The sunset yesterday was spectacularly beautiful. It lasted only for a few moments but captivated me with it’s soft pinks and cloud shapes. I feel so blessed to be able to be present for and enjoy such moments.
Still, these are trying times we are living in.
“We are uncomfortable because everything in our life keeps changing — our inner moods, our bodies, our work, the people we love, the world we live in. We can’t hold on to anything — a beautiful sunset, a sweet taste, an intimate moment with a lover, our very existence as the body/mind we call self — because all things come and go. Lacking any permanent satisfaction, we continuously need another injection of fuel, stimulation, reassurance from loved ones, medicine, exercise, and meditation. We are continually driven to become something more, to experience something else.”
― Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha
Today, my friends, I am asking you to
Treat Yourself With Tenderness
These days, I hear more and more reports of incidents of angry, violent responses to small things. I know that I am tired of the pandemic, tired of staying at home, tired of feeling scared to connect with others, and especially tired of uncertainty. But I don’t want to make things worse by lashing out in anger or doing what I want to do without thinking of how my behavior might impact others. One easy practice that helps calm me comes from meditation teacher Tara Brach.
She often begins her guided meditations with the following instruction…
Place your hands on your heart and ask yourself what really matters. Why are you here today doing this meditation? What really matters to you?
— paraphrased from Tara Brach guided meditation
I noticed several things when I did this practice. First when I put my hands over my heart, it felt like such a loving compassionate gesture. Ah, yes, hello heart. How are you today? I love you.
Then I noticed that I immediately relaxed a bit and took a deep breath, releasing tension I didn’t even know I was holding. All of this came from a simple gesture of putting my hands on heart.
“… this revolutionary act of treating ourselves tenderly can begin to undo the aversive messages of a lifetime.”
― Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha
I now use this gesture whenever I am feeling tense, sad, or uncertain. It never fails to help me settle in and think about what really matters to me in this moment.
Peace, healing, for myself… and the world
“The intimacy that arises in listening and speaking truth is only possible if we can open to the vulnerability of our own hearts. Breathing in, contacting the life that is right here, is our first step. Once we have held ourselves with kindness, we can touch others in a vital and healing way.”
― True Refuge: Finding Peace and Freedom in Your Own Awakened Heart
Life is beautiful. And it is also often difficult. I hope you can take a moment today and every day to treat yourself with tenderness.
“I found myself praying: “May I love and accept myself just as I am.”
― Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha
May you love and accept yourself just as you are.
May you walk in beauty.
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