Inclusion Matters
Walk the Middle Way is committed to creating classes where all people, regardless of:
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race - ethnicity - gender - age - sexual orientation - religion - disability
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Feel:
Accepted, Safe, and Welcome
Sitting in Circle
Peace Circles - Restorative Circles
Walk the Middle Way's classes are all taught in Circle. We facilitate this way to honor the values of equality, unity and harmony between all people that are the heritage of both African and Native American traditions, who have experienced historical oppression in the United States.
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Circle-Based Facilitation allows all attendees:
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To be heard
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To be seen
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To feel valued
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To feel communal strength
Heart Refuge
Mindfulness Community
Heart Refuge Mindfulness Community is a place...
...where people can be seen and embraced.
...that inspires people to live fearlessly and courageously.
...where people can be loud, heard and celebrated.
...that holds the joys and sorrows of being human.
...where people of color, of all orientations, are welcome.
...that cultivates empowered and responsible interracial dialog.
Inclusion - Dave is a long-time advocate for Racial Justice and Restorative Circle-Based Facilitation, and believes all people regardless of race, ethnicity, age, and sexual orientation should have access to the transformative practices of meditation and other wellness modalities.
Creating safe containers - Dave is committed to providing safe, inclusive spaces so that people from all backgrounds, cultures and faiths feel welcome. It is his goal to continually raise awareness on issues of injustice so that historically marginalized groups such as:
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People of Color
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LGBTQ identifying people
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Immigrants
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Homeless
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Military veterans
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Those without financial means
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Those suffering from mental health disorders
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Those suffering from physical disabilities
...can live in a society that is more safe, accepting and inclusive for all.
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Restorative Practices & Circle-Based Facilitation - Dave's primary small-group facilitation is based on principals of Restorative Justice and Circle-Based practices. These African and Native American based styles of facilitation allow for greater empathy, deep listening, and for everyone to be fully valued and heard when sitting together. When we sit in Circle, everyone is treated equally, and everyone has an equal voice.
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Sitting in Circle takes away hierarchical structure - Here, the facilitator is not on a pedestal, but rather is part of the circle, no different than any other person. We sit in circle to model the physical embodiment that there is no difference between facilitator and participant, that we are all human beings on the same journey together, and find strength in community to help each other grow.
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Formal Restorative & Peace-Circle Training:
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Eastern Mennonite University - Graduate Certificate: Restorative Justice in Education
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Kay Pranis - Restorative Peace-Circles
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School-Talk DC - Restorative Circles in District of Columbia Public Schools
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Cross-Cultural Communication - Dave has years of experience working in diverse, mixed-race communities, and is passionate about creating containers where authentic, cross-cultural communication can happen between people from different ethnic, racial, and socio-economic backgrounds. This is achieved by creating time in every class to build authentic relationships and agreements of how to be in community together, which is treated with equal value as any content of learning being facilitated.
Classes and Coaching sessions integrate:
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Formal Mindfulness - seated practice & movement
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Relational Mindfulness - deep listening, mindful speech, authentic sharing, interconnection
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Applied Mindfulness - mindful pausing, tuning into the present, awareness in day-to-day moments
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Compassion Practices - kindness, compassion, gratitude, empathetic joy
Dave Trachtenberg's Commitment to Clients
I commit to doing my best to create a space for each and every person where:
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All emotions, thoughts, and experiences are fully accepted, welcomed, and honored.
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All people are fully valued, heard, and feel that they matter.
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All people have the opportunity to dream of what can be, and to pursue their dreams with loving support.
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All people can speak their truth and be accepted and embraced for it. All sides of you will be accepted, and never judged.
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All people will be invited into a place of curiosity and inquiry, in order to gently challenge themselves to face fears and areas of growth in a way that is safe.
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All people will be treated with a deep sense of empathy, kindness, and compassion. In turn, I will do my best to guide clients to learn practices of self-compassion and self-kindness, so that they can learn to love and embrace all parts of themselves.
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All people are supported in their journey of growth and self-discovery regardless of their past experiences and actions. Everyone deserves a clean slate, and a chance at beginning anew.
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All people are given the time, space and dedication needed to discover their wisdom, and the courage to navigate their challenges.
"The wound is the place where the light enters you."
~ Rumi
"Mindfulness meditation doesn't change life. Life remains as fragile and unpredictable as ever. Meditation changes the heart's capacity to accept life as it is. It teaches the heart to be more accommodating, not by beating it into submission, but by making it clear that accommodation is a gratifying choice."
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~ Sylvia Boorstein
“Touch your inner space, which is nothingness, as silent and empty as the sky; it is your inner sky. Once you settle down in your inner sky, you have come home, and a great maturity arises in your actions, in your behavior. Then whatever you do has grace in it. Then whatever you do is a poetry in itself. You live poetry; your walking becomes dancing, your silence becomes music.”
~ Osho
