Hello,
Thank you for joining me today.
Take some time now to set yourself up comfortably,
Whether you're seated or laying down,
Using a blanket or pillows,
Whatever you'd like.
Even press pause if you need to,
To get yourself ready.
I love the word grace.
It always conjures up images in our mind's eye of beauty and refinement and agility,
But rarely images of decency or decorum and or elegance are created.
We live in a society of zero tolerance for failure,
Which a show of power or strong arming another is the only way of achieving more.
But more of what?
Ask yourself that.
But what if you could connect meaningfully with the world around you?
Experience a shared humanity?
See the layers and intricacies in the lives that are unfolding all around you?
In our society,
To be more,
To do more,
To give more is to realize and accept that we suffer from this human condition,
That we are fallible.
And through a practice of self-regulation,
We stay grounded.
We use our breath,
We use our body to actively listen to ourselves and those around us.
We respond with intention.
We respond with grace to ourselves and others.
So can you alter your life by altering your attitude?
And repeat to yourself,
I am grace.
I am grace.
I am grace.
Now let's take your awareness to the soles of your feet.
What do they feel like?
Are they touching anything,
Whether it's a pair of socks,
The ground beneath you?
Maybe it's air.
Just notice them.
Now shift your awareness to the palms of your hands,
Whether they're touching somewhere on your body,
The air,
Or holding another hand.
Just feel your palms.
Let's move your awareness from the palms of your hands to your heart and envision your heart,
Whether it's a cartoon bubble heart in your body,
Or whether it's an anatomical drawing of the heart,
However you picture your heart.
How is it moving?
How is it taking in energy and sending out energy?
And from your heart,
Your awareness now moves to the crown of your head,
The very top of your head,
Like as if you had a book and you were balancing it.
And envision that space is wide open.
And all around you is this beautiful,
Bright,
White,
Shiny,
Sparkly light.
It's attractive.
It's inviting.
You want to take it in.
So let's take it in.
With every breath in,
This beautiful,
White,
Sparkly light comes in through the crown of your head to your heart,
From your heart through the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet,
Brightening up every single nook and cranny within your own body,
Within your heart,
And within your mind.
With every exhale,
Allow this light to go out just as bright as it came in.
As you're taking in the energy,
You're sharing the energy.
And now think of this energy as grace,
As beautiful,
Bright,
Pure,
White light.
You're taking in for yourself and you're giving out to your community.
As you envision this exchange,
You experience your body.
How is your body moving with your breath?
And with your lips sealed,
Let this grace come in for a count of 4,
3,
2,
1,
And let it out for 4,
3,
2,
And 1.
And breathe in.
Breathe out.
And continue with just this soft,
Easy,
Steady breath,
Experiencing the inhales and exhales being equalish in length.
And letting the grace come into your heart and your mind and your body,
And letting the grace go out just as strongly as it came in.
Being of grace is not a switch that one turns on or off with convenience.
It's a way of being.
It's a way of interacting in and with the world around you.
It is a way to leave an indelible mark,
A way to build a community,
A sangha of humans committed to each other.
And everyone that you are in contact with has a life that is as full and as complex as your own.
And they are the protagonist of their own story,
Not an extra in yours.
So to be of grace is to be fully aware of this concept.
It's known as sonder.
So let's bring to mind a time when you realized a loved one's joys and dreams and struggles appeared so real to you that it almost became your own.
Or vice versa,
When your joys and struggles and dreams appeared to be real to a loved one,
The look in their eyes when they finally understood.
Did you notice that judgments were dropped and dismissals were abandoned?
Empathy was created.
Curiosity and respect were abundant.
This reaction or response is grace.
For a moment,
Let's let go of the story and come to the somatic feeling of grace.
What did it feel like in your body?
In your heart?
Where does your mind go first?
Notice what's going on in your body as you bring to mind the feeling of this memory.
Begin to visualize the rest of your week.
The rest of this month.
Maybe the rest of your year.
Maybe the rest of your life.
All the meetings and the interactions that you'll have with people.
All those that you know.
And those that you don't know so well.
Or maybe you haven't even met yet.
What would it be like to show up and respond with this quality deep within you,
This quality of grace?
What would that be like?
And now ask yourself,
What small action can I take today to show people that I see them?
The act of grace reminds you to share the complexity of human life.
Let this perspective deepen your empathy and enrich the way you move through and around this world,
Your world.
I am grace.
Thank you for joining me today.
It means a lot.
And remember,
I am grace.
