The soul searching process in India has led me to looking more deeply into disturbances.  What are they?  Are they personal? Do they need to exist?  Are they part of the architecture of the Earth’s lesson plan?  Are they what motivates us to eventually look inward?  What happens if one ignores them? Do they go away on their own?  Can we change our relationship to them?  Do we need help to shift our relationship to them?  Are they useful? Are they hurtful? Will there be more?  Can one evolve to a point of inner peace that they appear, but don’t create an inward stirring?

Aren’t these a few of the basic questions we ask while doing a self inquiry?  An invaluable step to examining the apparent outward disturbance from an inner perspective; starting with myself as the point of disturbance, since that is who I am most familiar.  Changing the reflex from blame to inward examination.  Do I need to react?   What is my part in the disturbance?  Is the disturbance purposeful in what is transpiring?  Do I understand the whole story unfolding?  Is there an assumption or judgement?  Is it physical, emotional, or mental in nature? Is there something to be learned? Is there something to be shared?

Over and over and over this is the play that unfolds on the Earth Playground.  Enjoy the gentleness and thoughtfulness of the following article.  Suggestions to live by, so the inner perspective can move towards peacefulness

Five Keys to Mindful Communication
PsychCentral.com (blog)
When you use gentle speech, you are communicating acceptance to the other person and saying what is true, not an interpretation or an exaggeration or a minimization. The key to mindful relationships is unconditional friendliness. Unconditional …

The first key of mindful communication, according to Chapman (2012), is having amindful presence. This means having an open mind, awake body and a tender heart. When you have a mindful presence, you give up expectations, stories about yourself and others, and acting on emotions.

You are fully in the present moment; your communication isn’t focused on the “me†and what the “me†needs, but the we.

Mindful listening is the second key to mindful communication. Mindful listening is about encouraging the other person. This means looking through the masks and pretense and seeing the value in the person and the strengths he or she possesses. It’s looking past the human frailties and flaws that we all have to see the authentic person and the truth in what that person is attempting to say.

Mindful speech, the third key, is about gentleness. Speaking gently means being effective in what you say. It’s about speaking in a way that you can be heard. To be gentle with our speech means being aware of when our own insecurities and fears are aroused to the point we are acting out of fear rather than acceptance.

Practicing self-compassion for our fear, envy, jealousy and self-doubts is more effective than focusing on others as being a threat or attempting to change them. When you use gentle speech, you are communicating acceptance to the other person and saying what is true, not an interpretation or an exaggeration or a minimization.

The key to mindful relationships is unconditional friendliness. Unconditional friendliness means accepting the ebb and flow of relationships. Sometimes you meet new friends, sometimes friends move on, sometimes there is joy and sometimes there is pain. Sometimes you’ll feel lonely, sometimes you’ll feel cherished and connected, and then you’ll feel lonely again.

Unconditional friendliness means that your acceptance of others is not dependent on them staying with you or agreeing with you. You don’t cling to relationships to avoid loss.

Mindful responsiveness is like playfulness.  Playfulness is the openness that you can have when you let go of preconceived ideas and strategies. It’s like creating something new. Imagine two skilled dancers who alternatively lead each other in creating a new dance in every interaction, never doing the same complete dance over and over. They respond in the moment to the message sent by the other. There are no rules or expectations and yet they both bring skillful behavior.

Mindful communication requires practice. If you choose to practice the keys, you might choose to focus on one at a time. Being willing to regulate your emotions is a prerequisite to mindful communication and mindfulness of your emotions is necessary for emotion regulation.

Mindfulness is a core skill for the emotionally sensitive.

References

Chapman, Susan Gillis. The Five Keys to Mindful Communication:  Using Deep Listening and Mindful Speech to Strengthen Relationships, Heal Conflicts and Acceomplish Your Goals. Boston: Shambhala, 2012.