Deepening Your Connections

Valentine’s Day, at its heart, celebrates the joy of connection.

Which relationships are you celebrating today?

I’m rejoicing in the many different forms of love in my life, and feeling gratitude for dear ones near and far, old and new.

One particular time that I’m grateful for was during my “birthday Camino” last September.

A group of my lifelong friends got together to celebrate my special day by walking for a week through the Pyrenees and Basque country in Spain.

In the busy-ness of everyday life, we can frequently lose touch with important people in our lives. September’s trip gave us the opportunity to reconnect to each other in a unique way – remembering our bonds of friendship and deepening our connection with who we are today.

Days like Valentines are but one opportunity that is focused on deepening our important connections.

Another practice that you can utilize every day, in all relationships, is called Mindful Listening.

Mindful.org offers The HEAR Practice to help cultivate deeper listening skills:

🍃 HALT — Halt whatever you are doing and offer your full attention.

🍃 ENJOY — Enjoy a breath as you choose to receive whatever is being communicated to you—wanted or unwanted.

🍃 ASK — Ask yourself if you really know what they mean and if you don’t, ask for clarification. Instead of making assumptions, bring openness and curiosity to the interaction. You might be surprised at what you discover.

🍃 REFLECT — Reflect back to them what you heard. This tells them that you were really listening.

Try it out and see if you notice your relationships softening and deepening with the practice.

Wishing you a week full of love and connection.

Let your wisdom lead,

Robin