Mindfulness and Politics Workshop
I will be offering a 2.5 hour workshop on Mindfulness and Politics on Sunday, February 15 at noon Eastern US (time zone converter here). For more information and to register, read on!​
Please note that at times my life is unpredictable, so I may need to change the date, and I’ll keep you informed if that happens. I appreciate your forbearance around that.
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In case you hadn’t noticed, the political situation in the United States has been, well, complicated. And that has spread out into the world, complicating a lot of other lives. If you are like me, this has resulted in a lot of mental, emotional and physical turmoil as you try to figure out how to respond to these events without adding even more reactivity to the world’s reactivity.
Well, this workshop won’t offer any answers. Instead, the goal is to provide some approaches for working with our automatic reactions to current events so that you can stay in touch with your deepest values in the face of forces that have so effectively harnessed the power anger and hatred. Then, from a more supported and balanced place, you can decide how you want to engage those forces so that you do it with wisdom, compassion and skill. The cool thing is that this applies not only to politics, but to anything in your life that is challenging. It is just that politics seems to be an ever-present cloud over our collective experience, and I thought more folks would show up for that topic rather than calling this something boring like “Mindfulness of Life's Minor Annoyances”!
The theme for this session is “How activated am I, and what can I do about it?” I will offer a cognitive framework around how our brain tends to turn off the part of itself we really need when faced with anything difficult. Then we’ll explore a buffet of practices designed to help you better recognize when the brain is doing that so you can more readily regain access to your wisdom mind. We’ll then explore how, once you have reconnected with your higher self, you might want to engage in the world to restore that which seems to have been lost. And this includes allowing yourself the grace to remember that doing so may range from full-on activism to simply caring for yourself as you go about your day. All of that counts, and it is the antidote to what is happening in the world.
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Although my classes are open to all, it is best if you already have an ongoing meditation practice so you are familiar with the basics. Also, as with any meditation class, listen to your inner guide about whether it is the right time for you to try this. Doing a workshop on this topic when you are dealing with really difficult things in life can be unhelpful. You may end up simply recycling being overwhelmed, and you can’t learn when in overwhelm. I’ll be offering this again, so you can always return to this when you feel you are more likely to benefit.
You are welcome to engage in the session in any way you wish. You can have camera-on or camera-off, and drop in when you are able. This is your time to use in whatever way supports you. This session is freely offered to make it accessible, but if you find it of value and are able to make a donation, I would ask that you consider donating to the good folks at Imagine Mindfulness, a non-profit working to make practices like this accessible to all, or to the equally good folks at the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion. Or anything else you feel is worthy---there is so much need out there.
If you want to join the class, you can go here to read the waiver and register, or you can use the button below. And if you aren’t sure if you’ll be able to attend, you are welcome to register anyway so you can at least get the handouts that go over what we cover with links to pre-recorded audio/video files of the practices (this class isn’t recorded, sorry).
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Let me know if you have any questions at modestlymindful@gmail.com, and thanks for your interest!
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Image by David Hoefler on Unsplash.
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