The Value of Inner Work
Tagged: #reflectionsThis weekend I unplugged on a silent meditation retreat at the Drala Mountain Center west of Fort Collins, Colorado.
Perhaps because I had just done a two-day coaching skills training with the Edge Foundation right before, or perhaps because I also took the weekend to read Parker Palmer’s Let Your Life Speak, or perhaps because I just finally gave myself two full days of peace and quiet, it was a radically transformative weekend. And a deeply felt reminder that even just one day of totally unplugging can do wonders for the mind and heart.
When we’re burnt out, sometimes there can be a frenetic drive to fix the problem. Recovery becomes yet another item on the to-do list.
But just as nature recovers in the burn scar of a fire by being left alone and undisturbed (Drala was significantly burned in the Cameron Peak Fire), we too can recover from burnout by giving ourselves space to rest in peace and quiet. Being left alone doesn’t necessarily mean being alone; silent meditation in a group is a powerful container, and whatever container we have available, the important thing is the ability to push pause and let the mind have a deep rest.
Here is a quote from Let Your Life Speak:
Our frequent failure as leaders to deal with our inner lives leaves too many individuals and institutions in the dark. From the family to the corporation to the body politic, we are in trouble partly because of the shadows I have named. Since we can’t get out of it, we must get into it—by helping each other explore our inner lives. What might that help look like?
First, we could lift up the value of ‘inner work’ […] helping us understand that inner work is as real as outer work and involves skills one can develop, skills like journaling, reflective reading, spiritual friendship, meditation, and prayer. […]
Second, we could spread the word that inner work, though it is a deeply personal matter, is not necessarily a private matter: inner work can be helped along in community. Indeed, doing inner work together is a vital counterpoint to doing it alone.
–Parker Palmer