your chest or a temperature difference underneath the space of your palm,
Or maybe even the sensation of each heartbeat as you expand your awareness.
Taking it all in with a gentle inhale and exhale.
And over the next few moments,
I invite you to consider these three things.
How did I show up in the world today?
How did my privilege show up through me?
And what actions can I take to help become more aware of my privilege and its impact on others?
Whatever it is that is the privilege you enjoy or benefit from,
Pick one of those for this practice.
We don't have to know all the answers,
We are simply inviting in reflection and introspection to allow insights and awareness of body and mind to arise.
And whatever arises,
See if you can meet it with self-compassion and curiosity in these next few moments.
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Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Also noticing any sensations in your body as you reflect on this.
Where are they?
What do they feel like?
If at any time this reflection becomes too difficult or really difficult emotions arise,
Please feel free to open your eyes or if needed to pause or stop to honor self-care needs.
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Now bringing your attention back to the sensation of your breath,
Perhaps noticing the sound of your breath or the sensation of the whole body breathing.
As you let go of thoughts and reflections of family,
If any difficult emotions remain,
You may want to curl,
Squeeze,
And then uncurl and stretch your fingers and hands allowing tension to release with each stretch.
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