Non-striving with Kessonga

Hi, my name is Kessonga and welcome to this Headspace mindful allyship practice. A few words before we drop into this practice. Racial allyship is a heavy subject that can immediately conjure up strong emotions, and that's perfectly okay. Mindfulness is not always about feeling and being comfortable, happy, and tranquil. Mindfulness is paying attention on purpose to the present moment without judgment. So it's literally whatever is present in this moment right here and right now. If that's feelings of discomfort, fear, or anxiety, again, that's perfectly okay. Mindfulness teaches us how to be with those difficult and strong emotions that we will all inevitably experience in our lives. So with that being said, what I'm going to ask you to do right now is take a gentle, deep breath. In through the nose and out through the mouth. And with that exhalation, just noticing how you are feeling right now in this moment. Noticing how you are feeling physically, any sensations that are present. Noticing any emotions that are present. And also noticing the thoughts flowing through your mind right now. And just simply noticing without any judgment. I believe this practice of mindfully paying attention to ourselves without judgment at the very beginning of a journey is a valuable practice to get in the habit of doing. We will periodically do this check-in with ourselves throughout the practice. So it's no secret that racism exists in this world, and it falls on a sort of spectrum from the subtle microaggressions, like a store owner following a black customer around their store, to the very blatant acts of racism. As existed, for instance, during the times of segregation in the United States. Not to mention the racism that exists towards the Native American and indigenous people, the Asian and Latinx community, and other people of color. No matter where on the spectrum it falls, any type of racism is violent and extremely stressful. In addition, it's also paradoxical. So what do I mean by this? Well, even though everyone knows about its existence, it's oftentimes not explicitly and blatantly mentioned or talked about. And when it is, it can often feel like walking on eggshells. Am I saying the right thing? Am I offending anyone? And so taking a breath here and gently checking in with your physical, emotional, and mental self. No judgment, just simply noticing. And perhaps taking a deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. And so once in a space of accepting racism as a reality, the question may be what is and how do I begin to act in allyship? Remembering that a racial ally is someone who actively supports others who are experiencing racial injustice, prejudice, and discrimination. The key words in this definition being actively supports, which means there is some intention and deliberateness that's present. It's very easy for a person to stay in their comfort zone of privilege, whether it's white privilege, heterosexual, cisgender, or...