Hi everyone, it's Ksunga.
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Hey there, welcome to Radio Headspace.
I'm so glad you're here.
It's Dora. Now, I've heard this from a few people where they express their disappointment in hearing about political things when it comes to meditation and mindfulness.
There's a term that I hadn't even heard before called woke politics that apparently would describe talking about progressive things in a space where there's no space for it.
Now as a black woman, I can't help but to speak for my own experience, which I guess is inherently political, as some folks would call it self-focused.
On the surface, politics may appear contradictory to the practice and principles of meditation and mindfulness, but on a deeper level, that's not the case.
In fact, they can't be separated.
To separate the two would be a disservice to the lineages in which these practices were all derived from.
What's interesting about the practice of meditation is that when we look back at its roots, not the secular mindfulness that has made its way to the Western world, but the birthplace of these ancient practices, the history of meditation is quite political, specifically looking at places like Tibet or India, where people have sacrificed their lives to keep these
practices alive. For example, the lineage and tradition that many of the headspace practices originate from, the Kogye tradition was orally transmitted from a Tibetan master who had to flee Tibet in the 1900s after his home and country were attacked.
I highly recommend reading the book from a mountain in Tibet to learn more.
As I write this episode, I realize that this is something that's often not spoken about, but it's so important to keep in mind.
As much as the mind would like to, we can't separate the two, nor should we want to.
Meditation is inherently political, but once we separate the practice from its origins, we lose sight of this.
Beyond the history, the essence of mindfulness is democratic in nature, power and authorities being placed in the hands of human beings rather than institutions.
And depending on who you ask, this is also political as well.
A few months ago, I had the incredible honor of being on retreat with John Kabat-Zinn, a pioneer in the mindfulness space and an all-around wonderful human being.
As he was guiding us during the retreat, he mentioned and shared how social justice and collective liberation are part of this practice, in fact, an integral part of this practice.
So John Kabat-Zinn created something you've probably heard me talk about called the MBSR, or Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, which is a course that helps people develop a healthier relationship with stress.
And throughout the retreat, he shared stories of the pushback he received when he tried to take this program mainstream.
There were many people who doubted him, doubted the power of mindfulness and meditation, and how this could even be considered as being part of medical care.
His research showed that MBSR was really helpful to people experiencing things like chronic pain, diabetes, addiction, and a variety of other medical issues.
But even though the research showed that it was a really effective form of treatment, many doctors were skeptical and even mocked it.
He had to fight and take a stance on what he had believed had the power to transform and change the lives of many.
And this came with compromise and sacrifice.
I have a hunch that if the term woke politics existed back then, it would have been applied to MBSR, because it goes against the norm.
What I'm coming to realize when people are resistant to accepting the political roots of meditation, it's actually the discomfort that arises when we believe we've caused harm to others.
As human beings, we all desire to be loving and loved, to care for others, to care and be cared for.
Fundamentally, we all have the best intentions.
So to know or become aware of the fact that we hold bias, or maybe we're not as well educated in the experience of others, it feels like an attack on our character.
Yet this is why we meditate, to not be so attached to our identities, to see ourselves in one another.
There's a quote from Charles Blow that goes, One does not have to operate with great malice to do great harm.
The absence of empathy and understanding are sufficient.
And that's where I'd like to leave today's episode.
When we hear about the lived experience of people who are different from us, whether it's race, gender, body ability, whatever it may be, we're being invited to cultivate a deeper sense of compassion and understanding.
That's it. Anything else that we feel threatened by is for us to explore and understand.
And this is why we practice, not for self-improvement, but for a greater understanding of ourselves, so we can extend that understanding to others and the diverse and unique world we live in.
We're all connected as human beings in some way, not only humans, but we're connected to the earth.
So whether we're discussing racism, climate change, environmental justice, prison reform, whatever it is, our individual practice is intrinsically connected to our behavior in the world.
That was a lot. So take a deep breath, feel free to revisit this episode, or reach out to me on Instagram to share your thoughts.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Take care, friends.
