Breathing In Calm
It has been quite a week for everyone. As the counts have gone one way or the other, so people's emotions have followed. Just as a cart follows the ox. And as this has been happening one thought has kept with me. This is what we train for.
This is going to be a short message today, as you are probably all being bombarded with messages from all sides, as even with the apparent resolution there is still an undercurrent of uncertainty and division. All I really want to emphasize is this: This is what we train for. How we each as individuals ride the roller-coaster, how we manage our emotions, how we interact with like-minded and non-like-minded people over this period is important.
And it all starts with our ability to cultivate calm ourselves. Even if there is continued uncertainty, even if we see some around us stirring up division through fear, anger and hatred, this is our opportunity to instead be grounded, loving, full of compassion and calm.
A few weeks ago I shared an article by the revered teacher Thích Nhất Hạnh. In it he encourages us to use the following poem in our meditation.
Breathing in, I calm my body.
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment
I know this is a wonderful moment.
Now is a wonderful time to practice this. You can of course do this on your own wherever you are, but I have linked below an audio recording of a fully-guided meditation using this poem, and specifically focusing on the first line. You are welcome to listen to that if you find it helpful. A few of us have committed to press 'play' together at 7pm PT on Sunday 8th November. Again, you are welcome to join us if you wish.
However you choose to practice, I encourage you to practice cultivating this in the coming weeks. It is only from this place of calm that we can generate the true love, compassion and joy that we can bring to the world.
Metta, Chris.
If the above player doesn't work for you, please click here.
Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash
No comments:
Post a Comment
Share your thoughts, but please be kind. I will remove any spam or unhelpful posts.