Compassionate (& Courageous!) Communication 'PlayShop' :)

THE ART OF COMMUNICATION: An Experiential 'PlayShop' :)

Shifting how we speak and listen, to ourselves and others, can lead to healthier relationships and long-term happiness*

(*According to an 80-year Harvard study, close relationships are the key to happiness, more so than money, fame, IQ, exercise, healthy eating, or even genes!)

Through practices and principles rooted in interpersonal neurobiology, nonviolent communication (NVC), and mindfulness, you will learn supportive tools to:

• Express yourself more authentically and increase your chances of being truly heard
• Navigate challenging conversations with more calmness, clarity, and compassion
• Cultivate a quality of listening that helps others feel heard, valued, and supported
• Respond with integrity to hard-to-hear messages
• Increase your awareness of patterns of reactivity
• Repair ruptures and re-establish trust in strained relationships
• Cultivate self-compassion by calming your inner critic with curiosity and care
• Find the courage to have those unspoken conversations
• Bring more mindfulness to your daily relationships
• Grow your ability to stay self-connected as you engage with others
• Notice others more deeply and open yourself to be more deeply seen as well
• Foster more peace, harmony & joy in all of your relationships :)

LOGISTICS:

• Location: Westside Medical Center Building
  1700 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles CA 90024
  FREE parking in the neighborhood & metered on Westwood Blvd
  Follow the signs guiding you upstairs
  There's a photo of the venue in the album for this event :)
• Contribution: $20 Donation (and no one will be turned away for lack of funds)
• RSVP only if you are confident you can attend: Space is limited and this has been open to the absolute maximum of 10 participants. If you've RSVP'd and your plans change such that you can no longer attend, please update your RSVP as soon as possible. Thank you! <3
• Wait List: If we reach the maximum capacity, and you are interested in attending, please note this in the comments or reach out to Heather directly.
• Possibility of additional playshop on Saturday: Please note your interest and preference, if any, between 4 pm and 7 pm.
• Questions, requests, and/or comments? Please don't hesitate to reach out to Heather via email at TheHeartOfCommunication@gmail.com or direct message via Meetup.
• Quotes (below) for reflection and inspiration (aligned with the principles and practices shared in the playshops):

"Between stimulus and response lies a space. In that space lie our freedom and power to choose a response. In our response lies our growth and our happiness." ~ Viktor Frankl

“Compassionate people ask for what they need. They say no when they need to, and when they say yes, they mean it. They’re compassionate because their boundaries keep them out of resentment.” ~ ‍Brené Brown

"The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers" ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

"There’s nothing more advanced than communication—compassionate communication. To relate with others compassionately is a challenge. Really communicating to the heart and being there for someone else...means not shutting down on that person, which means, first of all, not shutting down on ourselves. This means allowing ourselves to feel what we feel and not pushing it away. It means accepting every aspect of ourselves..." ~ Pema Chodron

"Every criticism, judgment, analysis, diagnosis, and expression of anger are tragic expressions of unmet needs.” ~ Marshall Rosenberg

"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." ~ Rumi

"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive." ~ Dalai Lama