Be still and know that I AM God. ~ Psalm 46:10
Be still and know I AM.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.

Our intention this week is to explore MEDITATION. In the classical yoga tradition, asana yoga is practiced as a preparation for seated meditation. Yoga Nidra, Restorative, and Yin Yoga are also wonderful meditative practices. What exactly is meditation? The definition is “to think deeply or focus for a time for spiritual purposes or to relax. To think deeply or carefully about something.” Whatever we think deeply or carefully about becomes what we meditate on. What fills your mind, my friend? The Hebrew word for meditate is DOMAH, and is literally translated as “to liken, compare, to make oneself like.” Whatever we meditate on, think deeply about, is what we become like. The more we sit with our thoughts, the more likely we are to act on them. Are we carefully and deliberately choosing what we meditate on? I choose to meditate on pure, positive, present thoughts, connecting with the Peace within me. What’s the best that can, and will happen? ❤️

Meditation 101
By: Claudia Cummins

To give meditation a try, sit comfortably, set a timer for 10 minutes, and explore one of the following strategies. And consider yourself forewarned: Meditation is a delightfully simple practice, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy!

Just Sit: Commit to doing nothing more than sitting quietly and watching what happens. Don’t pick up the phone, don’t answer the doorbell, don’t add another item to your to-do list. Just sit and observe the thoughts that arise and pass through your mind. You will likely be surprised by how difficult it is to sit quietly for 10 minutes. In the process, though, you may learn something important about the qualities of the restless mind and the ever-changing nature of life.

Listen to the Sounds of Life: Close your eyes and tune in to the sounds percolating both within and around you. Open your ears and adopt a receptive attitude. At first, you’ll likely hear only the most obvious noises, but over time, you’ll discover new layers of sounds that you had previously tuned out. Challenge yourself to observe what you hear without clinging to it or resisting it. Notice how the world feels more alive as your awareness of the present deepens.

Practice Bare Attention: Notice the raw sensations of the present moment—feelings of warmth and coolness, hardness and softness, pressure and ease. Which parts of your body are in contact with the earth? How does the shape of the body shift with each inhalation and exhalation? How does your experience change over time? Cultivating an awareness of the present moment will foster a more serene and attentive mind, one that is able to settle into the here and now.

Follow the Breath: Attach your mind to the breath. While you’re breathing in, note that you’re breathing in, and while you’re breathing out, focus on the exhalation. Don’t manipulate the breath in any way; simply watch it with your mind’s eye, just as you would follow a tennis ball bouncing from one side of the court to the other during a particularly engrossing match. When you find that your mind has strayed, as it inevitably will, gently refocus it on the breath and begin again.

Use a Mantra: Choose a favorite word, phrase, prayer, or fragment of a poem, and repeat it slowly and softly. Let its rhythm and meaning lull you into a quiet, contemplative state of ease. When you notice that your mind has wandered off to other thoughts, simply redirect it back toward the words you’ve chosen as your touchstone and rededicate your awareness to them.

Practice Kindness: As you sit quietly, focus your inner attention on someone you know who might benefit from an extra dose of kindness and care. In your mind’s eye, send this person love, happiness, and well-being. Soften your skin, open the floodgates of your heart, and let gentle goodwill pour forth.

The Weaver and the Loom, by Danna Faulds

Sit here for a bit. Place yourself
outside the frenzied pace of life.
Slow down long enough to 
appreciate birds in flight, water 
drops like prisms in the grass and 
countless shades of green. Step
off the fast track and listen to the
sound of breath and birdsong. Take
a moment to just be, and in the being, 
know the whole of this creation, 
mystery and madness, passion and
profanity, know it all as one, stunning
tapestry. Sit still and the thin line
between sacred and profane simply
fades away. There is nothing then
to reconcile. All the disparate threads
are woven on the loom of life. Sit here
for a bit and your unique place in the
pattern becomes clear. Take the still
point with you when it’s time to walk
away. Make the choice to see affinity, 
to watch the picture taking shape as
thread joins thread. Dare to be the 
weaver and the loom, creator and
creation, the sower and the sown.
In a moment of stillness, all that 
came before is seen as one.

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious — the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

Philippians 4:8-9, The Message

May you incorporate some new meditative practices into your busy life this week. Begin to crave the calm connection — just be. “Show up for what’s up, so it won’t keep showing up! When you think you’ve surrendered, surrender some more. Be the humble witness of what will unfold.” ~ Gabby Bernstein

What’s the best that can, and will happen? ❤️

“May my meditation be sweet to Him.” ~ Pslam 104:34 NKJV