Practice: Listening Behind

This practice is from Habib Todd Boerger. 

Allow your mind to become quiet as you focus your awareness on your energetic heart. Cultivate an inner alignment with the Divine/sacred in the way that works for you. Allow your heart to connect to your conversation partner from the place of sacredness within you to the place of sacredness in your partner. Cultivate a sense of holding yourself and your conversation partner in a container of nonjudgment and peace. Set the intention to listen from your heart. Invite your conversation partner to share what they would like to say.

Sit in silence while listening to your partner from your place of inner alignment with the Divine/sacred. Hold the question in your heart, “What’s behind this statement?” Instead of interrupting your conversation partner, continually repeat this question to yourself while you listen until your partner feels complete. As you do so, pay attention to what feelings your conversation partner expresses and what needs are expressed. Listen for what values are expressed. Continue to ask yourself, “What’s behind this statement?” Pay attention to where your partner expresses longings for her/himself, for her/his loved ones, for the larger community.

In partnership with our friends at Spirituality & Practice, we are sharing practices to help us all “practice democracy” from the inside out. Visit Spirituality & Practice's The Practicing Democracy Project for more practices and a wide array of resources.