PRACTICING AND TEACHING MINDFULNESS & MEDITATION

And although I am not really good at the whole people thing what happened to George Floyd and what continues to happen to people of color makes me angry and sad. I abhor abuse of power. feelings of superiority, and bigotry. I check my attitudes all the time and stay aware of them. Having Trump in office has only made things worse in every area. I do not know what i will do if he is elected again as he destroys our planet and wildlife and incites hatred.

I know what you mean, David. The lunacy of the world and the US is mind boggling. I am an online activist and sometimes write at the ned of my comment that we have been here for thousands of years and yet this is how far we have gotten. at the same time we have again been here for thousands of years and look at how  much environmental damage we have caused in such a short time. I feel out of the loop very often because we are such an invasive species with so many thinking we are special and the most important (only important?) species thus the feeling of entitlement to control nature and wildlife. Animals are killed for entertainment, and I could go on but I have a very hard time being a human on this planet although I know there are so many good and caring people. the fact is though that no matter what we do and how hard we try  our mere existence  has an impact on nature. It is very stressful for me to be a human being. I am trying to improve being mindful for myself but I find it hard. 

Hi Rachel, so excited to hear about this. I specialized in trauma as a psychologist for 13 years. I teach trauma-sensitive yoga and plan to teach/volunteer in prisons. I'm so curious about your friend's experience. 

Thanks David. Yes, equality for all, economic justice, prison and police reform (abolition?), radical acceptance and love are just some of the keys to peace in our society. I think each of us has a role to play in moving our society in that direction- it's absolutely overwhelming to consider as a whole, but if I can greet a homeless person on the street today and make her laugh, or donate to an organization that provides books for inmates, then I am sending positive ripples into the universe that affect all of us.  

Thank you Gillian, I appreciate your comments, and mentioning metta meditation. I, too, have been experiencing such a range of emotions.  Gillian, I was wondering, do you ever listen or do Kirtan with Krishna Das? I would love to get a thread going about trauma-sensitive mindfulness and trauma-sensitive yoga, if anyone is interested?