D. Lamar Hughes: Election Brave Space Series

The Common Good podcast is a conversation about the significance of place, eliminating economic isolation and structures of belonging.

For the next 8 weeks we’re going to drop mini episodes on Tuesday which are being produced in partnership with The Hive, A Center for Contemplation, Art, and Action, as a part of an ongoing class they’re offering locally called Election Brave Space: Compassionate Resilience For Our Shared Future. The intention of these episode is to introduce a variety of simple tools and practices to help you navigate this politically tumultuous moment, leading to and through the election.

D. Lamar Hughes is a gifted speaker, poet, leadership coach, and community organizer. Holding a BA from Bluffton University and an MA from Bowling Green State University, he co-creates and uses his education in communication and organizing for the Future Change Makers Movement. Born and raised in Northwest Ohio, D. is a passionate advocate dedicated to fostering inclusivity and driving positive change through faith, mindfulness, anti-racism, group facilitation, and community organizing. Hughes believes that unleashing the power of unity by bridging gaps and breaking barriers across diverse communities will build a world where acceptance thrives and positive transformation blooms.

The Hive  is a grassroots mindfulness community curating multi-week classes, workshops and a Membership community. It has been formed by facilitators asking the question, "What are the resources that lie within our vast lineages, traditions, and modalities of healing, and how can we place them in service of the common good?" In this series we’re hearing from The Hive’s 6 core faculty members.

The idea of Brave Space was inspired by An Invitation to Brave Space by Beth Strano which was adapted by Mickey ScottBey Jones.

This episode was produced by Joey Taylor and the music is from Jeff Gorman. You can find more information about the Common Good Collective here. Common Good Podcast is a production of Bespoken Live & Common Change - Eliminating Personal Economic Isolation.

Transcript

 In today's social and political climate, it can feel overwhelming to engage thoughtfully and courageously and brave space is a place and a time where we can show up fully as ourselves, fully grounded in our values yet remaining open to challenge and growth,  but it all begins within.  Rabbi Hillel says that if you're not for yourself, who will be?  And the point here is that the responsibility for brave space, inner brave space, is yours.  In these turbulent social and political settings, You must be your first advocate.  You must be for yourself and for your safety. You must tend to your nervous system because the room cannot tend to you.  So Brave Space starts with a self awareness, knowing your values, knowing your  triggers, knowing what, agitates you and activates you mentally and emotionally, what zaps your energy, and then trying to nurture a sense of peace in that moment. And so I'm a big fan of the halt method.  HALT stands for hungry, angry, lonely, tired. If I come into a room or into a conversation and I'm hungry, angry, lonely, or tired,  more than likely, I'm going to be easily triggered more than likely I'll be activated by conversations  things that people are not intending to activate me around.  So it's up to me to know how I'm showing up.  And so here's just a little takeaway, a little something to put in your to go cup.  Spend time regularly checking in with yourself before you get into intense situations, kind of notice how you think. Notice how you feel. Notice what your body is doing when everything is stable  and notice what you're feeling and what you're sensing and see if you can't ground yourself  throughout the day in your own presence,  see if you can regulate your nervous system with breath work,  taking maybe three deep breaths,  and then releasing them slowly  and just kind of get a sense of calm   but see if you can't establish a pattern and a practice of stabilizing and regulating yourself. That's a great place to cultivate the interbreed space. 

So let's try a practice. Here's a scenario.  You've had a long day of work  and you're meeting up with family, maybe even friends, for dinner  and you're going into the setting. And I think that this is  a courageous step for cultivating interbreed space. It's the power of the pause.  Before you go into the room, before you enter into the setting, let's just take a moment, close your eyes.  And just imagine if you can,  this room with these people, maybe there are some friendlies, maybe there are some not so friendlies,  and you've been in this space before, you know how people  react and respond,  but today you're going to be grounded in your values and you're not going to be triggered.  Let's take a deep breath in  and hold it if you can just for a bit  and then release it slowly.  What do you notice your body doing right there?  Let's take another deep breath in.  Hold. And try and hold just a bit longer.  This time release with a sigh.  In this moment you are okay.  In this moment, you are safe for yourself.  In this moment, you can trust yourself.  You know who you are,  you know why you matter,  and you know what you want.  And in this space, you are strong.  In this space, you have the inner authority over your emotions, your thoughts,  your feelings, your sensations.  And in this moment, you are your best advocate.   So no matter the conversation, no matter The people  wherever this night goes,  come back to this moment, this safe space whenever you need to.  This is your brave space.