Last week on the Today show there was a story about a woman who found freedom from panic attacks after forty years. Yes, 40. No gimmicks; rather, simplicity, the presence of a compassionate witness, practice, faith.
Healing can be found in the simplest things. Breathe.
A dear friend sent me this photo from her recent travels.
The photo evokes such a palpable feeling of peace and calm. I sit still, in a quiet comfortable place, and look at the photo; I breathe deeply, effortlessly.
Sometimes a piece of music, a photograph or a poem can help transport us from the din of everyday life to an oasis of peace.
Ahhhhh…..
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Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, When the soul lies down in that grass, |
| –Rumi |
I attended a wonderful class last weekend that integrated some of the most current principles and practices of neurobiology, mindfulness, trauma healing and attachment.
Class participants included psychotherapists, yoga teachers, educators, massage therapists, all of us human beings with our own lived experience that also facilitates our work in service to others. At the end of the day, I felt immensely hopeful and inspired.
Translated: our bodies and our brains are already wired and ready to assist us in our healing.
What is one thing you might do today to befriend your body?
I see a trend happening: repeat appearances of the word "release" in my poems, postings, and journal entries.
Release, as in drop it, let it go.
Do we need to be aware of what we're actually holding onto in order to let it go? What about those things embedded in the unconscious?
A regular meditation practice is one approach to regularly emptying our minds, including any static or mental garbage, worry or distress. For some people, meditation means sitting on the cushion, while for others it's walking, movement, writing or music. Either way, we're breathing consciously, deliberately, always noticing and letting go.
