I hope you are listening away from your ears and your thinking mind. I hope you are listening with your whole being, 360 degrees, through your skin and every organ of your body. I hope you are listening at the emotional level, whether the emotions have been shared or not. I hope you are listening to what is not said. I hope you are listening with all your facets… the judge, the worrier, the optimist, the peacemaker, etc.
Every time we deepen and widen our ability to listen, new opportunities arise and healing happens. Listening is connecting deeply and quietly.
In order to listen, you need to be self-centered. Yes, I did say self-centered. Not from your ego- but from your heart. When you are self-centered from the heart, you develop an awareness of what is happening within you. These are simple questions to explore as you practice listening:
- What are my sensations and emotions?
- How much can I relax?
- Am I able to be present?
- Am I still, agitated, open, or defensive?
- What and who shows up within me when I am listening?
Don’t listen to fix or solve, listen in a nourishing way where there is nothing to change.
At times, we listen believing we know where the conversation is going and we jump ahead because that is the only way we know to be engaged. At other times, we don’t know where the conversation is going and we get bored. These two ways of listening are ego-centered; they are not listening from the heart.
Stay connected when you listen; there are too many opportunities to be disconnected and that is where suffering starts. Listening from the heart is great medicine.
With Love Always,
