featured
European Programs – Fall 2018
Greg Heffron will lead a number of retreats in Poland, Switzerland and Holland in Fall 2018. Click for the full schedule.
featured
The Power of Peacemaking: Interrupting Aggression in Challenging Times
Many of us today are paying close attention to the aggression that’s arising in our world. Beyond US politics, we see similar fires breaking out in other nations. Scanning the news sets off alarm bells of anxiety. A return to various forms of fundamentalism and “tribalism” (in the negative sense) are Read more…
communication
Malala Yousafzai: speaking truth neither exaggerating nor suppressing (VIDEO)
In her historic speech to the United Nations, 16 year old Malala Yousafzai demonstrates a perfect example of the mindful communication principle of “speaking truth, neither exaggerating nor suppressing.” Her words reveal that true power comes from reflecting our human experience as it actually is. If Malala cried for vengeance or focused Read more…
communication
On not throwing fuel on a fire
One of the greatest strengths of Mindful Communication is almost impossible to notice. It’s invisible. Silent. Effective. And it comes when things get really difficult. It’s the power of “Stopping when the Light is Red.” This means one deceptively simple thing: not throwing fuel on a burning fire. Mindfulness Means Read more…
communication
Why do we Open and how do we Close?
This interview with teacher Greg Heffron from winter 2013 talks about the natural way we open to communication, and how we end up shutting down.
greg
The Antidote to McMindfulness is Feeling What We Feel
Zen teachers Ron Purser and David Loy’s recent article in Huffington Post critiques the way in which modern mindfulness teachings, when broken away from their “Buddhist roots,” could be misused. They call this teaching “McMindfulness,” noting that it could help people to engage in more disconnected and even destructive purposes, far from Read more…
communication
The longevity of the words ‘I’ and ‘Thou’
Those that have taken our workshops have heard Susan Chapman speak about Martin Buber’s view of “I and Thou.” This view indicates that our conversation partners can be held in their full humanity (Thou, or “we-first”), rather than becoming an ‘It,’ which we only want to utilize to achieve our Read more…
communication
Is giving the way to get ahead in business?
Pro-social motivation (i.e we-first, rather than me-first) helps businesses succeed: a powerful message from Adam Grant, a professor at the Wharton School of Business (via the New York Times Magazine). http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/31/magazine/is-giving-the-secret-to-getting-ahead.html?pagewanted=all
greg
Making Space for Reactive Emotions
When we work with the reality of The Three Lights, the Red Light of reactive emotions can seem especially challenging. Red indicates that the communication is blocked by any of the five basic patterns (ignoring, blaming, arrogance, grasping/addiction and power games). Of course, our most painful experiences with others generally fall Read more…