Compassionate Listening

This is a podcast episode about compassionate listening. The host encourages deep breaths and good posture to prepare for listening. Compassionate listening means giving others a chance to speak and suffer less. It's important to not let anger be triggered and to maintain mindfulness. Even 15 minutes of listening like this can be healing for others. The episode ends with a reminder to reach out on Patreon. Welcome to Airtime with Pat, part of the Airtime community, as well as a podcast. Intended to help each of us listen more deeply to the divine always around us, the divine within us, the divine within others, and the divine throughout creation. This week I'd like to give a brief talk on compassionate listening. What I share is not mine alone, but has been gleaned over years through several many sources. I hope it helps contribute to fuller relationships for you. Remember that beginning April 2nd, 2024, Airtime with Pat will only be found on the Patreon platform. This is easily downloadable through Apple or the Google Play Store. It can also be found online. Then search for Pat Sigler, Airtime Community, or Airtime with Pat. You can join for free. There's also tiered membership levels with more opportunities to engage with the Airtime community. So let's get started for today. Let's begin with just a few deep breaths and get your posture ready for listening. Sit in a way that makes your body feel comfortable. Maintain good posture. Align your back nice and straight. And remember to maintain focus on your breathing. This is a good time to have both feet on the floor. Hands resting at ease in your lap or beside your legs. We're going to take three deep breaths. In through the nose and out through the mouth. Three times. And last time, in and out. In the practice of listening, you can practice your breathing in and out. You can practice your breathing in and out. And last time, in and out. In the practice of compassionate listening, you listen with one purpose. To give the other person a chance to speak out and to suffer less. Practice breathing in and breathing out deeply. And concentrate on what you are hearing from the other. While the other person speaks, they may express bitterness, wrong perceptions, or they may make accusations. If you allow these things to touch off the anger in you, then you lose your capacity to listen deeply. Listening with mindfulness helps you to keep your compassion alive. It protects you and your anger won't be triggered. Even 15 minutes of listening to your own anger Even 15 minutes of listening like this can be very healing and can bring a lot of relief to another. You may be the very first person who has ever listened to them like that. Now come back to your breath. Feel the floor beneath your feet. Stretch your shoulders a bit. And three more deep breaths. One more in through the nose. And out through your mouth. And in through your mouth. Hey, thanks for working on compassionate listening with me today. If you're already on Patreon, reach out with a chat or a post and I'll see you in the next video. Bye! you