Steady through the Fire

Since forest fires began annually destroying communities in California, Heather Sundberg has been offering somatic, mindfulness-based practices in response to overlapping ecological and personal trauma fields. In this event, we explored:

• Short practices to uplift our hearts as we practice together
• Applying the Buddha’s teaching of the Fire Sermon to practicing in a world full of triggers and reactions
• Six somatic practices to support a resilient nervous system, particularly in the face of long-term collective reactivity
• Reflections and dialog on our toolkit to work with reactivity internally, interpersonally, and collectively

This EcoDharma Exploration took place on January 29, 2023. Watch the recording below.

Heather Sundberg’s long-term dharma service work has been on behalf of youth, women’s equality, and working with those impacted by forest fires, as well as more recently supporting activists on the front lines of the Ukrainian refugee crisis. An Insight Meditation teacher since 1999, she completed the Spirit Rock/IMS Teacher Training program under Jack Kornfield and Joseph Goldstein, and is a member of the Spirit Rock Teacher’s Council. Heather has studied long-term with senior teachers in the Theravada and Vajrayana traditions, completing three accumulated years of retreat. She teaches two year Awareness-Emptiness Trainings for experienced meditators. Her teaching emphasizes embodiment, nervous system and energy practices to promote healthy regulation and liberation in the midst of chronic collective trauma producing global circumstances. Learn more at www.heathersundberg.com.

Support this Offering

One Earth Sangha and our featured speakers offer these explorations on a donation basis, with no required registration fee. We invite you to participate in the tradition of offering dana, or generosity. Your support makes these gatherings possible, and any amount offered is greatly appreciated. To support our featured guest, visit Heather’s website and use the yellow “Donate” button.

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Recordings

The full recording of the exploration can be found here. Below the video you can find a link to the guided somatic practice shared by Heather during the gathering, along with the practice steps.

Somatic Practices for Reactivity

During the gathering, Heather shared a six-part somatic meditation for working with reactivity and collective trauma. The steps of this practice are below, and you can view the standalone guided practice recording here.

1. Move, and keep moving

2. Connect with embodied fluidity and the water element

3. Access aliveness

4. Track your needs

5. Open to the rawness with compassion

6. Invite lingering pleasant experience