Learning for the first time, again

By Alanna Faust

I recently completed my second Intro to Compassionate Listening Workshop.

My first Intro workshop was in person in my hometown of Santa Fe, New Mexico. My mother signed us up. We spent a Saturday and Sunday in June sitting in a circle of chairs in a church’s auxiliary room. We were introduced to the ethos of Compassionate Listening and the Five Core Practices. Over two days, we sat together as strangers, building trust, allowing ourselves to be seen, speaking even when our voices quivered (me), and holding one another’s experiences with tenderness.

That workshop left a lasting imprint. The practices of Compassionate Listening are simple, which is also what makes them immensely difficult: strive for presence, speak from the heart, listen with your whole body, release judgments, allow for silence.

Three years later, and a move across the Atlantic, it felt like time to dive into the workshop space again. While the essence of Compassionate Listening is firmly nestled in my being, I noticed my motivation to revisit the training handbook, be in discussion about the Five Core Practices, spend time in dyads holding space for another, feel the quiver in my voice as I strive to courageously speak from my heart, and practice listening presence. I want to continually expand my capacity to, as Thich Nhat Hanh would say, engage in compassion as a method of sharing and transforming suffering.

Each return to TCLP, whether an Intro workshop, a Compassion Circle, or a special offering, I am refueled. Compassionate Listening offers a space to ground in my body and orient toward the lived experiences of myself and others. It asks me to show up with my whole self, my whole heart. After engaging in a Compassionate Listening practice space, I notice subtle yet quite profound shifts: I bring more energy to my friendships, I ask my sister how she’s doing and truly listen to her answer, I take extra care in preparing my evening meal (extending the nourishment to my physical body!), I make eye contact with the stranger across from me on the train, I am less likely to react defensively when given feedback I don’t agree with, and I am able to show up to my organizing spaces with more patience and hope. In short, I am reminded of our deep interconnectedness. Compassionate Listening is not only a personal practice; this feeling of interconnectedness, and the way it guides our day-to-day behaviors, is a pathway towards collective transformation.

If you are craving a weekly excuse to nourish yourself, I invite you to join the next Intro to Compassionate Listening Workshop.

With care,

Alanna

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Alanna Faust is the Compassionate Listening Project's administrative assistant. Alanna hails from the desert Southwest but now calls Berlin, Germany home. She holds a Master’s in Intercultural Conflict Management and has a deep curiosity about how we relate to one another.

Her professional background spans fundraising and event coordination at a complexity science institute, field mentoring in wilderness therapy, whitewater raft guiding, bookkeeping for a home building company, and analyzing startups for their funding potential. She brings a wide breadth of skills to her work—and is always eager to learn more.

When not assisting TCLP, Alanna can be found tending to her community garden plot, organizing around tenants’ rights, crocheting, taking long walks, and chasing the sunshine.