Many of you, especially those of you based in the U.S., have shared with me that the past few weeks have felt like an exhausting, dystopian whirlwind. If there’s any part of you that feels alone in the too-muchness of it all, know you’re in good company.
An offer of support
If you’re looking for support during this era—”these troubled times,” as Jack Kornfield calls them—and you feel unsure of who to turn to, please reach out to me. I will do my best to connect you with relevant resources, whether you’re looking for a shortlist of mental health professionals or are seeking concrete steps you can take to assist the most vulnerable among us.
For spaces to pause, connect, and strengthen your mindfulness toolkit, check out the offerings below. As always, please email me if participating at a reduced or Pay What You Can rate would allow you to participate; we’re all in a web of giving and receiving.
Upcoming Offerings
Thank you, John:
As Black History and Futures Month continues to unfold here in the U.S., I keep returning to the wisdom of renowned civil rights leader and congressman John Lewis, who was known as “the conscience of Congress.” Congressman Lewis survived innumerable acts of state-sanctioned violence but courageously continued to build towards a more just, loving world. He loved connecting with people of all ages, and when I was in high school in the early 2000s, I was lucky enough to meet him. (Thanks for the pic, AJ!)
Yup, that’s me in the front row, listening intently—and intensely! :)
“I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. Choose confrontation wisely, but when it is your time don't be afraid to stand up, speak up, and speak out against injustice… Humanity has been involved in this soul-wrenching, existential struggle for a very long time… ”
Congressman Lewis also believed that in this modern world full of distraction and fear, we need practices that help us reconnect with ourselves and the intuitive wisdom of the heart, as well as the company of compassionate community members.
Awareness Aloud:a 60-second mindfulness practice
This week I’m visiting dear friends and their adorable two-year-old Sol. All of them are currently in the bowels (pun intended) of a collaborative family project: potty training.
On Tuesday night as Sol and I read a book about elephants, his body suddenly tensed and his face scrunched up like a prune. “Do you need to poop?” I inquired matter-of-factly. Sol offered me the quintessential autopilot toddler response (“No!”) but a moment later his facial expression changed; my question had alerted him to his body’s signals. And so Sol yelled, “Daddy, I pooping!” His father came running to help Sol make his way to the bathroom, congratulating him along the way on his growing awareness.
My conversation with Sol is an age-appropriate ;) example of Awareness Aloud, a mindfulness practice you can do solo or with someone else. It’s one of my favorites because of how quickly and directly it cuts through inner and outer noise. If you’d like to, you might pause for a minute and experiment with it:
Bring an open, curious awareness to your experience—sensations, emotions, thoughts—in this new moment of being human.
For the next minute, pose this question to yourself a few times in an unhurried way, either by whispering it or saying it aloud: What is compassionate awareness illuminating now? Maybe the most obvious aspect of your experience that awareness reveals is that you’re feeling cold, and so you whisper or say aloud “awareness of cold.” Just noting it…
And then again, What is compassionate awareness illuminating now? In this new moment, attune to whatever comes to the fore—a thought pattern, emotion, sensation, or sound—and name it aloud: “awareness of planning thoughts” or “awareness of anger/joy/a moment of calm/[fill in the blank with an emotion],” or “awareness of the softness of this sweater.” Or maybe, like Sol, you realize it’s time for a bathroom break!
Awareness Aloud invites us to come home to ourselves, to be more fully alive, present, and able to access the inner wisdom needed to meet life’s ever-changing seas.
Some closing wisdom from Thich Nhat Hanh:
"The best thing you can offer is your presence. How can you love if you are not there?"
PS: If you think a friend, family member, or colleague would benefit from this newsletter or would be interested in one of the offerings, please feel free to forward it along! They can also join the Two Wings mailing list here.
