2/15/24 Live Session Recording
If you were unable to join the live session on 2/15, please watch the recording as you are able and share your reflections of the conversations of Ahimsa. The conversation explored global human suffering, racism, ageism, and barriers to resources that contribute to harm and suffering. I encourage you to watch the recording with a journal or notebook and consider allowing space to pause the conversation as you made need. Please also reach out if you would like to discuss the content in conversation beyond writing a reflection. You can schedule time to talk with me here.
I very much enjoyed this topic. Thanks, Jen, for the opportunity to move in the beginning because I was also having a week!
I completely agree with practicing sitting with uncomfortable feelings and confronting it head on. Doing this has been incredibly painful, but necessary in my own life. I had to do a lot of unlearning over the years since I grew up with messages of hate toward certain groups, whether it be race, socioeconomic status, LGBTQ+. I'm still on that journey as I occasionally catch myself saying or thinking things that perpetuate that. Hearing others be so vulnerable during discussion is so inspiring.
I administer ACE surveys to individuals on my caseload and more often than not the numbers are high. No surprise that there is a lot of trauma experienced by those in the criminal justice system. Over the years the survey has been expanded to account for racism, community violence, neighborhood safety, foster care, and bullying!
Thanks to this training I've been paying a lot more attention to what my body really needs during a yoga practice and not pushing simply to feel stronger or more flexible. It's helped me enjoy it so much more and I did not realize how I was harming myself by putting that much pressure on me.
During the discussion post breakout group regarding race, I felt myself tensing and bracing because there were a lot of raw emotions, but I was relieved to see how each participant was able to be open and work through a delicate conversation. In the end it felt like there was more of an understanding, which is what it's all about!