Why Being With Our Experience Matters
In our busy, loud, fast-paced worlds, we chronically have our attention turned outward - to the world changes, our career goals, our to-do lists, to planning for what’s about to happen. Or we are busy running from what’s going on inside us - worries, fears, doubts - and use behaviors and habits that keep us occupied with the external world.
Rarely do we take time to turn our focus and attention toward our internal experience and stay with it.
Slowing down is an art. And a skill.
Being with our experience means giving ourselves the time and space to turn our attention and focus inward, and give our internal world some time to unfold to us so that we can learn more about what is going on inside. And in turning inward and observing, we learn how to recognize and acknowledge aspects of ourselves that need our attention or have something to convey to us about ourselves that would help us navigate living and acting in the world in a more productive way.
The opportunity offered here, is to sit in presence with ourselves and one another, and stay for what arises. We practice turning toward our experience and explore more of who we are. At first this can feel unusual or different, because listening in instead of listening out is a different orientation and skillset. But with practice, we can improve our ability to identify more of what is going on inside us and learn more about who we are.
In the sessions, we slow down the conversation pace, leave more quiet space after someone speaks, and learn how to observe what is going on in our inner world. We learn how to ask questions of ourselves and one another as our curiosity leads us moment by moment, and gradually we learn how to be with ourselves more deeply than daily life typically allows.
This being with ourselves nourishes our soul and strengthens our sense of who we are. Each experience is unique, and each time we stay with ourselves no matter what kind of experience is happening, the more we strengthen our ability to “be with” hard experiences as well as pleasant ones. And that enables us to show up for ourselves and others with more room for connection and honesty.