Healing

  • Post comments:0 Comments

Today is the 23rd of the month and it’s also the end of Yom Kippur, a Jewish observance of contemplation and reflection. Last night I stood in front of over 1000 people and guided them in silent meditation. Today, I had the honor of leading a healing gathering. On both occasions I invited everyone to cultivate a connection with our bodies as a way to enter into a contemplative healing space.

In my understanding, healing does not meaning “fixing.” It’s about coming to know ourselves as whole, even in the midst of brokenness.

While we may yearn or pray for particular outcomes and movement in our lives, healing can also be about opening to the resources within us and around us, that help us experience greater equanimity with what IS. (this doesn’t mean that we accept injustice)

Some of us are deeply aware of what kind of healing we want or need. We know that we are seeking more wholeness in body, mind, heart, or spirit, or any combination of those, Others may feel some kind of brokenness, disconnection or dis-ease that is hard to define or articulate. Still others may be focused on gratitude for how our journey towards healing is unfolding. Some of us need to just cry or turn inwards. Sometimes dancing with wild abandon is what we need. Some of us may not feel the need or desire for healing or may have difficulty with this term. Sometimes we may need to take some time to not feel our bodies. However, I have found that taking a moment to cultivate a loving connection with our bodies is often very healing. Whatever discomfort or frustration we may experience in our relationship with our bodies, it IS the vessel that houses our soul; the vehicle from which we experience life.

I share with you a few simple instructions to enter into a healing space:

Sitting or standing, sway a little bit and feel your body move and flow in space.

Lift your toes, leaving the ball of your toes and your heels on the ground. Take a moment to notice how the lifting of your toes encourages your feet to take root; helps us to ground down and connect with the earth.

As an alternative, you may do this with your hands – place your palm on a surface and lift your fingers so the base edges of your palms ground down.

From this sense of grounding, encourage your spine to lengthen upwards so that you become the connection between earth and sky.

Then take your legs wide apart, lift your arms shoulder height and reach them wide away from each other.

Inhale gently and deeply. Let your heart open expansively in all directions as you breathe in the sustenance of life.

As you exhale, let go of one layer that you don’t need to hold onto. Let your eyes soften and be here for a few breaths.

May we all to find ways to honor our bodies and our entire being. May we all experience the feeling of wholeness that is our birthright.

Leave a Reply