The series provides simple practices for compassionate everyday caregiving grounded in mindfulness, self-compassion and fuelled by kindness.

When asked to picture something that represented the qualities that one deeply cared about, one of us said it was the Capybara. I did not know what it was and only checked it out after the session but as she elaborated on the traits of the Capybara, I could see how it was identified with the embodiment of non-violence and peaceful living.

Lemons for the value in ordinary everyday encounters and trees for stability, integrity, sustainability, nurturance and care were a couple of other metaphors that came to mind for those present.

We share a world in abundance of the living and non-living which we can identify with to shape the person we are aspiring to be.

In reality, we are living in a process where our sense of self is being shaped by societal forces, power structures, and cultural influences. We have been impacted by our schooling, our family and friends, the laws, norms and expectations of the places where we live.

Nonetheless, we are not just simply being moulded by these factors. We have agency, the power to decide what is in our best interest.

As we constantly negotiate with the external forces impacting us, we develop a sense of who we are and who we want to be. What is it that we stand against and what do we stand for.

As we continue to journey in life, we will continue to shape and reshape our sense of self, and we can decide that lemons are what we care about. 🙂

To help negotiate the external forces of power structures, and cultural influences, a practice to navigate the elements of Ground, Water, Fire, Wind and Space was introduced.

Shape Shifting combined imagery, linguistics and movement in preparation for showing up each day with compassion, courage and composure.

I left the session grateful for another experience that awakened authenticity, integrity and hospitality within which are qualities I care about.

For peace and community.

Gerard