The following talk is given by Tara Brock, meditation teacher, psychologist and author.

Namaste, welcome, welcome friends. It's my pleasure to be with you. So here we are and it's live on this Wednesday East Coast night.

This gathering is entitled widening the circles of compassion and we're really looking at what it means to hold all beings without exception in our hearts.

So we're being webcasted on Facebook and YouTube and many of you as I'm seeing here and it's a pleasure to look at you are live on zoom.

And after I'm done with the talk and with some of our meditations, there'll be a time for questions. So if you have questions, you can put them on the chat at any time during the talk. Okay, we'll put you on the list.

So as you might have seen on the screen, this is being co-sponsored by friends at act for climate today, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax Virginia. That's right near where I live.

As well as a friend from the Faith Alliance for climate solutions and the Nova chapter of the climate reality project. So I want to welcome anyone here for the first time and also specifically those carrying and activist friends from some of these groups and a special thanks to Bob root and the red arrow for oh my gosh, putting so much hard into organizing this event really

as always, if you want to find out about upcoming events that I'm offering, tarbrock.com and visit IMCW.org for events offering from our local DC area teachers.

And I mention every week donations and as many of you are aware of these talks and meditations are offered freely and your support makes a huge difference in letting us continue to do that.

The donation information is on my website. You can just go to tarbrock.com slash donate and also a crystal put it on the chat for you right now if you'd like it.

Usually these each week we start with a meditation, but this evening what I decide to do is weave several meditations into the talk. So we'll be doing that and even though let's take a pause one of those sacred pauses just to arrive together in presence.

So wherever you are on whatever continent, whatever time of day and whatever room you're in invite yourself right here just right into this moment.

And it helps those your eyes or lower your gaze.

Maybe adjust your position for a little bit just to make sure you're sitting in a way that's comfortable that you're alert and you're relaxed.

Taking a few full breaths together such a beautiful ritual to breathe together perhaps breathing in and filling our chest and lungs.

And maybe a slow out breath and just sense of letting go letting go letting go.

Breathing in together again filling the chest and the lungs.

And with the out breath since you can kind of soften a little the shoulders the hands the belly letting go.

Again breathing in fully aware with the out breath of releasing relaxing outward.

So that as your breath resumes in its natural rhythm you can sense the quality of presence here perhaps enhanced a bit.

Let your senses be awake.

Where if sounds sensations in the body.

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