A Beginner's Guide for Meditating with Race
Transforming Racism Begins on the Inside
Whether you are a beginner or an advanced practitioner of mindfulness, this guide provides you with a practical way to stay on course and be at ease in your own skin, moment-to-moment, regardless of your circumstances.
As we shift from the external hardships of race and racism and turn our attention inward, we can often feel sore, tender, and vulnerable from the habitual ways we have met the rough edges of racial distress, and it can feel overwhelming. With mindfulness, it is possible to metabolize these difficult emotions and meet each moment with more stability. Such realizations are readily accessible through meditation. Meditation helps us discover that our thoughts and feelings are not permanent states; rather, they are crucial experiences to attend to. The relief of racial distress begins with working respectfully with our minds.
This Introductory Course Includes 6 Lessons:
This Course Also Includes 8 Guided Meditations:
- The Body Scan
- Establishing Stillness in the Body
- Attention to Breathing
- Noticing & Naming Practice
- Standing & Walking Meditation
- Working with Trauma
- Self-Compassion Practice
- Equanimity: Centering in Wisdom
Enjoy this Introductory Course!
Meditation does not help us eliminate racial ignorance, anger, or ill will. Rather, it offers a way for us to slow down and investigate our inner experiences with wise care. With practice, we can bear witness to our racial distress and conditioning without distortion, elaboration, or judgment. We can notice, for example, how racial perceptions live, what thoughts we are giving birth to, and how we feel thinking about them. We can acknowledge where we get stuck and discover what supports letting go. With practice, we make better choices in our lives and in our relationships with other races.
Mindfulness practice is not a cure all nor is it a quick fix. It’s a practice and we are always beginning! Whether you are a beginner or an advanced practitioner of mindfulness, this guide provides you with a practical way to stay on course and be at ease in your own skin, moment-to-moment, regardless of your circumstances.
