Mindfulness in interpersonal situations

Would it sound weird to you if an interview started with a few breaths? That is what Kristina felt when she started interviewing Rhonda V. Magee.

Rhonda V. Magee is a Professor of Law at the University of San Francisco and a leading mindfulness teacher and practice innovator focusing on applying mindfulness to the hardest challenges of our times.

She is an internationally-recognized teacher, guide, and mentor focused on integrating mindfulness into higher education, law, and social change work.

The funny thing is different cultures and religions include mindfulness practices, yet, for many of us, beginning a meeting with a few breaths and centering still sounds weird!

I guess the rush that we are into in our daily lives!

I’m wondering, what benefits is mindfulness giving each of you? Because there is a lot of research on mindfulness and a lot of information, we live in the era of information. Just a quick google search will tell you the benefits of mindfulness.

Usually, mindfulness has standard practices like paying attention to the present moment, acceptance, or breath focusing.

That connects with self-love and acceptance of yourself and the world around you significantly because you can take the present moment and maximize it to a considerable extent.

Because mindfulness is about focusing on what matters, and what could matter more than your breath?

Have you ever experienced being out of breath when somebody surprises you? Or when you have a conflict with another person? In the interview, Kristina and Rhonda go over the capacity of Mindfulness to solve complex interpersonal situations.

One tip to do that is to acknowledge that interpersonal mindfulness is about being present in situations without being reactive to them.

She also gives us the tip to practice mindfulness for 5-10 minutes to get used to its benefits in focus and study.

Have you experienced it with study? And yet, at university, hardly anybody taught us to do that! This is why Rhonda took so seriously applying mindfulness as a teacher. Such an admirable act to create that culture!

Rhonda has dedicated a lot of time to introducing mindfulness to her students because she feels it helps them solve interpersonal situations better. After all, according to her, mindfulness is a great tool to help increase collaboration and understanding across differences.

It is always amazing how focusing on the breath can bring awareness of oneself and the world! Mindfulness can also bring more compassion towards oneself and others. Mindfulness helps humanize and connect with the world more compassionately.

Another great benefit of mindfulness at University is that it is a way to gain clarity. That is a great way to get students to find creative solutions and enhance their capacity. Essentially human capacities.

Rhonda doesn’t see the law as a cold text but as a human experience and so teaches her students.

“Mindfulness is a great tool for them to learn to develop the compassion needed,” she says. “Conflict is a human experience, and we have to be able to treat everyone with compassion.”

Have you ever experienced the feeling of the world not being compassionate to you? If you have experienced sexism as a woman or racism, you know what I’m talking about.

“Mindfulness is a great tool for them to learn to develop the compassion needed,” she says. “Conflict is a human experience, and we have to be able to treat everyone with compassion.”

A question might pop into you at this point, which is a question that also the audience asked in the interview: are there any conflicts with boundaries?

Aka: if you are being mindful and understanding, that means you need to stay there in every conflict?

Rhonda clearly stated that absolutely not; you can walk away whenever you need to or want to. Changing, growing, and caring starts with yourself, and that is important to acknowledge.

Everybody can relate to situations where you just couldn’t or wouldn’t want to be present at that particular moment. Being mindful of that can be a great tool to know what boundaries you can establish, too.

Boundaries open doors! When you say no to staying in a conflict as a professional, being mindful about that can be the edge that opens other doors: maybe the people who need resolution can find a better professional.

Or maybe you can stay present to a better conflict for you and the people involved!

Rhonda has intervened in racial conflict for a long time and published numerous articles on the subject.

She states that when mindfulness is involved, we are nearer to solving the conflict, or at least minimizing the effects and reactions for every person there and talk about it with more love and understanding of each emotion involved.

She also insists on humanizing research by being aware of its potential and limitations in social issues.

In her book, The Inner Work in Racial Justice, she dives deeper into some situations she has experienced directly and indirectly and how mindfulness helped solve those situations.

She states that when mindfulness is involved, we are nearer to solving the conflict, or at least minimizing the effects and reactions for every person there and talk about it with more love and understanding of each emotion involved.

“If we are able to see one another clearly, we can see the value in each person we are privileged to meet. If we can take on their pain as ours, we might, together, be able to disrupt the patterns that led to that pain. We do not do it out of anger or bitterness. Our efforts to create a world in which we are more alive and well are driven by positive care and concern.”

What I loved the most from the interview with Kristina and Rhonda was the meditation, which I believe is for literally everyone. I am thankful for experiencing this truly inclusive experience. It is THE meditation. Through breath, she transported us into a place of deep understanding and care for all.

If you didn’t have enough about Rhonda and you want more information, or you are curious to experience more meditations about Rhonda, you can explore her website www.rhondavmagee.com