Meditations
I have been writing meditations lately for use with my teaching and counseling. Some students have asked for me to post them here on the website, so here you go. Enjoy!
Trust Yourself
We are pretty quick to blame ourselves for mistakes and missteps. But what if we could trust that every choice we made was a "right" one; in service of a larger, sacred journey?
Love Across the Realms
Is it possible, through our powers of imagination and memory, to have an ongoing relationship with a loved one we have lost? This meditation was written for my grief clients who wanted to explore that question. Whether the relationship was beloved--or one filled with friction and unfinished business--it can help to know: we have it within our power to maintain connection across the time and space.
The Still Point
How possible is it for us to find a place of inner peace, when we feel battered by the events of the world? I wrote this meditation for those suffering in the wake of the US election. But it can be useful for coping with anything in your life that disquiets you.
When we are in the darkness, it can feel like we are all alone. But what if there was a whole world of beings out there who loved us, wished us well, and were sending us light? What difference would that make?
Dhyana mudra is Buddhist in origin. It refers to a hand gesture that is thought to bring peace and equanimity to the practitioner. I use it with clients who have suffered bereavements, but it can be helpful for loss of all kinds.
This meditation and visualization is about building the belief in self that helps us meet seemingly impossible challenges. Written originally for my grief clients, it may be useful for facing a daunting passage of any type.
This meditation is about self-compassion. It is good for anytime you are feeling discouraged or low; like what you do and who you are, somehow, aren't enough.
This meditation is designed to invite new beginnings. It might be good for the new year, if you are a person who likes to set resolutions. But really it’s good for any time you want to think in terms of opening new possibilities in your life.
Buddhists believe that love is the antidote to fear; that it is impossible for both things to exist in our minds simultaneously. At a time when our world is beset by anxieties and social division, maybe the Buddhists' gift of "Metta" (the original Sanskrit) or "universal friendliness," could be what heals us.