11 Jun Not so funny

During the summer camp, the long afternoon sessions of sitting in a meditation posture on a cushion are interrupted by a shiatsu massage session. We are invited to form pairs. One gives the massage and the other receives it. We receive instructions from two specialists, Muriel and Gabriela. Right from the start, a giggly, almost boisterous atmosphere arises. One of the participants, Yves, keeps making a funny remark that isn’t funny at all, but does disrupt concentration. Others also start laughing and talking.

Letting go for a moment
‘Silence, please,’ the instructors ask. It hardly helps. Muriel continues and explains how to place the thumb of the right hand in a hollow under our partner’s neck, and gently tilt the head back with the other hand. Yves makes another joke. She addresses him personally. ‘Just be quiet now, Yves.’

Then Gabriela takes the floor: ‘This shiatsu session is being translated from French into two languages, Spanish and English. That is already very difficult, and it becomes even more complicated when there is constant talking.’ She then adds: ‘I understand that after so many hours of concentration in this dojo you might feel the need to let go for a moment, and also that some might not be used to being touched, but do it for the overall atmosphere.’

Moved
Suddenly, it becomes dead silent. The words touch us all. The rest of the session proceeds calmly and attentively. I think everyone noticed the profound impact of Gabriela’s words. What exactly was she articulating?

• She allowed the participants to empathize with the teachers’ situation.
• She put herself in the participants’ shoes and conveyed how they might be feeling. In terms of communication, she represented both ‘kitchens’. I suspect that it was particularly her empathy for the participants’ perception that made an impression. They felt understood rather than reprimanded.

This example clearly demonstrates the potential benefits of clear communication.

*This post has been automatically translated from Dutch