Slowing down is a foundational practice within the collective healing work I do, in which I help people be in relationship with a world that’s changing fast and in a lot of pain. It’s about slowing down, feeling deeply, and making meaning of what’s happening inside us so we can meet the world we live in as it is, and be of service to it with more clarity, compassion, and purpose.

Because of all of this, slowing down is at the heart of everything I do here. Which is why I’m spending extra time on it for this month’s guided meditation—offering techniques for the practice of slowing down, in hopes that they might support you, in some way, shape, or form, to deepen your personal practice.

In this episode you’ll find 9 tips (or techniques) for the practice of slowing down, like:

1. Make yourself comfortable, physically (8:05)

2. Discharge any excess energy (9:22)

3. Prioritize your sense of safety (11:37)

4. Take deep, slow belly breaths (12:45)

5. Be slow with your attempts to slow down (15:50)

6. Hum, sing, and sway (17:42)

7. Ground into your body (19:59)

8. Use your environment to cue that you’re practicing (22:36)

9. Get to know what slowing down looks like for you (23:43)

Thank you for the big work you’re doing. Grateful to be walking together.

If you like conversations on emotions and healing + the times we live in subscribe to my podcast or Substack to tap into more of that.

If you’d like more practices like this, consider becoming a paid subscriber to my Substack. I share monthly guided practices that take a deep dive into practices like this.You can also shop around for specific guided meditations and online courses in my digital shop here: wehealforall.podia.com.

With love, Liz

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This is the first (of hopefully many) podcast episodes with my amazing husband, Anees Benferhat. We’re bringing some of the healing-centered pillow talk that happens in our home out into the world and straight to you.

In this one, we talk about shame and motivating social action.

It was sparked by an awesomely thoughtful question I received in response to my recent piece, Why it’s so hard to speak out and what we can do about it, where I made the case for alternatives to shame-based models of activism. The reader asked:

Is shame always bad? What even is it? Especially with everything going on, is there ever a time when shaming people into doing something is the right way to go about doing it?

We took this gift-of-a-question and ran with it. Thank you for it!

For those who don’t know Anees, he’s a deeply skilled psychiatrist and psychotherapist based here in NYC. Skilled not just because of his years of training and clinical experience—but because of his heart and ability to attune.

He’s a true healing-centered practitioner, bringing the best of what we know about relational neuroscience and emotions to every person he works with.

I’m so lucky to have him to talk shop with about all things healing and emotions—both at home in our free time and now here with you.

We hope you enjoy.

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Check out my new book, When the World Hurts

The word ‘resistance’ isn’t doing much for me these days. It conjures images of angry activists and sit-in’s and a way of being that just doesn’t jive. Not like it did in the past.

But in the face of this new Trump term and the onslaught of illegal and unconstitutional things taking place, I’m feeling the need to dig in my heels, create friction, and do something —anything!—to counter what’s going on.

Which is where my inner world comes in.

As I rack my brain and have conversation after conversation with friends about what the f*ck is going on, a sliver of opportunity that’s been showing itself to me is the role my inner world plays within all of this. The power and sovereignty of it.

Because in the context of political strategies that rely on me being overwhelmed and isolated for them to work, my inner world becomes a frontline for resistance.

So that’s what I want to play with here and invite you into with me. This idea that, when things feel totally out of our control and deeply devastating there are still things we can do—even in the inner recesses of our minds—to push back and respond.

What do you think?

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We are conduits for this time of culture change.

The collective consciousness shifts that are taking place for society, they manifest through us.

Everything that we're feeling right now, all of the pushing and the pulling, the tension, the heaviness, the uncertainty, the questions—that's here in service of those shifts.

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Check out my new book, When the World Hurts

There’s a lot to process right now. It’s overwhelming for many people I know. Between their own personal feelings and responses from others to political pundits’ takes to thoughts about the future, it’s an endless cascade of things to sort through.

The practice I’m knee deep in right now, is letting all that’s moving and stirring within me shape me. Letting the feelings and fog that are kicked up in my mind and body be in process in whatever way they need.

Not just for me or ‘the work,’ but because this is where rubber meets the road when it comes to consciousness shifts. 

Consciousness shifts specifically related to the collective.

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The world needs your unique take on what’s happening in the world—socially, culturally, politically, environmentally, cosmically. I'm a big believer in this. It’s how we get a bigger picture view of what’s happening, and tap into insights that are uniquely coming through each of us.

But if I’m being honest with you. I struggle to do this. Especially the sharing side of that equation. There’s a lot of risk and fear that comes along with sharing my unique views (or any views) these days. So I wanted to dig into that. I’m using this share to dive into:

1. Why it's so hard to come up with our own unique takes on what's going on globally, societally, culturally, politically these days. 

2. Why it's also really challenging to share that with others, to be open about that. 

3. Some principles of practice that I've been arriving at and am hopefully putting into practice even by sharing this.

The video came out a little jumbled ideas-wise, but hey, that’s okay. Some themes it touches on are:

* Systems thinking and the skills we need as everyday people to do it

* Divergence of opinion, building our capacity for it

* Knowing what spaces and relationships are safe to process in 

* Boundaries when engaging others about the world, sharing my opinion 

Looking forward to your thoughts on this one! Much love!

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Check out my new book, When the World Hurts

Fields of energy related to social issues—do you ever think about that? I do. And this video and written piece are me playing with putting words to that.

It’s a piece of the puzzle that I find often missing from the conversation about social change and why it can be so hard to hold these dense, layered topics.

But it’s a layer that I think is key, especially for those of us who are heart-based and spiritually-oriented.

Recognizing that this is a thing—that we’re all affected by the energy held within these topics—doesn’t mean that we shy away from them or disengage. Instead it means we engage more smartly. I recognize when I’m being affected by the energy of a situation and when it’s happening for another and choose to proceed with awareness and care. Yes, because it’s a kind thing to do but also because it’s the most constructive way to engage.

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Check out my new book, When the World Hurts

Being a change maker may be something you identify with or not. Often times the term evokes images of a fire-y activist or Mother Theresa type. But in my view, it's something much more commonplace and subtle at times, and is something a lot of us are already doing in response to our changing world.

I share reflections on three ways I'm currently thinking about what it is to be a change maker and how collective healing helps.

Change makers are:

→ Cultural edge workers—engaged in an ongoing practice of reflection and contemplation about the edge they’re working at

→Pioneers and guinea pigs—experimenting and using their lives as a sandbox to do so

→ Of service to the world through their presence—through the way they practice living, and therefore embodying, their values

Let me know what you think!

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Check out my new book, When the World Hurts

It can seem irrational to have feelings about things that are outside of our control, especially when it comes to the world.

That's my friend's conclusion, anyways. He is convinced he can override his feelings with a good, strong dose of logic.

While I can appreciate his strategy, emotions just don't work that way. I share highlights from our conversation together on the neurobiology of emotions, how to work with them, and the all too common experience of dissociating when reading the news.

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IG: @we_heal_for_all

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Connect with me, Liz Moyer Benferhat:

Subscribe to my Substack to get episodes directly in your inbox.

Website: www.wehealforall.com

IG: @wehealforall

Youtube: @wehealforall

Check out my new book, When the World Hurts