Inspired by Gandhi

After reading Gandhi’s, “Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth,” my heart was filled and inspired by the life of this humble, yet extraordinarily powerful man. Literally a few days later, I received an email from a friend giving details of a course on Nonviolent Communication. With thoughts of Gandhi in mind, I knew I had to sign up. I just love it when synchronicity falls into my lap!

Nonviolent Communication (NVC), sometimes called Compassionate Communication, is based on the principles of the natural state of compassion when no violence is present in the heart. NVC assumes that we are all compassionate by nature and that violent strategies – be they verbal or physical – are learned behaviours designed to meet one or more of our needs. Developed by Marshall Rosenberg in the early 60s, it is ostensibly taught as a process of communication designed to improve compassionate connection to others. However, it has also been interpreted as a spiritual practice, a set of values, a parenting technique, an educational method and a worldview.

The 2-day course I attended was an absolute blessing, not only for my own personal development, but as another heart-centred tool that is in total alignment with my work – NVC focuses on emotions, needs, empathy and connection. As to its efficacy, I used what I learned in this initial workshop to repair a long-standing rift between myself and a dear friend in a way that was loving and respectful – a thing of beauty.

One of the many things I love about NVC is the simplicity of its nature. It really is a simple concept, but oh boy does the mind like to wrestle with it! The main reason for this struggle, is that NVC requires you to truly come from the heart and to let go of the judging, critical ego mind – something that is much easier said than done, but the gauntlet is down…. 🙂 After taking the initial course in October 2014, I have since attended a follow up course as well as regular monthly practice groups right here in Canmore. As my skill level increases, so has my understanding and acceptance of myself and others.

If you are interested in attending a Nonviolent Communication workshop, there is one coming to Banff at the end of May. Click here for details.