Week 8
Life Work
Exercise one
Attune to the emotions in others
Begin to observe and pay more attention to the subterranean stream flowing beneath the surface.
See if you can attune to what the people around you are feeling.
See if your emotional radar can hone in on and select the feeling state.
See if you can strengthen your emotional literacy by naming that feeling state. Again, it is not about "getting it right" it is about developing our willingness and ability to connect using empathy.
Exercise two
Unique beauty Exercise
Visit the series of portraits entitled Origins and Destinations. The link is provided below.
Look at each portrait posted and ask yourself the following question: what is the unique beauty of each person shown?
There is a brief bio posted next to each portrait. You are welcome to read or not read the bios provided.
As you scroll through the series of portraits, remember to breathe into yourself and become present before you identify the unique beauty.
*You might find it helpful to be curious and first ask yourself "what is it like to be this person?" Or, "what is life like for this person?"
Notice how curiosity impacts your empathic ability.
Reminder: there is no right or wrong answer. This is an exercise in stepping into empathy.
To visit the exhibit of portraits, click here.
Self Reflection
What was that like for you?
What came up for you as you did this exercise?
What shut you down or opened you up?
Did knowing or not knowing the story of the person effect your reflection or ability to see their beauty?
Try it a second or third time and see what changes.
What did you lean about yourself and empathy doing this exercise?
Was there a theme or pattern that showed up in your reflections?