by Yvette Erasmus | Feb 28, 2017 | Communication, Compassion, Connection, NVC, presence
A post-it note on my office wall reminds me:”Stop loving people for who they could be, or who you want them to be, and start loving people for who they actually are, right now.”Strangely enough, this is not easy.Sometimes the way that people show up in the... by Yvette Erasmus | Oct 11, 2016 | Connection
Sometimes I confuse being “introverted” with my fear of being engulfed by other people. One cue that it’s not really my introversion (a legitimate and real thing for me!), but rather my fear of engulfment that is coming up, is when I notice myself being “too... by Yvette Erasmus | Sep 19, 2016 | Connection, Reactivity, Relationships, Shadow Work, Slowing Down, Suffering
Last week, I was casually telling some people about a time when a perspective shifted in my life and suddenly found myself choked up with tears and pain. My first thoughts: Damn. Not here. Not now.I was with a group of relative strangers, doing task-related,... by Yvette Erasmus | Sep 12, 2016 | Connection, Listening, presence, Slowing Down
As I write this, I am sitting in at a resort in Nova Scotia listening to the ocean waves gently lapping at the rocks outside. The first day of intensive training in Integral Facilitation has been unexpectedly powerful for me: you know it’s a good training when you are... by Yvette Erasmus | Jun 14, 2016 | Connection, presence, Slowing Down
Yesterday I dropped off my daughter at summer tennis lessons, went to pay the fee, and found out that I would be charged a $45 surcharge each month because I wasn’t a resident of this particular suburb. I impulsively blurted out with irritation, “Oh Shit, you must be... by Yvette Erasmus | Jun 7, 2016 | Communication, Compassion, Connection, Dialogue, Empathy, Empowerment
When I used to hear things like: “Don’t take this personally, but …” or “I am not trying to criticize you, but …” my hackles would rise in preparation. My loyal defenses would kick in (we all know whatever follows that “but” is not going to be good) and I would...