“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 can begin with working respectfully with our minds.”
Imagine that as you prepare to meditate, you set an intention to be more curious about your racial habits of mind. Such an intention directs awareness toward insight and opens you to a curiosity that softens the edginess of racial inquiry.
Articulating Your Intentions
Whether it's feeling relieved from racial tension, improving self-awareness, nurturing racial empathy and understanding, or cultivating gratitude, softly putting your intentions into words sharpens awareness.
Begin your meditation session by gently reminding yourself of your intentions. This simple act aligns mind and heart, ensuring that your practice remains open and purposeful.
Intentions & Mindfulness
Our intentions hold the power to influence the quality of our lives. An aspiration to increase racial self awareness and alleviate racial distress is a radical act of self love that includes a deep desire for care for all beings, without exception. These are the seeds of mindful intentions.
Mindfulness meditation and intention are kindred spirits. By weaving aspirations into the fabric of mindfulness practice—embracing the present without judgment, hatred, or elaboration—we are able to understand our racial habits of mind with more curiosity, sensitivity, and care.
The Science Behind Intentions
Intention-setting contributes to neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to reorganize and form new connections. Research indicates that when we set intentions, specific neural pathways in the brain are activated. These pathways are associated with attention, self-reflection, and emotional regulation, aligning perfectly with the goals of mindfulness meditation.
Regular practice of intention-based meditation strengthens these connections, making it easier to achieve mental clarity and focus. This neural strength is instrumental in cultivating our ability to recognize and address racial complexity with mindfulness and understanding.
Cultivating Ease in Day-to-Day Life
We are often challenged by racial triggers and distress in our day to day lives. When this happens, apply the following 5-steps practice to ripen a relationship with ease:
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Pause, take a few deep breaths, and turn your attention inward.
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Validate and welcome what you’re feeling.
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Cool your fires by taking a few deep breaths, softening with each exhale.
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Surrender and rest in the space between the exhale and inhale.
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Savor doing nothing for a few moments before doing something.
With practice, you're enhancing focus and enriching awareness, and ultimately your understanding and positive impact on social harmony.
Deepen Practice: A Beginner's Guide to Meditating With Race
Transforming racism begins on the inside. If you would like to deepen your practice, sign up for A Beginner's Guide for Meditating with Race, our online self-study course. Or take advantage of our Meditation Bundle discount course offering.
Whether you're a beginner or an advanced practitioner of mindfulness, this guide provides practical insights to help you navigate your meditation journey with a focus on racial understanding.
Stay on course and be at ease in your own skin, moment-to-moment, regardless of your circumstances.
Enroll Here: https://ruthking.net/meditating-with-race/
Thank you Ruth for your teachings to help me continue to work towards deeper exploration of my racist imprinting from my early life as I work towards decreasing the harm that I may have created towards others and myself.