Spiritual Activism and a Call to End White Silence

(Trigger Warning)

Dear fellow white and white-passing meditators,

Meditation is not just a technique to release stress and improve personal wellbeing. It's a tool to awaken to our interconnection with all things and inspire spiritual activism for collective wellbeing.

Our practice is for establishing oneself in Being, and then performing Action for the need of the time. We meditate to integrate the benefits of Being into our eyes-open waking state not simply for ourselves, but in service of our relationships and the collective.

It's about We, not I; We-llness, not I-llness. We cannot truly be well until we are all well. Collective care is self care. The current pandemic has made this quite evident.

Meditation alone isn't a solution for collective wellbeing. We also need knowledge (clarity of truth) and human connection (empathy) to understand and inspire right Action (compassion). Collective compassion is what's required of us to create collective wellbeing and planetary peace.

To lead with compassion requires us to look inward and shed light on the darkest parts of ourselves, both individually and collectively. We can only heal what we feel. It’s not about staying seated ignorantly in bliss to avoid ‘negativity.’ We are householders engaged in the world, not escapist monks after all.

One of the greatest barriers to collective wellbeing is structural racism. This epidemic has been exposed more in recent years through the efforts of the Black Lives Matter movement and video evidence from phone cameras. Also, recent data shows how the coronavirus exposed health disparities in communities of color as a result of structural racism. The rate at which Covid-19 is disproportionately affecting communities of color is alarming.

This week in particular has been very challenging with the recent murder of George Floyd and violent antagonism of Amy Cooper. Video footage is waking up more white folx to the reality and frequency of hate crimes, police brutality, state sanctioned murder, weaponized privilege, and the prison-industrial complex that have been killing and traumatizing BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) generation after generation for centuries.

Innocent people being killed for the color of their skin, like Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd (may they all Rest in Peace & Power), is the result of a structural system of white supremacy that stays in place due to white silence and apathy. This collective illness that prevents BIPOC from being safe, living well, and thriving is the problem of white folx — you and me.

Here is a diagram that illustrates the many ways structural racism is upheld through covert white supremacy still deemed socially acceptable.

Image from @theconsciouskid

Yup. It's a lot. See anything familiar? It’s okay if you do. We all have areas to work on as we wake up to this reality.

Structural racism is designed to blind and disconnect white folx from the truth, no matter how liberal or spiritual. The discomfort racism brings up in white folx and the privilege we have to ignore it has kept us silent and apathetic most of our lives, even while BIPOC are fighting for theirs.

To all white and white-passing folx:

We must transcend our silence and apathy. It is our responsibility to act because when we change, the system can change. When we do nothing, we are consenting to the perpetuation of harm.

Here and now is where change begins, and it begins with ourselves. Start with knowledge (educate yourself) to uncover implicit bias and reveal the inner-workings of structural racism. Knowledge brings clarity of action.

Feeling uncomfortable, unsure, or overwhelmed reading this? Be with the discomfort. You'll be okay.

Here's what works for me as a daily practice that you can adopt.

Framework for daily anti-racism practice:

1. Meditate to let go of stress and establish the mind in Being
2. Educate yourself to unlearn, understand, empathize & change
3. Act for accountability, solidarity, and justice (don’t stay silent)

To help you get started with #2 and #3, I've added a new book to the recommended reading list called Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad. I can’t recommend this book enough. Please purchase it and put it at the top of your reading list. It's a powerful 28-day workbook that will illuminate your blindspots and inspire action. If it’s sold out on Amazon, try another book store or download it via Audible or Kindle. Get your hands on it.

Then continue the reading. There are many excellent books you can read by BIPOC authors. Some suggestions can be found on the reading list here.

To be clear, I am not an anti-racism expert, so it’s important to do your research and work with BIPOC experts. I recommend taking online classes with anti-racism educators such as Rachel Ricketts, Monique Melton, and Constanza Eliana Chinea. You will learn a lot from them. We must support Women of Color doing the heavy lifting with our power, privilege, and resources ($$). They are out leaders in this work.

There are many more actions to take to help dismantle white supremacy, which you’ll discover when you roll up your sleeves and do the work. Speaking with your family about this and donating to organizations like Black Lives Matter is a good start. It’s an evolving process of learning where you’ll likely make mistakes (like I have). Don’t let fear of making mistakes keep you silent. I’ve learned to listen, apologize, correct, and do better. The wellness industry being white-centered is an elephant in the room that I’ll speak to specifically in another post soon.

Also, please avoid reaching out to your BIPOC friends for clarity and answers as you may unintentionally cause them harm. It’s also traumatic for BIPOC to continue seeing pics and videos of black people dying on white people’s social media feeds, so please don’t do it. Please do your work and then only post valuable content that will help break white silence. Always site your BIPOC sources and give credit where it’s due.

If you're white and feeling triggered or emotional reading this, please give yourself private space to process what you’re feeling. Sharing these emotions publicly has potential to harm BIPOC. The discomfort coming through happened to me and to many white folks. It is a sign of white fragility to work through and build resilience. Something good is happening when you allow yourself to feel and move through any feelings of shame or guilt. I go through it myself. It can come in waves. Rather than ignoring what you’re feeling, read the recommended books and work through it. You got this. I believe in you.

Reach out to me anytime if you’d like to discuss what’s coming up for you.

On Attachment and Conscious Parenting

Photo by Cameron Cressman

(Length: 6 minutes)

Lately I’ve been spending a lot of time with family, and I love watching my one-year-old niece and nephew grow. My niece Isabella is a total foodie, like me. We call her Chef Iz. She’ll eat an entire baked sweet potato in one sitting, and where it all goes is a complete mystery.

The other morning I was cooking my usual oatmeal breakfast when I heard Isabella crawling on the hardwood floor towards me. She sat at my feet, staring and with her arms reaching out.

“Oh, you want to help me cook, do you?” I said, lifting her 20-pound avocado body onto my hip. Her big brown eyes were mesmerized by the various ingredients being mixed together, and the hot blue flame transforming them into an aromatic mush.

Five minutes later the oatmeal was ready. I put Chef Iz in her high chair so I could finish prepping the meal. Immediately she started crying as I walked back to the stove. It was the first time she expressed attachment to her uncle. As soon as the oatmeal cooled off and the spoon came zooming towards her like an airplane, she was smiling again.

Witnessing my niece’s new-found attachment reminded me of the nature of our minds and what we practice to create mental peace and balance.

As mammals with social needs and desires, attachment is a natural human experience. Within the mind bubbles up desires and the will to act on them. Desires inherently aren’t problematic, but the unwillingness to let go of a desire is the cause of attachment.

Attachment becomes unhealthy when the mind ruminates and obsesses over something that either doesn’t turn out as expected or hasn’t even happened yet. The inability to let go of these thoughts always leads to stress and suffering. That’s because it takes the mind out of the present moment, and the present moment is the only place where the mind can actually be fulfilled. Bliss consciousness (aka peak mind flow state) can only be experienced here and now, not the past nor the future.

Children for the most part are pretty good at letting go when their basic needs are met. They can shift back to contentment rather quickly after a moment of upset. Adults, on the other hand, are not as flexible for a number of reasons.

Both upbringing and societal systems inform adult behavior. We first develop our habits of attachment in early childhood, which set the foundation for how we experience attachment throughout life. Through adolescence, many of us are taught to stop expressing uncomfortable emotions because it becomes socially unacceptable to do so by a certain age. Without being afforded the right tools, time, and safe space to process our experiences, we ignore stress and learn how to put on a happy face to get by.

Unfortunately, this is how stress gets stuck in the body and accumulates over time. People who have everything they need and still can’t get satisfaction have unresolved stress stored in their nervous system. It’s this backlog of stress that takes the mind out of the present moment causing feelings of disconnection, inauthenticity, and judgment. The experience of stress and type of attachment are nuanced making each circumstance unique, but it still gets stored in our psychophysiology the same way (read The Body Keeps the Score for more on this topic).

Society then capitalizes on our stress by conditioning us to believe that we need things in order to be happy. We’re taught that the only way to afford these things is to work hard and achieve great results. We get attached to the ideal that the more results we get and the faster we get them, the happier we’ll be.

But does it actually work? Maybe for a moment, but it never lasts. Chasing material wealth hasn’t been a sustainable source of happiness for anyone in recorded history. This widespread misperception fuels the meritocracy, perfectionism, narcissism, hoarding of resources, and a false sense of urgency and security throughout capitalist culture. As a result we see all forms of suffering around the world, regardless of socioeconomic status.

This global epidemic of stress is caused by the mindset of attachment informed both by upbringing and societal systems. It’s pretty wild to realize when you connect the dots.

So, how do we reduce all the stress, let go of attachments, and create a shift in our collective mindset?

We start within ourselves, and you’ve already gotten started. Your meditation practice is what gradually releases the stress from unresolved childhood experiences coupled with the demands of adulting. When enough people are in practice, a tipping point can occur. Culture shifts when we shift.

You hold the power to rewire your brain’s neural pathways. Through meditation you’re able to effectively let go of unconscious habits of attachment. Thankfully, our simple meditation technique teaches us the importance of non-attachment and how to let go in the most subtle, effortless way.

First of all, it’s important to recognize that non-attachment doesn’t mean detachment, having no desires, or being apathetic. Non-attachment means honoring your preferences and being willing to let them go. It’s in the letting go that we return to the present moment and notice a positive shift in our state of being.

Do you recall, on your first day learning Vedic meditation, how attached you were to your mantra? We first come to this practice with this preconceived idea that meditation means focusing on the mantra and never losing it. As you receive the instructions you start to realize that this isn’t the case.

You learn that you can’t use effort as a means of achieving results in meditation. By day four of the course you see that the opposite is in fact true. The more you allow yourself to let go of the mantra, the more results you receive. Non-attachment yields a greater return. Through your meditation experience you start to trust that by doing less you can accomplish more. You’re learning how to treat your mantra like your best friend at a party. Or in Isabella’s case, her uncle cooking oatmeal.

How I responded to my crying niece was essential, and it was all due to my meditation practice. I didn’t try to hush her, unconsciously shaming her attachment. I didn’t walk away or ignore her to dissociate from the discomfort of her cry. I didn’t rush back to her from the stove with urgency to ‘fix’ the situation.

I let her be, and I let me be. There was no need for me to control the situation. I wasn’t attached to the desire for her to stop crying. Rather, I spoke to her like I would to any person informing her that I was preparing the meal and that I’d return in a moment. She may not be able to articulate words yet, but she understood.

Communicating calmly and moving gracefully allowed everything to happen as it needed to. She was able to express her desire and I was able to witness her expression while remaining saturated in my cooking bliss. This showed my niece that she’s still okay if I put her in the high chair and walk away for a moment. It was a lesson in non-attachment.

Did I plan for this lesson? No. I simply responded in a natural, innocent, nonchalant way. The presence of my heavily-meditated self demonstrated non-attachment automatically. Conscious parenting (or ‘uncle-ing’ in my case) is all about naturally modeling the behavior you wish to see in your children, or anyone for that matter. Embody non-attachment, adaptability, and resilience, and your children will have a chance to develop an embodiment of the same behavior.

Will you nail conscious parenting perfectly? Heck no. Do I as an uncle? Not every time. It takes practice to consciously catch your own projections of stress, let them go, and model new behavior. Besides, perfection is overrated. Perfection is another learned habit of attachment we must let go of.

However, it is important to make the effort to change. If you are not conscious about your behavior and the impact it has on those around you, then how can you expect your kids to be? How can we expect the future to be better for the next generation if we’re not initiating the change?

The good news is that the effort you need to make is simple: physically get to the chair twice a day. Once you’re in the chair, meditation is effortless. You’ve heard me say it many times, and I’ll say it a thousand times more ;). When you do your meditation, it positively impacts everyone around you in a subtle way.

Make any and all arrangements necessary to get to that chair daily. Take advantage of this helpful tool. Never feel bad about doing it. It’s a selfless act, not a selfish one. Know that being a parent (or human for that matter) is a deserving enough reason for a daily meditation break.

So now, I’m curious to know... How has meditation helped you with your relationships at home? Have you notice anything shift in the way your family and friends relate to you? Please share in the comments below!

Warmly,
Hunter

Hunter Cressman // Vedic Meditation Teacher

4 Lessons from a Bike Accident

Ever since that first moment of freedom as a 5 year old on two wheels, bicycling has been a source of instant joy for me.

For the last decade, the bike has been my transportation of choice. One of the draws to live in New York City was being able to commute without a car. So when I’m in car-bound California, I get my fix mountain biking the trails of my coastal hometown. Riding through the redwoods with views of San Francisco is nature’s version of Disneyland. The beauty is awe-inspiring.

The other week we had one sunny day between rainstorms, so my dad and I decided to go for a ride up Mount Tam. My approach to the trailhead that morning was a bit cocky. I was feeling more confident than usually after my last ride the week before where I hauled down the mountain like a pro, or so I felt. I also hadn’t meditated yet.

We crossed the wooden bridge at the trailhead, which was slick from the recent rain. I wasn’t aware that the thick treaded wheels wouldn’t grip, and so I lost complete control of steering. My body flipped over the handlebars and tumbled down a boulder rock retaining wall into the creek gully with the bike on top of me. Thank god I was wearing a helmet. It all happened so fast.

As I came to a stop my dad yelled, “Don’t move. Is anything broken?”

I didn’t move. I took a deep breath, and realized I was okay. “Is the bike okay?” I asked. The bike was unharmed.

Holy $#*t. How did I not hit my head, break any bones, or destroy the bike? I walked away almost unscathed, with only a few leg scrapes and a 4-inch gash across my left shin. I got off scot-free.

Witnessing the shock setting in, I decided it was best for my body to rest. We rode home slowly. Once we arrived, I cleaned up the cuts, showered off, and had a nice long meditation to reset the body chemistry.

Reflecting on this experience, I was reminded of four valuable lessons…

1. Be grateful for being alive and well

Walking away from the accident, I was so grateful that I barely got injured. I’m grateful for my yoga practice keeping me flexible and strong, and for my dad for being there to make sure I was okay. (Always mountain bike with a buddy, and a helmet!)

I’ve found gratitude to be a natural outlook from daily meditation, but an accident can really highlight what you take for granted. The importance of physical fitness and family hit me hard, literally. I’m grateful I’ve chosen to invest a lot of time in these values. Cultivate self-care habits and making time to evolve my relationship with my family wasn’t a smooth road. It’s an evolving process, and has been worth the many years of daily dedication.

2. Listen to what the body needs

After standing up from the fall, my old self would’ve wanted to push through and keep riding. Instead, I took a moment to silently check in with my body, and it told me it needed rest. So I followed that instruction. The rest from meditation helped me come out of shock quickly so I could enjoy the rest of the afternoon back at my baseline of bliss.

Rest is typically viewed as weak in our culture. There are times to push through, and there are times to take it easy. I see real strength as intuitively knowing the right moment for each. The ‘go, go, go’ mentality can cause you to forget that rest is an action too. It’s a subtle action to prepare the body for dynamic action. Meditation in particular is an efficient form of rest that’s deeper than sleep. It’s like a fuel-efficient hybrid car idling at a stoplight on its electric motor to conserve gas.

Meditation can also enhance your ability to listen to and follow nature’s cues more clearly. Perhaps if I had meditated before the bike ride instead of after, I would’ve picked up the subtle cue to slow down over the wet bridge, and the outcome would’ve been different.

3. Pain can occur without suffering

When I was cleaning up the leg wound after the ride, I noticed the pain, but also the lack of suffering. Mentally I felt at peace and was able to feel the pain without it conquering my thinking. Certainly, a leg wound is much easier to handle than most injuries. Still, it was a reminder that suffering is a state of consciousness not a physical condition.

My old self would’ve gotten stuck in a bitter state of self-loathing the rest of the day. Self-pity can happen when you’re way too attached to an outcome that doesn’t turn out the way you anticipated. I could’ve gotten stuck in thinking that I was an idiot, a victim, that I made a terrible mistake, or that I was unworthy of riding again. All those thoughts came up for a split second, but I was able to let them go just as quickly.

Meditation has taught me how to let go of any unproductive thought the moment something doesn’t go as planned. I’ve learned to trust that nature knows best how to organize and to take each moment as it comes. This trust is rooted in the experience of your inner nature, which is bliss. Existing at all times in the background of thinking and action is a state of Being that is pure bliss. When consciousness grows, the mind becomes more aware of this unbounded state of supreme contentedness within. First it happens in meditation, and then it occurs in the eyes-open waking state too. When the mind is fully established in this state of silent witnessing, then the equanimity of inner peace becomes difficult to disturb even with physical pain present.

4. The body is impermanent and not our true identity

Watching my wound heal, I’m reminded that the body is constantly changing at every moment. Skin regenerates itself every 27 days or so. The skin you have now is not the same skin you had a month ago. This is true for almost every organ and bone in the body, but at different regeneration rates. Bones, for example, take 7-10 years to fully regenerate.

If life, relationships, jobs, places, and perspectives are always changing, and the body is also always changing, then who are we? What are we?

There is one unchanging constant that I know of, which is the inner state of Being, mentioned before. This state of Being is experienced when the mind slips into the gap of silence between thoughts. The mind is alert and awake without thinking. In Vedic Meditation, it’s common to experience this state beyond the body.

Have you ever noticed your hands or feet ‘disappearing’ in meditation? Essentially, you’re losing spacial sense of your limbs; you’ve transcended the physical self without yet transcending the thinking mind. As soon as you wiggle your fingers or toes, the brain detects the spacial location of your hands and feet right where you left them.

This is one indication that consciousness is not body dependent. Bodies however are consciousness dependent. We can have an experience of consciousness without the body, but not the body without consciousness. What we are is consciousness having a body experience, rather than a body having an experience of consciousness.

The more we identify with our true nature as pure consciousness (or Being) rather than the body, the easier it becomes to ebb and flow with the changes of life. We can enjoy the roles we play with our jobs and relationships, and living in this body and on this planet with less attachment because our fulfillment is rooted in Being rather than thinking. Realizing this power and the magnitude of consciousness can be quite humbling, and brings me back to gratitude. How about you?