Non-injury

May is almost over, but before I switch gears to generosity and non-stealing, I'd like to talk a bit about non-injury. 

A couple times this month, someone gave me a look or a comment when I killed an insect that was indoors. 

I'm not a vegetarian, not yet anyways, I likely will be someday. However, I don't eat pork or red meat. 

Too many people make non-injury something that only applies to other species, no harming animals or insects. While that is all well and good, often we humans simultaneously hold judgemental attitudes, negative thoughts, and grudges towards one another. I simply think that if we can't hold to non-injury, even in our thoughts, towards our fellow humans, than what good does it really do to be vegetarian or relocate insects outside instead of killing them? How about we try not judging one another first?

Checking in

Some days are easy, others are not. Some days it's easy to be loving and non-judgemental, some days old habits creep back up. 

One thing I have noticed that has changed for the better this month is my relationship with one of my coworkers. I am finding it easier to be patient with this person and I'm not so easily perturbed. I think that's awesome.

Have any of you been working on this with me? Increasing your loving-kindness quotient? I'd love to hear about your experiences this month! There's a comment section below, I'd love to get some comments! 

Presence

I have spent the last 5 days in an intense workshop on integrated manual therapy with James Waslaski, who is a master (and I don't use that term lightly) in my field of work. I have the honor of being one of his teaching assistants when he comes to this part of the world. This is a man who can restore full, pain-free range of motion to a shoulder that hasn't been able to move in decades, in about 20 minutes, and the treatment itself is also pain-free. (My pranic healing friends will understand the significance of this... his aura is about 300 meters thick.)

Throughout the seminar, it was stressed over and over again that in order to be able to facilitate healing at that level, the therapist must be present. Body, soul, spirit, mind, attention, every part of the therapist must be engaged in the process, and the therapist must educate and engage the patient's energy in what is going on as well. It must be a collaborative energetic effort between both the therapist and the client. If the person sleeps through the treatment, little to zero benefit will result. 

No wandering thoughts, no distractions, calm mind, listening to the patient not just with the ears, but with the heart, soul, and finger tips. Engage the patient, educate, involve them in the process. I'm not there yet, but I'll keep practicing. 

What I did right this week: I was attentive and not distracted while my mentor and teacher was teaching. I listened fully, and found many "tweaks" I will be applying to my treatments in the coming weeks.

What I did wrong this week: I had several judgmental thoughts regarding one person who was in attendance, who was not behaving professionally in my opinion. My mentor had a much better and more graceful response. I was particularly impressed by his humility and grace in the situation when someone almost started arguing with him in front of the class. I intend to learn to be more like that.

Listen

I've been thinking a lot today about which areas of loving-kindness I most need to improve on. It affects every area of life, every time there is an interaction with any other human being, and even my relationship with myself, but if there is one area that I could most use improvement in, it is listening with full attention.

Giving someone my full attention when they are talking to me, not being distracted by the computer or my cell phone or my own thoughts about other things (including what I'm going to say next) is something that needs improvement in my life. Too often I've been distracted or not listening when a friend needed someone to talk to, or when a loved one needed my attention.

For the first 10 days of this month, my focus will be to increase my attentiveness in conversations with other people, to show people loving-kindness by giving them my attention when we're talking, and to decrease my level of distraction.

"I listen with full attention" is a wonderful affirmation/mantra/thought to carry with me daily through the next 10 days. 

Can you imagine how it would transform a business if all of the employees practiced this with every interaction with customers and clients? What it could do for family relationships? How it could improve friendships?

Reminder: loving-kindness also means being quick to forgive yourself and others when they fail, and we will from time to time make mistakes.