Written by Aviva Tulasi
The news lately has been filled with tragic stories describing marginalized groups facing himsa (violence or harm). When we see injustice we might be compelled to react. However, when we react rather than respond, we might not act with ahimsa, non-harm in thought, word and deed towards all.
Joan Halifax, PhD from Upaya Zen Center suggests we have G.R.A.C.E. Roshi Joan created this model for bringing compassion into interactions with others. G.R.A.C.E. is a simple mnemonic that reminds us to slow down and be more mindful and aware in the process of interacting with another so that compassion can arise despite stressful situations. It is a tool to ensure our actions reflect ahimsa.
1. Gather your attention:
Pause, breathe in, give yourself time to get grounded by gathering your attention.
Invite yourself to be present and embodied, getting grounded, by sensing into a place of stability in your body or focusing your attention on the breath.
Let this moment of grounding interrupt your assumptions and expectations.
2. Recall your intention:
Remember what service is really about: to relieve suffering and to act with integrity and preserve the integrity of the other.
Recall the felt-sense of why you have chosen to relieve the suffering of others and to serve in this way. This “touch in” can happen in a moment.
Let your motivation keep you on track, morally grounded, and connected to others.
3. Attune by checking in with yourself:
Notice what’s going on in your own mind and body.
Sense without judgment. This is an active process of inquiry
Let there be an open space in which you are present for whatever may arise.
4. Consider what is going on by observing the present moment and letting insights arise:
What are you sensing, seeing, learning? What will really serve here?
Draw on your expertise, knowledge, and experience, and at the same time, be open to seeing things in a fresh way.
Don’t jump to conclusions too quickly.
5. Engage, enact ethically, end:
allow for emergence of the next step
Part 1: Engage and Enact Ethically
Compassionate action emerges from the sense of openness, connectedness, and discernment.
Let creativity drive a compassionate action that is dynamic, morally grounded, characterized by trust, and consistent with your values and ethics, practical and respectful of all persons involved.
Part 2: End
Mark the end, release, let go and breathe out.
Recognize internally when things are done, so that you can move cleanly to the task.
Acknowledge and celebrate your work.
Move on.
Let’s say I have an issue with a product and need to call customer service to fix it. When I pick up my phone, I notice that frustration is settling in. I can use G.R.A.C.E to help me get through the situation and easily find a solution.
G: I put down the phone to pause. And take a deep belly breath.
R: I remind myself that everyone deserves to make a living and be treated with respect.
A: I know that the phone call could be agitating and take a long time. I look at my watch and calendar and note how long I have to make the call.
C: I make a mental note of what is wrong with the product without attachment. I remember the customer service agent is there to help.
E: Part 1: I pick up the phone and ask for help. I state facts rather than opinions.
Part 2: I hang up the phone and go outside to take a breath reminding myself life is bigger than a stressful phone call. Then I go on to the next task.
We can not avoid interacting with others. We cannot avoid taking action. But we have the responsibility to ensure harm is not done unto others or ourselves because of our actions. In the words of Roshi Joan, “My hope is that the G.R.A.C.E. model will help you to actualize compassion in your own life and that the impact of this will ripple out to benefit the people with whom you interact each day as well as countless others.” We need to be compassionate leaders whose actions are rooted in ahimsa.
We hope that the classes at Dogwood Studios help you find your capacity to fight for justice and a world filled with ahimsa.
Join us for a yoga class. You can practice live or with our video library. We offer flexibility to practice yoga at times convenient for you using our wide selection of pre-recorded videos with our video library. You can purchase a Green membership to get unlimited access to our video library.
Dogwood Studios is committed to learning and growing! We strive for everyone to feel respected and supported, to be treated equally, and to be celebrated for who they are. We are very excited about our ongoing endeavor to make Dogwood Studios a refuge and beacon of compassionate practice by including diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I).
Reach out to us via email with any questions or comments at info@dogwoodstudioyoga.com.
Aviva Chaye Tulasi is a team member at Dogwood Studios. She is a certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT). She applies the teachings of classical yoga to reduce the effects of negative stress and to balance the nervous system. Aviva is available for private sessions. Email Aviva at yogawithtulasi@gmail.com with any questions.
SAM Sather, founder of Dogwood Studios, is a certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT), individualizes the yoga practice with appropriate modifications for participants’ unique bodies and medical histories with a focus on finding calm and improving health. She offers several live, online and in person yoga classes as well as private sessions so you can focus on your needs one-on-one.