Communicating Compassionately

I’ve been working with the Marshall Rosenberg book “Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life”. And as you might imagine, it dovetails beautifully with Ahimsa. Rosenberg provides a concrete stepwise process to ahimsa, the yogic ethic of non-harming. This has helped me shift ahimsa from an abstract concept into actionable behavior I can practice intentionally, strengthening my emotional skills for clearly expressing how I am feeling without blaming or criticizing. To communicate with compassion.

Rosenberg defines Nonviolent communication (NVC) as the integration of:
1. Consciousness: a set of principles that support living a life of empathy, care, courage, and authenticity;
2. Languaging: Comprehending how words contribute to connection or distance;
3. Communication: Knowing how to ask for what we want, how to hear others even in disagreement, and how to move toward solutions that work for all;
4. Means of Influence: Sharing “power with others” rather than using “power over others.”

Regardless of the words we’re using to express ourselves or the words we hear others use for self-expression, the NVC process entails:
1. Observing without evaluating;
2. Expressing feelings;
3. Acknowledging needs; and
4. Expressing requests.