I've recently been thinking about a couple of situations that seem like they could be managed more skillfully, next time. The first was that a member of an online group I'm a part of was called-out in a way that was unkind and reactive. The second was when visiting a long-time, elder friend, I became aware that his long-standing language habits can be harmful, and how people around him (including me) just let it slide. Though one situation seems like it was too fast, and one was maybe too slow, I'm appreciating looking at both with a lens of spaciousness, because it seems to allow for all that is, and to provide more room for more perspective.
I'm taking a class on multi-cultural counseling this term, and was introduced to a helpful little 3-question prompt (first said by comedian Craig Ferguson), that I am finding really helpful in helping me decipher speed of response in these moments.
Does this need to be said?
Does it need to be said by me?
Does it need to be said now?
Taking the time to ask myself these three little questions can give me the space I need to possibly create more spaciousness in myself, so I don't respond in a contracted and reactive way. Using this structure gives me the perspective to know that I may be contracted and reactive, and should take some more time and space before speaking.
These issues seem straightforward... until they're not. That's when we find ourselves in the sticky places, and that's particular to each of us. It seems to me that these practices meet each of us where we are - whether we're conflict-avoidant, or whether we're quick to get right into it. And in theory, we all want to feel spacious. Don't we?
I hope that you'll join some of our special programs this month, which can help us practice seeing the sticky places, and practice getting some perspective.
They are:
Ancient Threads: Exploring Meditation Practices from the Radiance Sutra with Leigh Drake
Lotus Circle: Yoga for the Sober-Curious Woman with E.B. Ferdig
Summer Solstice: Restorative & Yoga Nidra with Sarah Nelsen, and
Emerging from the Pandemic: Caring for Ourselves and Others with Heart with Laura Martin
With love,
EB Ferdig & the team at Unfold
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