We can be aware without being burdened!

The traumatic scars and history of racism impacts all of us, without exception. It profoundly impacts our capacity to genuinely care, and it blinds us to our humanity; our belonging. We all have ways of protecting ourselves from racial harm. We may strike out, walk out, or numb out, depending on the situation. Yet underneath all of our actions, despite appearances, is a shared and deep desire for kindness—to understand and strengthen our capacity to care for and connect with others and ourselves without turning away.

Deepening our understanding of how we have been conditioned to think and react is at the root of racial harm and racial healing. Those of us who dare to turn inward to this examination will often feel the soreness, tenderness, and vulnerability from the habitual ways we have met the rough edges of racial distress, and it is easy to feel overwhelmed. Although these feelings may be difficult to metabolize, it is possible to do so. Our thoughts and feelings are not permanent states; rather, they are crucial experiences to attend to.

In this course, Ruth King introduces heart practices, inspired by Buddhist teachings on the Brahmaviharas, that support you in cultivating a mind and heart of ease and wellbeing. You learn how to rest and minimize emotional escalation and distortion by gathering the mind and relaxing the mind in the heart. You discover the relief of letting go; that feeling when the mind is not fixated or when a strong sense of self dissolves. And you realize that you can pause longer in moments of compassionate awareness.

With practice, you cultivate an inner atmosphere of warmth, acceptance, and openness. These profound mind states are not dependent on external circumstances being to your liking. Rather, they are naturally experienced when you are not at war with thoughts and emotions and can nurture what is wounded into its nature and its release.

These heart practices support you in regulating your mental climate by adjusting the thermostat to care.  When you do this, you are inviting the heart to open to warmth and wise acceptance - foundational experiences for racial wellbeing and social belonging.