Hello all,

Compassion, empathy, openness and acceptance are buzz words. We have our corporate trainings and classes on the merit of being compassionate and then we go on with our day, week, life. When was the last time we thought about being compassionate? When was the last time you felt compassionate? What does it look like to be compassionate to ourselves and others?

I want a more humane world. I want people to work together for the greater good. For those things to happen, we are going to need a great deal more compassion. Good news: TaKeTiNa can help.

Through the TaKeTiNa process, rhythm and music invite us into a state of openness and presence. In this state we get to witness ourselves in rhythm. We make mistakes, find our way back in, and achieve highs and lows throughout one journey. Voices of judgement come and go. As we witness our internal voices, we are constantly supported, consciously and unconsciously, by the group. We also witness the group and individuals around us. We see their struggles, delights, smiles and tears. We share laughter, play and delve into the groove.

We can practice our compassion for ourselves as we witness our inner critic and other obstacles along the way. Critics can often be loud,  so we to invite them to be softer. As they become softer, it is easier to see their roots. Growing  compassion for ourselves allows us to go ever deeper into the roots of the critics and stories to see new truths.

Compassion for others relies on two things: connection to another human being, and kindness. Entering into rhythm together we practice connection over and over again. Each time the rhythm comes back together, the connection  grows. We invite kindness, to ourselves and others, to help us through the vulnerability this process can create. Kindness and connection open us up to being supported and supporting without judgement. By witnessing the struggles of others along with our own, different as they may be, our compassion grows.

Compassion, kindness, and being nice can bridge more gaps in the world than any study, fact, or lecture. Compassion requires us to listen to others without agenda and find a better way forward. I know we aren’t going to save the world in one evening, but it is a good start.

Also, We can do this with play, laughter, community.

Peace,
Jacob Stein
TaKeTiNa Aficionado

PS. For those who know and love Tee (long time friend and TaKeTiNa participant) we will be heading down the street for a celebratory birthday beverage and snack!

This invitation was inspired in part by the TedX Talk “Making Science nicer, stupid” suggested by The Chelsea Scrolls.

If you have an idea or topic you think would make a great invitation to TaKeTiNa let me know!