Attention, Please!

Attention, Please!
December 17, 2021

First, From the Heart

Breathe slowly. Pause whenever you need to and even when you don’t. Come home to yourself. Sounds so simple. Yet we all know how challenged we are to give ourselves the loving attention we require. As this most difficult year winds down, we hope you find nooks and crannies for self-care and attending to your inner compassion. Only then can we be the present, loving, and generous selves we yearn to be for others.

Earlier today we were privileged to gather with a Zoom room full of alumni from 2020 and 2021 eight-week Compassionate Leadership and Resilience Training program cohorts. Hailing from Europe, Africa, Asia, and all the Americas, these dedicated compassionate leaders shared their joys, plans, projects, struggles, and appreciations with and for each other. Many commented on how important it was just to be together for the hour – a chance to recharge from the intensity and be nurtured in the warmth of the community.

To everyone reading this, we give thanks that you have chosen to be a part of this incredibly inspiring and compassionate family of leaders. You are courageous changemakers, doing the remarkable inner and outer work necessary to bring forth a new world. Thank you for being brave and pioneering the path with compassion. Thank you for doing your part. We deeply appreciate you. We support you. We love you.

May peace be with you, always,
Laura

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Master Your Attention

After a year of unprecedented challenges and stress, pausing to consider how to construct the next phase of life may feel more burdensome than liberating. As you explore how you intend life to feel and be, remember to bring a deeper quality of attention to each moment you experience. Resolve to be in alignment with your deepest values, and each choice point will emerge with more ease and clarity. Read more.

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Theater of Attention

The cool earth supports my whole being as I lay prone on the grass, feet facing the winter solstice noonday sun. When the sun’s warmth has waned, I rotate my body like the hand on a clock to keep aligned with the sun as it travels west. My body softens into the ground beneath me, knowing I am completely held and nurtured.

As the distant ocean crashes against the shore with rhythmic precision, I realize the tempo of my breath is in perfect sync. Soon I direct my attention to the back of closed my eyelids, the holographic screen that displays whatever is currently streaming in my mind’s eye. Today there is a richly detailed and multidimensional performance of brilliant jewel-like colors that shapeshift through different configurations of the same elements, almost as if I were turning a kaleidoscope in my hands. I smile as I notice the feeling of joy that fills me from within.

Next I direct my attention to the back of my eyeballs, and sense their weight as they melt into their sockets and towards the back of my skull. Time stops. Eventually I notice that the hammock of earth beneath me has chilled. Slowly I move attention to the physical edges of my body, and then back to the rise and fall of the breath. Appreciating today’s journey to nowhere and everywhere all at once, with boundless love.

When can we practice? Always!

If you'd like to explore additional Practice Matters, you can find them here.

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