At The Intersection of Mindfulness and Social Justice
by: Carolina Bautista-Velez
For many people, mindfulness is associated with sitting meditation, passiveness, silent retreats and individual/insightful experiences. For many others, mindfulness is a tool for collective liberation, that allows them to survive and take action against the violence perpetuated daily by different systems of oppression.
In fact, these different realities seem like two completely different highways that never intersect. One, focuses its attention on the individual experience, which is more of an individual practice. The other reality reflects the lived experiences of individuals and communities, and recognizes that mindfulness is a collective practice that aims not only for individual but collective liberation.
But the time is urgently calling us, more than ever, to see the big intersection where those two realities meet. In my mind, this intersection looks like a dance performance, where sometimes I am a contemporary dancer, connecting to my mind and body, recognizing conditioned and learned ways that I show up in the world. In this way I am allowing my body to explore and fully express what is deep inside me. Other times, I am a salsa dancer, where I dance intimately with the “Other”, where I let myself follow their lead -- we coordinate every step, respect our individual styles, enjoy each other and share passion for music and dance. Both dances are intrinsically connected. Dancing one makes me better at the other one and vice versa.
The intersection of mindfulness and social justice calls for both! It calls for a solo and a collective dance. In the solo dance, mindfulness practices allow us to explore how our individual identities and culture have shaped who we are and the ways that we show up in the world for ourselves and others. It teaches us to stay and learn to BE uncomfortable. In order to do this internal work, we must be willing, intentional and open to see the ways that we perpetuate the status quo, systems of oppression, sexism, racism and all other isms. Not an easy task at all! But it is one of those dances that we owe to ourselves, our families, our communities and to one another.
On the other hand, the collective dance of mindfulness, calls us to come out from our internal work, in a more grounded way, to meet and learn from the pain, circumstances and suffering of others. This dance teaches us to be good listeners, to be allies, to amplify the voices of those who are most impacted by systems of oppression. It invites us to be and learn from and with the Sangha (community). It reminds us that we all play a role in perpetuating or abolishing injustice. It is in community, that we recognize our common humanity, and that we can take action towards using our power and privilege to transform the world.
This is the Mindful Work that this intersection invites us to do! We must learn how to dance solo and collectively. Create a practice where the ultimate goal is our collective liberation. If not, we might end up focusing too much on our ego, to the point that it could make us feel paralyzed and unable to take action. Passivity and inaction keep things the same.
Wherever you are in this journey of finding, developing, or continuing at this intersection, please know that this is a lifelong process. Some questions that might invite some reflection are:
Where am I on this journey?
Do I see the intersection of Mindfulness and Social Justice? How does this intersection look for me right now, in this moment?
Is my mindfulness practice contributing to my individual and collective liberation?
Where can I start?
As a Latinx, immigrant, non-black person of color, mother, consultant, life coach, and activist, this work is essential for me, my people and the world. mindfulness and compassion practices are the tools that allow me to take active action to bring justice, to decolonize my mind and body, to be an ally and defend black lives, and to aim to abolish all systems of oppression.
May our practice be as collective as possible to create a world where many other worlds are possible!
Carolina Bautista-Vélez