Welcome
~ You are life passing through the body ~
Contemplation, Self-Awareness, Sensation, Vitality, and Joy
Awareness ~ Mindfulness ~ Mastery
NOVEMBER 4, 2026 HOW LISTENING RE-SHAPES THE SPEAKER
NOVEMBER 4, 2026 HOW LISTENING RE-SHAPES THE SPEAKER
NOVEMBER 4, 2026 HOW LISTENING RE-SHAPES THE SPEAKER
The phrase—"How Listening Re-Shapes the Speaker"—contains a profound truth. It suggests that listening is not simply something we do for another person. Deep listening changes the one who listens, and in doing so, it changes the one who is speaking.
When someone feels truly listened to, something remarkable begins to happen. The speaker often starts with a familiar story—one they have told themselves many times. But as they continue speaking into a space free of interruption, judgment, or advice - their own words begin to reveal something deeper. The listener has not changed the speaker by offering solutions. Rather, the quality of presence has created a field in which the speaker can hear themselves more clearly.
Many of us have never experienced being deeply heard. We have experienced conversations filled with fixing, comparing, reassuring, or preparing our own response. Genuine listening is different. It is spacious. It allows silence. It trusts that wisdom is already present within the speaker.
As the speaker senses this safety, the nervous system gradually settles. The body softens. Breathing changes. The mind begins to organize itself. Thoughts that were tangled become coherent. Feelings that seemed overwhelming become more understandable. The speaker literally begins to hear themselves in a new way.
DECEMBER 2, 2026 THE SPINE ~ Our Faithful Companion
NOVEMBER 4, 2026 HOW LISTENING RE-SHAPES THE SPEAKER
NOVEMBER 4, 2026 HOW LISTENING RE-SHAPES THE SPEAKER
There are some companions in life we know well, and others whose quiet presence we rarely notice. From the moment you took your first breath until this very moment, your spine has been there. It has carried you through childhood adventures, moments of celebration, seasons of uncertainty, times of heartbreak, and countless ordinary days that quietly shaped who you have become. It has stood behind every embrace, every tear, every joyful laugh, every challenge, and every new beginning.
Yet most of us think about our spine only when it hurts. We seldom pause to appreciate its extraordinary intelligence, its resilience, or the profound support it offers us every moment of every day.
In our modern lives, we spend much of our time leaning forward—toward our responsibilities, our goals, our schedules, our worries, and the next thing waiting for our attention. We are taught to push, strive, accomplish, and reach. Over time, our nervous systems often organize themselves around effort, vigilance, and doing. But what if there were another way? What if, for just a little while, we could stop pushing forward and instead discover what it feels like to be supported?
This presentation is not a lesson in anatomy. It is an experience of relationship. Together, we will gently explore the remarkable landscape of the back body—the part of ourselves we seldom see, yet the part that quietly receives us, steadies us, and carries us. We will discover how simply bringing awareness to the spine can soften the nervous system, awaken a sense of grounded presence, and remind us that support is not something we must constantly seek outside ourselves.
December 30, 2026
Presentation by: LYNN WALKER
9:00 - 10:30 a.m.
Reliance/Resolute Rooms
I meditate so that my mind cannot complicate my life.
Sri Chinmoy
