Deep Listening with Dora

Hi, and welcome to this practice of deep, compassionate listening. One of the honorable ways that we can show up and act in allyship, is by listening to those who often go unheard, and not listening to respond or listening to interrupt or to question, but truly listening in a way that embodies full presence, receptivity, and compassion. And to be able to do this with others, we can practice first by doing it with ourselves. When we can be fully present with ourselves, we can be fully present with those around us. So by sitting and listening to the discomfort that we experience, acknowledging the full complexity of emotions, thoughts, sensations, and being present with that, not judging, but being fully there with those things, we start to get a better understanding of what may be also going on with the other person who may be navigating injustice, bias, or unfair treatment. From this listening, we may find better ways to support others in this process. And this connection is found by the simple fact that we're all humans. In that moment of realization, compassion is born, and we can cultivate and tend to this feeling of interconnectedness and empathy with ourselves and with the world around us. So in this practice we listen, we hear, and we rest in awareness. There isn't an object of focus like the breath or the body, but instead, inviting the mind to rest in a space of openness. If any thoughts arise or any feelings arise, noting them, acknowledging them, and returning the mind back to the present moment Before we go any further, just notice how the body is positioned in this moment, and then gently finding a position that feels comfortable, adjusting the body in a way that is present and at ease. And we'll begin with the eyes open to a soft, gentle gaze, taking three big breaths in through the nose, filling the lungs, expanding the belly, and then exhaling out through the mouth. And on the next exhale, if you'd like, just gently allowing the eyes to close and feeling the weight of the body sink down into the chair or floor beneath you, and just allowing the body to be soft, be relaxed and at ease, listening for any cues that the body may need to be adjusted again. And then just scanning down the body, starting at the top of the head, working down towards the toes, noticing any areas of tightness or tension within the body, just listening and feeling as you move down. And with this sense of deep listening, being attentive and compassionate to what the mind and body have to say, as if you were listening to a friend in need of support. And now, bringing the awareness to the breath. So finding the natural rhythm of the breath within the body, sensing that rising and falling, expansion and contraction of the body, being receptive and open to each breath, seeing...