Mind With Heart
ServiceSpace
--Vinya Sankaran Vasu
2 minute read
Mar 27, 2014

 

Our Awakin call guest last week was Vinciane Rycroft. In an amazing conversation moderated by Trishna Shah, Vinciane shared insights on her experiences with bringing the timeless tradition of mindfulness into the schools and hearts of our youth. Vinciane’s thoughts on teaching with empathy summed up beautifully from an article she had put together for “The Guardian”: "Teaching empathy is experiential, there is no flash card for empathy, it does not develop like that, you have to see it to experience it, so you need to teach with empathy. My main advice to teachers is very simple- Let us be people, human beings before we are teachers".
 
We will be posting a detailed blog entry on our conversation with Vinciane. In the mean time, here are some quotes from our conversation to mull on:
“Mindfulness is the first tool for empathy and compassion. That can come up with the ability to be with yourself and not to be swayed by things.”
“The ability to pay attention is the beginning of empathy. If you don’t notice suffering, then there is no possibility for empathy or compassion.”
“Creating a space of creating genuine happiness as a practice of love for oneself is really important in cultivating empathy.”
 
Vinciane has played a crucial role in creating conferences on building mindfulness in youth. Some teenagers from Surrey who attended her conference were so inspired that they started an Empathy and Compassion Society :).  Vinciane touched upon a loving kindness practice called Tonglen which helps develop compassion for self and the world. You can follow Vinciane’s projects and upcoming conferences here

 

Posted by Vinya Sankaran Vasu on Mar 27, 2014