About a year into my self-study of Compassionate Communication / Nonviolent Communication (NVC), I felt compelled to purchase a book that changed my life. What We Say Matters was written by the well-known, California yoga teacher Judith Lasater. Anyone who is often referred to as the 'Queen of Restorative Yoga' has my attention. But she also co-authored this book with her husband, which furthered my interest.
I mistakenly assumed that the book was about how to communicate clear cues for teaching yoga postures - it turned out to be my favorite NVC book. The Lasaters describe how NVC can help us truly embody these three main practices:
2) One of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras known as Satya (truth)
3) The Buddhist precept of right speech
It's one thing to read about how to live your life well, and another to actually do it - this book describes NVC as a practice to close the gap. It doesn’t matter what stage you’re in, or whether you find a specific path like 'Yogi', 'Bhuddhist' or 'Spiritualist' helpful; in the journey from knowing about something to truly living it, NVC can be an incredibly helpful resource.
To dip your toes in a bit further:
- Read Judith Lasater's article To Tell the Truth
- Peruse Alli’s favorite NVC resources