Mindful Communication

<p>Humans have a great capacity for communication.</p><p>Yes, animals can communicate in other ways with unique sounds (probably telepathic ways we aren’t able to tune into...), but because of our cerebral cortex, we are capable of communicating complex plans about the future, stories about the past, and lots of amazing, abstract ideas. </p><p>It’s a real evolutionary gift. </p><p>But this level of communication can also get us into a lot of trouble. We can really hurt people, or act in ways that aren’t in alignment with how we want to show up in the world – especially when we're not being mindful.</p><p>When we talk about <strong>mindfulness</strong>, we tend to talk about a sense of awareness, both of ourselves and our surroundings.</p><p>Mindfulness meditation, in particular, is geared towards observing our thoughts and where we are in the present moment.</p><h3>But what about the other aspects of ourselves?</h3><p>What about <strong>speech</strong>? What about <strong>listening</strong>?</p><p>Words are <strong>powerful</strong>, and being mindful about what we express is as vital as paying attention to how we behave or how we think.</p><p>Today, we dig into what mindful communication (as both speaking AND listening) looks like, and I offer some tools and exercises that you can try in real time to start figuring out what this means for YOU.</p><p>True – this work is a lot easier said than done. So we talk about some practical tips that can help us communicate more mindfully.</p><h3>In a nutshell:</h3><p>Being mindful about speech simply means slowing down and choosing our sentences with care.</p><p>It helps us recognize and undo patterns that create <strong>separation</strong>.</p><p>It helps us cultivate <strong>empathy </strong>in communication.</p><p>The goal of mindful speech is not to <i>police </i>your sentences.</p><p>And it’s not to silence speaking out against injustice (quite the opposite).</p><p>The point is to be <strong>conscious </strong>of the words that we often take for granted.</p><h3>Some p