03/05/2025
This is amazing
Listening When We Don’t Agree
Division is a key word for the political climate in our country right now. So it can be challenging (to say the least) for people with different opinions to find a way to truly listen to each other. To be able to tolerate opinions that vastly diverge from our own requires making a conscious choice to put our own experiences, beliefs, and agendas on the backburner for a while as we “show up” and stay present for the other person.
At the Opening the Heart Workshop, we have a deep listening practice, called “Witnessing,” which helps create an atmosphere of safety in which people can speak and be heard. The underlying principles of Witnessing are kindness, respect, and selflessness—all of which can be difficult to practice when we disagree with what’s being said.
Here are a few key principles that can help us become better listeners.
▪︎ Stay open to receive. Deeply listening requires entering into a state of “being” rather than “doing.” We make ourselves into a sort of “empty space” in order to receive another’s experience, truths and views.
▪︎ Let go of our own agenda. The repeated practice of loosening our attachment to our own ideas and experiences builds our capacity to receive other points of view, while staying grounded in a non-judgmental, receptive state. This attitude of kindness, respect, and selflessness creates a level of safety that invites true honesty and sharing from others.
▪︎ Welcome a deeper understanding and connection. When someone feels safe enough to be honest about their beliefs and experiences, it becomes easier to understand their point of view—even if you don’t agree with it. One of our former longtime staff members used to say, “When we look into the eyes of another and see difference, we feel fear and separation. When we look into the eyes of another and see no difference, all that’s left is compassion.”
Divisiveness originates in our minds. Unity is the natural state of our hearts.
Any relationship, whether with a dear beloved or with a mere acquaintance, can benefit from compassionate listening. And who knows what we might learn once we put our own experience and perceptions to the side?
The practice of Witnessing is a profound gift we can give to others, and also a profound gift to give to ourselves. Leading with compassion through the act of Witnessing another is truly a win-win approach to conflict—and to life.
If you'd like to be listened to in this caring way, our next Opening the Heart workshop is at Kripalu in Massachusetts from March 30-April 2, 2025.
For more information about Opening the Heart, or to talk with us about whether this workshop is right for you, please email us at: staff@openingtheheartworkshop.com
To register: https://kripalu.org/presenters-programs/opening-heart-workshop
