So again,
Just a reminder of non-violence as a practice,
Like meditation as a practice,
And that the more we're able to practice it,
The more our capacity to engage in non-violence expands.
And so we'll enter a short practice period where we are going to be bringing to our attention a person that we are in conflict with.
It's not the person that you are in the deepest,
Heaviest conflict with,
Perhaps on a scale from 1 to 10,
With 10 being the most difficult conflict you're in in your life,
Something around a 4 or a 5.
So take a second to think of a person that you may want to engage in this practice with.
And as you begin to think of someone,
I want to invite everyone to settle into their bodies,
To begin to notice your breaths.
Notice in each moment where in the cycle of breath you're in,
In this exact moment,
Are you breathing in?
Are you breathing out?
Are you at that short transition moment between the in-breath and the out-breath?
Beginning to feel your body as well,
Feeling the weight of your body against the chair,
The weight of your feet on the ground,
The weight of your hands on your knees.
And just beginning to settle and to quiet your mind,
Breathing in spaciousness,
Breathing out tension,
Breathing in and breathing out.
Now try to invite an image of this person.
This doesn't have to be a person that you know personally,
Perhaps it's a politician that you disagree with,
Or a celebrity that has made comments recently you disagree with,
Someone on social media that you have disagreements with,
Whoever they may be.
Just imagine that person sitting in front of you and really invite them into your awareness.
Try to notice how they're sitting in front of you,
Noticing their facial features,
What are they wearing,
How are they looking at you.
And as you notice this person sitting across from you,
What do you notice in your own body?
As you sit across from this person,
Are there any feelings that emerge,
Any sensations in your body?
And stick with those feelings,
Stick with those sensations,
And see if you notice what these feelings,
What these sensations may be telling you.
Perhaps you feel some tension because of the conflict you're in with this person,
But perhaps this tension,
This feeling,
Is also pointing you to something older,
An older wound that you carry,
Or an unmet need.
Whatever it might be,
Give that feeling,
Give that sensation some space in your body to be pleasant,
To welcome that feeling,
To welcome that sensation.
As much as this feeling,
This sensation may be causing some amount of discomfort,
Some pain,
Try to acknowledge that in some way,
It's actually trying to protect you,
Or to perhaps help you meet an unmet need.
Perhaps repeating these words,
Thank you anger,
Thank you pain,
For showing me what's important.
Thank you fear,
For protecting me and keeping me aware of possible risks.
Thank you frustration,
For revealing where I might feel stuck.
Thank you sadness,
For helping me recognize my longing for connection and belonging.
Thank you jealousy,
For showing me what I value and aspire to.
Thank you doubt,
For encouraging me to seek clarity and understanding.
And asking this feeling,
If it's willing to give you just a little bit of space.
You're not shutting this feeling down,
You're not pretending that it's not there.
And if you need to,
Try making a promise to this feeling,
To this sensation,
That you'll come back to it later and give it even more space in your system.
And notice if making that agreement,
Making that commitment,
Creates a little bit more spaciousness in your body,
To focus on the person who is still sitting across from you,
Observing you.
And again,
Notice this person.
And as you notice them,
Seeing if you can invite even the smallest amount of curiosity.
Who is this person?
Who are they really?
Beyond the caricature that I might make of them,
Beyond the assumptions that I may have,
What stories are they carrying that you may not know about?
What pain might they be holding on to that's driving them?
How did they come to believe the things that they do?
And asking yourself,
If this curiosity does anything to change how you feel,
How you see that person,
And if so,
How?
And asking yourself,
If inviting this curiosity changes you in any way,
And if so,
How?
Bringing to awareness that as human beings,
Each one of us has lived through and continues to live through so much,
And that we all have the same universal needs,
And that everything this person does in some way is an attempt to get those universal needs met.
And sometimes people can choose tragic,
Unskillful,
Even harmful ways to get their needs met.
And sometimes people can choose tragic,
Unskillful,
Even harmful ways to try to get those needs met.
But can we cultivate compassion for ignorance?
Can we send this person goodwill even as we disagree with what they may be saying or doing?
And noticing this person again,
Still sitting in front of you.
How are they doing?
How are you doing?
What's happening between the two of you right now?
Continuing to breathe into the space between you and this person.
Breathing in spaciousness.
Breathing out tension.
Breathing in,
Noticing your body expanding.
Breathing out,
Noticing your body softening.
Continuing to breathe into the space between you.
Breathing in and out of the same space,
The same air,
The same breath.
It's going back and forth between the two of you.
And preparing ourselves for a better day ahead.
Brief practice of metta,
Of unconditional goodwill.
As we imagine this person looking at you,
Trying to send these words in their direction.
May you find peace and true happiness.
May you be safe and protected from harm.
And may we find a way to understand each other and to find belonging in each other.
And now imagine this person looking back at you,
Saying these words back to you.
May you find peace and true happiness.
May you be safe and protected from harm.
May we find a way to understand each other and to find belonging in each other.
Breathing those words in.
Continuing this exchange with your breath.
Breathing in peace,
Safety,
Understanding.
Breathing out peace,
Safety,
Understanding.
And we'll just take a few breaths,
Few moments in silence as we continue to breathe in and breathe out.
And as we focus our attention on our breath,
Slowly beginning to expand the focus of our attention.
Throughout our body.
Noticing any sensations you feel.
Noticing again the weight of your body,
The mass of your body,
The solidness,
The stability of your body.
And also noticing the inner landscape.
Taking a moment to notice how you feel.
Notice if anything has shifted for you.
And offer yourself a moment of gratitude for engaging in this practice.
For even just a brief moment,
Working to release any seed of resentment.
Knowing that there can still be space for anger.
And in fact,
You made a commitment to creating more space,
Coming back to feelings of anger or frustration,
For disagreement.
But even as we hold space for those feelings,
That we can still find connection and understanding.
And as we invite the sound of the bell,
Taking in that sound in through your ears,
Throughout your entire body and using that sound of the bell as a tool to allow curiosity,
To allow connection,
To allow spaciousness to seep into every corner of your being.
And when you can no longer hear the sound of the bell,
Gently open your eyes and bring your awareness back to your surroundings.
Thank you for engaging in the short practice of nonviolence,
Of meditation,
Of building community.
I hope this tool was helpful in helping you move one step closer to your goal.
One step closer to wholeness.
