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The mission of Holding Space Practice is to teach people life-changing principles and practices that transform emotional suffering into personal resiliency and empowerment.
Holding Space Practice Learning Series
This blog contains a set of lessons to help you integrated the 8 Holding Space Practice modules. These blog posts lessons can stand alone or be used to supplement the book and optional workbook or the Main Courses.
Please USE, APPLY and ENJOY this free resource!
You can sign up for the HSP Learning Series emails that remind you to read one post a week and take you gently and consistently to each of these blog posts in order.
Highly recommended!
33-Parenting + The Importance of Conditional Love
The ideal is unconditional love, but before love can be unconditional, it must pass through many levels of conditional love first. "
-Carol Webster
LESSON 33: Parenting + The Importance of Conditional Love
by Carol B Webster
Conditional love is the training ground for UNconditional love. Loving in ANY circumstances is a beautiful thing!
Recall that Module 8 says, "Love is the end result."
The end result of what?
Modules 1-7 are tasks, practices, exercises, or mindsets to "do", acknowledge, actively be aware of, and try to integrate as habits until these patterns and attitudes become part of the fabric of your life.
--take time to "be"... be present and aware
--bravely see truth...even when it's really hard
--feel feelings...instead of burying or deflecting them
--allow...instead of force
--be curious... instead of judgmental
--don't give up... even when it's uncomfortable
--notice and study how your CNS/mind feels when you are in touch with higher thoughts, emotions, and vibrations
Why? Why do all of that?
Because... the end result is love. (Module 8)
Love is the space we hold for self and others. Honoring is loving. The whole module circle is for the purpose of expanding the conditions in which we are able to give and receive love.
The ideal is unconditional love, but before love can be unconditional, it must pass through many levels of conditional love first.
What even is love?
This is an age-old question. I'm going to say it is when we feel peaceful, calm, generous, connected, patient, kind, genuine, and sincere.
If unconditional love is unrealistic, a realistic question is, when DO I feel love? Another way to ask it, what conditions make it easy to feel loved and loving?
As a child, I would feel love when I asked my mom to buy me a toy and she said "sure" and gave it to me. That is a condition when I easily felt loved, loving, and loveable. Now imagine I arrive home and my older brother sees me and my new toy. He walks toward me with a menacing look. I clutch my toy a little tighter and his bigger hand snatches the toy and chucks it across the room with a snicker. Uncontrollably, angry tears spring from my eyes. In that condition, I don't feel loved, loveable, or loving.
Is it even possible to feel love when someone is unjustly taking something from me?
"Love your enemy. Bless them that curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those which despitefully use you, and persecute you ." (Matt 5:44)
The ability to love and feel loved in wider and wider circumstances is the journey of unconditional love! Before we can feel or give unconditional love, we have to experience CONDITIONAL love. The more conditions we learn to be in love, the more expansive and free we are. When our circumstances no longer interrupt love, THAT is unconditional love.
Imagine a world where that is the norm.
Let’s keep practicing!
Love is the perpetual goal and when it comes to parenting. In this RAW & Unedited video, Carol doubles down on the goal to make the home and family a place that feels loving and safe to share thoughts and feelings. Parenting is an emotional topic. There are many opinions about it. Carol does not prescribe how to parent but shares some of her views on a topic she considers one of the most influential in the world. With her in-the-moment style, she also takes you into her yoga practice along the way.
Curious about yoga?
If you are not familiar with the Yoga website, I invite you to take a look at it. It is organized so that anyone willing to give it a try, can find ways to fit it into your life! I challenge you to learn about Yoga and maybe even apply it.
Go to CarolBwebster.com/yoga
Carol & Eric practicing Yoga Asana (physical poses)
Quote Corner
Practice checklist:
If you have not formally started that journey yet, I urge you to be brave. Contact Carol via email or text and let her welcome you on this path. She opens her schedule for a few one-on-one appointments each week if you are interested in that. The initial one is free.
Email [email protected] with the subject "I'm ready to start"
If text is easier, no problem: 816-213-2340
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