The art of listening
Inquiry to Insight ~ Awareness to Acceptance ~ Presence to Peace
Listening begins when we attend to the breath, ground in the body, and relax in the mind. It is a skill that requires a calm body, an open heart, and a deep sense of surrender. Listening from this place of embodied presence allows the stronghold of the conditioned mind an opportunity to soften and relax.
Once the mind has softened it easily lets go of the habit of reaching for the future or regretting the past and what remains is a direct experience of the present moment. It is from this state of being that the art of conversation can begin.
Sometimes listening may be to simply bear the weight of the silence that lingers in the space between two people navigating new territory. Sometimes listening may be to refuse the invitation to fix or figure or change the other. 
Sometimes listening is the simple act of being with the other and bearing the weight of a silence that is filled with pain and sorrow, guilt and shame, uncertainty and regret. Sometimes listening is as simple as holding space or as complicated as saying nothing.
Connecting the head, the heart, and the hara
