In a nutshell...

There is a voice that doesn't use words. Listen. —Rumi

Stillness and Silence

I just left my morning Movement Meditation class that I teach at the beautiful in Bayfield, WI. There, in the temple of our bodies, in the temple of the woods, I invite participants to lay on their backs with their hearts and hands open. At the top of their mat, a single acorn. An incubating seed. An invitation to remember their own inner potential. Our own still, small voice... often drowned out by the busy-ness and hurry of our lives.

We begin close to the earth. In stillness. Bodies so habituated to doing...take some time to surrender to simply being. The earth and the acorn are appropriate partners to guide our seeking. Though we can feel unsettled and even anxious in the face of transition, change, or loss — the earth models with grace and beauty the perpetual cycle of the changing seasons. And the acorn participates in this cycle experiencing its own story of stillness, silence, and slow emergence into new life. And if we listen — deeply — we receive the wisdom inherent to the natural world.

Much, it seems, can be communicated between the acorn and the seeker. Without words. Without movement. It asks...how can deep listening in stillness and silence transform you? inspire you? support or guide you, today? do you have the presence and patience to nurture your seed thoughts into a mighty tree — rooted in personal awareness, experience, values, beliefs, hopes and dreams? The faith in your future growth deepens in stillness and silence.

Deep listening to the body

Practices like yoga, tai chi, or Qi Gong help us appreciate how movement can be our meditation. We enter into the temple of our body. It is our sacred space where we breathe in inspiration and observe fluctuations in our minds and emotions. By sensing, feeling, and being in our body with alert attention, we learn the silent language of the body.

In my Movement Meditation classes, we practice groundedness in a variety of postures and flows. When the body feels supported and connected to all its parts and to the earth, it amplifies our capacities for holistic knowing. Our bodies communicate growing distress, confusion, or anger. It is equally gifted in helping us recognize tenderness, eagerness, or gratitude. More and more, the body becomes essential to our deep listening. And it becomes a tool in our pursuit for optimal health and well-being.

The acorn's physical form begins as seed and transforms through germination, to sprout, to seedling, to tree, to flowers, to bearing new fruit (acorn)...and the process begins again. Our body changes as well. Each season of our life embodied in unique ways...a perpetual teacher of "nothing ever stays the same".

Deep listening bears fruit in self and for others

“Deep listening is an act of surrender. We risk being changed by what we hear.

- Valarie Kaur, See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love

Postures have meaning...and by deeply listening to each pose, we invite its wisdom into our awareness. Mountain affirms stillness, strength, and beauty. Warrior taps our inner commitments to tirelessly seek our hopes and dreams. Warrior guards our disciplined practice of self-care. Tree invites us to listen deeply to what we are rooted in. What do we value? What have our experiences taught us? What strengths do we have the courage to mobilize? How are we interconnected with others? In what ways do we reach out into the world bearing fruit?

What we embody matters

The personal practice of deep listening matters because we bring this body, mind, and spirit to encounters with others. To ensure that our engagements with others are fruitful requires our own self-regulation (practiced on the mat or other forms of meditation) so that deep listening to others is possible.

Throughout a Movement Meditation practice, we have moved, breathed, and listened deeply to our bodies, our thoughts (mind), and our emotions (spirit). This brings clarity and purpose to our day — not just in thought — but in our body and emotions. We are ready to contribute to life and the world. I conclude my Movement Meditation classes with my Creation Breath Flow. In Creation Breath flow, we celebrate 4 gifts of our practice:

1. Inspiration - our deep listening provides insight and direction.
2. Connection - to our own body, mind, and emotions and to the natural world. We honor the interconnected of all things.
3. Savoring the ray of creation that shines uniquely through each person. Unique skills, strengths, purpose, and passion.
4. Return - we don't do this personal practice for selfish reasons. We do this work to fortify the skills needed to pour ourselves out generously by how we live, move, and relate in the world. And this includes deeply listen to others.

Deep listening is needed in our polarized world

In a time dominated by "gotcha" moments, we have lost appreciation for remembering our interconnectedness. We neglect the necessity of remembering our commonalities. We defile, defame, deconstruct, and degrade. Sometimes done under misguided positive intentions that only erode efforts to contribute to the highest good...for all.

Deep listening invites us to set aside our story and listen deeply to others. Listen to not just what they say but how they look. What postures do you see? How are they communicating with their eyes? with their body? with their tone? with their pace? How can we listen deeply to their story without the distraction of comparison to our own?

There is no scoreboard in the field of deep listening. Victory is attained by deeply listening to your own body, mind, and emotions and self-preserving your own inner peace while being witness to another who is sharing. To be heard is one of the most generous acts of kindness we can give to another person.

The practice of deep listening is the practice of open inquiry without assumption or judgement.

Without "assumption" or "judgement", what's left?

Compassionate presence. In the emptiness we create by quieting our own impressions, we simply reflect back what we hear. We ask thoughtful questions that demonstrate curiosity and communicate a genuine sense of care. No need to win a position or stance. No awards for outwitting or persuading an opponent. Deep listening is a cooperative engagement where growth can flourish.

May your journey through this season of Autumn invite you to pause for deep listening with an acorn...or falling leaves...or changing fall colors. I'd love to hear what you learn!