Embodied Antiracism Mindfulness Practice

Walking Each Other Home

In a society where unconscious bias, microaggressions, institutionalized racism, and systemic injustices are so deeply ingrained, healing is an ongoing process. When conflict and division are everyday realities, our instincts tell us to close ranks, to find the safety of those like us, and to blame others.

In order to have the difficult conversations required for working toward racial justice, inner work is essential. Through the practice of embodied mindfulness – paying attention to our thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations in an open, nonjudgmental way – we increase our emotional resilience, recognize our own biases, and become less reactive when triggered.

Embodied mindfulness calms our fears and helps us to exercise self-compassion. These practices help us to slow down and reflect on our trauma from racism – to hold our wounds with some objectivity and distance – rather than bury unpleasant experiences so they have a cumulative effect over time. We can develop the capacity to address the fears and anxieties that would otherwise lead us to re-create patterns of separation, supremacy and scarcity.

It is only by healing from injustices and dissolving our personal barriers to connection that we develop the ability to view others with compassion and to live in community with people of vastly different backgrounds and viewpoints. Incorporating mindfulness exercises offers a road map to a more peaceful world.

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