In this week's Parsha,
Lech Lecha,
Avram looked around and didn't like what he saw.
There was corruption,
Hypocrisy,
And moral decay all around him.
He couldn't believe in the idols that his father worshipped.
Somewhere deep inside,
He felt there had to be more.
More meaning,
More goodness,
More truth.
Ur,
The city in Babylonia where he lived,
Was no place to raise a family or nurture a spiritual life.
So Avram did something extraordinary.
He left.
He set out to find a life guided by justice,
Integrity,
And faith.
He had the courage to stand up for what he believed in,
Even at great personal risk.
Avram left his home,
His birthplace,
His country,
As God told him to,
Not knowing exactly where he was going,
But trusting that he was being guided toward something greater.
He didn't follow the crowd or the easy path.
He followed his intuition,
Or inner compass,
His gut.
That voice inside that said,
There's another way.
Avram was deeply aware of the world around him,
And he was very sensitive to injustice and to the suffering of others.
When God wanted to destroy Sdom,
Avram dared to question,
But what if there are righteous people there?
He had both courage and compassion,
And that made him not only the father of monotheistic faiths,
But also a model for conscious and courageous living.
To walk your own path,
Like Avram did,
It means daring to stand up for what you believe in,
Even when the world around you is moving in another direction.
But how do we know what we believe in?
How do we find our direction,
Or our values,
Or our truth?
It begins with awareness.
Awareness of what's happening within us,
And what's happening around us.
Before we can define our values or act on them,
We need to pause,
To listen,
To notice,
To figure out what they are.
And that's where mindfulness comes in.
Mindfulness helps us reconnect with ourselves,
To the sense of what feels right,
What feels off,
And what really matters.
Through awareness,
We can begin to forge a path that is ours,
Not one shaped by fear,
Habit,
Or other people's expectations.
Now we're going to do a guided practice,
To help us clarify what our gut,
Or our inner wisdom,
Is telling us,
And what direction we want to take.
It could be something small,
Like a conversation we need to have with a family member,
Or a co-worker,
Or something bigger,
Like what job to take,
Or what to do about a relationship.
Whatever it is,
Let this practice help you connect with that quiet voice inside,
That knows what's right for you.
Let's take a few minutes together,
Connect with that sense of inner guidance.
The same awareness that helped Avram sense that there was more waiting for him,
Beyond what he saw around him.
So finding a comfortable position,
Sitting upright,
Or lying down,
Relaxed,
But alert.
Let your hands rest gently,
On your sides,
Or on your lap.
And if it feels comfortable,
Closing your eyes,
Or just lowering your gaze.
And taking a slow,
Deep breath in through your nose.
And exhaling,
Also through your nose.
And letting yourself arrive,
Being here,
Right now.
There's nowhere else you need to be.
So allowing yourself to take another breath in,
And another breath out.
And noticing the breath as it moves through your body.
The rise and fall of your chest,
The expansion of your stomach.
And now letting your breath settle into a natural rhythm.
You don't need to change anything,
Or control anything.
Just noticing it.
Noticing the breath,
Breathing itself.
And feeling the ground beneath you,
The support of the chair,
Or the floor.
And really allowing yourself to feel supported in this moment.
So let's take a couple moments,
Quietly.
And notice any physical sensations in your body.
Physical sensations such as tension,
Warmth,
Coolness,
Heaviness,
Fatigue,
Tingling,
An ache,
Or maybe something else.
Being aware of sensations without feeling like you have to change them.
And now bringing your attention to the center of your chest.
The area around your heart.
And imagining for just a moment,
That this is where your inner compass is.
The voice that knows what's right for you.
And with each breath,
Connecting into that space.
The space that holds your feelings,
Your intuition,
And a kind of knowing,
Or insight.
And you might not hear words,
And that's okay.
So let's just take a couple moments to connect to that space around our heart.
And now asking yourself gently,
Without necessarily needing to find an answer.
What direction feels right for me,
Right now?
What path might bring me closer to what I value most?
And taking a moment and really listening.
And noticing what arises.
Maybe sensations,
Maybe images,
Emotions,
Something neutral,
Silence.
So let's take a another moment and notice.
There's no need to analyze or explain.
Just welcome whatever you notice and let it in.
And if your mind wanders away,
That's okay.
That's what the mind does.
Just bringing your attention back to your breath,
And to this place of listening,
Of noticing.
And let's take a few more slow breaths,
Natural breaths.
Letting whatever comes,
Come.
Letting whatever goes,
Go.
And now taking a moment to appreciate this awareness.
Just the simple act of noticing.
This is how every meaningful journey begins.
With awareness,
Curiosity,
And willingness to listen.
So taking one last breath in.
And one last breath out.
And when you're ready,
At your own pace,
You can let your eyes gently open,
If they were closed.
Taking a moment to notice how you feel right now.
And as you move back into your day,
See if you can carry this quality of awareness with you.
The ability to pause,
To notice,
And trust the voice from your gut that guides you.
Just like Avram did when he took his first step on an unknown path.
Thanks for listening,
And thanks for practicing with me.
