“You talk too much during class.”
“I prefer the other teacher.”
“That was a racist thing to say.”

As teachers and guides, we inevitably encounter feedback from students. Sometimes it arrives as thoughtful reflection; other times it comes as sharp critique that catches us off guard—especially when it touches on identity, power, or harm. How we respond can either reinforce the ego’s defenses or open a pathway to deeper understanding and growth.

In this session, we’ll approach student criticism as an opportunity for self-inquiry, compassionate service, and spiritual practice. Drawing from the principles of Nonviolent Communication and the teachings of Yoga, this workshop offers practical skills for staying connected to our students while remaining grounded in truth, humility, and love. Together, we’ll practice ways to respond from our highest Self—even when the feedback feels personal or challenging.

In Part 1, we focused on turning inward — cultivating steadiness, curiosity, and compassion when criticism arises. In this session — Part 2 of our series — we turn toward skillful response. We’ll explore how to acknowledge harm, clarify impact, and engage students with honesty and humility. Together, we’ll practice ways of responding that honor truth and agency, invite repair, and nurture shared growth within our classrooms and communities.

(This workshop counts toward CE hours in Yoga Philosophy, Lifestyle, and Ethics.)

Contact me to learn more.

In this follow-up session, we explore how compassion guides us even in moments of conflict and harm. We’ll examine the protective use of force as an expression of care rather than control, and practice the processes of mourning and reconciliation as pathways to healing. Through reflection and dialogue, participants will explore how both standing firm and softening in grief can be acts of love—each inviting us back into right relationship with ourselves and one another.

This is a private event.

This meditation will be an opportunity for us to ground ourselves in the transformative power of the seasonal shift. Together, we'll honor the blessings of the darkness that guards and nourishes us and celebrate the light's presence and its ever-changing rhythm in our lives.

Only on Insight Timer. Click here to register.

This event will be hosted by the Open Circle Center.

Engaged Nonduality recognizes that awareness and response are not separate. The same ground of being that reveals our shared nature also moves as a compassionate, embodied response. In this view, the crises of our time—including racism and systemic injustice—are not distractions from awakening but invitations to live it.

Awakening unfolds as our meeting with reality in all its forms: personal and collective, beautiful and painful, life-giving and unjust. When we allow ourselves to face what is, with clarity, equanimity, and courage, we discover that awareness itself is not overwhelmed. From this ground, wise and compassionate action can arise naturally.

In this session, Itzel Hayward invites participants to explore how awake awareness can support a steady, honest engagement with racism and systemic harm. When we turn toward these realities with awareness, we begin to recognize our participation in them and our capacity to respond differently. This is the meeting point between contemplative practice and social change.

Registration opens soon.