The Softened Heart: Cultivating Wisdom Through Vulnerability - Joe Goode

How can we prevent our hearts from hardening against a brutal world and instead use our own imperfections as a bridge to connection?

Joe Goode addresses this by arguing that while political or social resistance is necessary, the act of opposition can unintentionally cause us to harden, losing touch with the vulnerability where love and intimacy live. He suggests that instead of trying to "fix" ourselves or bypass suffering, we should practice loving the "broken bits" of our own minds—our regrets, meanness, and anxieties—much like a parent loves a mischievous or hurting child. By shifting away from the idea of a "fixed" or isolated self, Joe explains that we can cultivate a soft heart that nurtures interdependence rather than individuality.

To move these concepts from the mind into the body, Joe leads a series of experiential practices that blend breath, sound, and movement to serve as a "balm" for the "imperfect and vulnerable" self. He teaches that the aging or incomplete body is not a problem to be solved but a tool for deepening our connection to reality. His framework for this embodied practice includes:

• Tender Attention: Holding a finger to represent a specific negative thought or recurring doubt, breathing into that "vulnerable body" and offering it special care rather than animosity.
• The Soothing Sway: A side-to-side rocking motion used as a "universal calming action" to quiet the mind and accept the "fearful, broken, or less-than self".
• Interdependent Sound: Vocalizing specific tones (such as "m," "ah," and "ee") to feel the physical vibration in the bones while simultaneously "pouring" one’s sound into the collective "envelope" of the room.
• Receptive Clearing: Using the heat of the hands to clear "extra thoughts" from the eye sockets before opening the palms to receive "spacious thinking" and "fresh possibilities".

Ultimately, Joe suggests that by treating the body as a "single sensing organ," we can discover that being fully present in our physical form and movement is no different than meditation itself.

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Joe Goode is the artistic director of The Joe Goode Performance Group, and a professor in the Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies at UC Berkeley. He has had a meditation practice since 1979, and has incorporated Buddhist principles and meditation practices into his choreographic works. His work blends theater, dance, and spoken word, to focus on the fallibility and imperfection of being human, believing that the creative impulse is a step toward the alleviation of suffering.

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CREDITS
Audio Production: George Hubbard
Producer: Tom Bruein
Music/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter