heart

The Still Point

Center For Zen Practice

Checking In With Your Compassionate Heart

As we go about our day our mind may fill with conditioned stories and our body with tension and bracing. Returning regularly to the wisdom and compassion of our own heart can change our experience of daily life.

To support your awareness practice experiment with setting a timer, watch, or computer to sound every 30 minutes throughout all or part of your day. When it sounds, stop what you are doing, take a breath, and notice what your mind is thinking and how your body feels.

Simply taking this pause to notice... to come back into your body and the present moment... can break the hold that conditioned mind might have. It can help you see the self-talk going on in your head and how it affects your perspective on life. If you want to add more kindness for yourself, you can take another breath and focus on something beautiful within your range of vision.

Another step might be to choose words of reassurance for sub-personalities within you who might be having a hard time. Sometimes a phrase will emerge naturally in the moment, but it might be helpful to select a phrase or two in the morning to use throughout the day. Write these “inner mentor” messages somewhere that will keep them visible so that when your timer sounds and you check in with your mind and body, you can read this message of support.

Some possible options are offered below as suggestions. You might want to choose your own after your morning meditation. The should be kind and open, with a tone of acceptance for whatever you are experiencing.

A few possibilities:

You are doing just fine.

One thing at a time. There is no hurry.

Just this, just now.

In this moment, are you OK?

This is a difficult task. It’s going to take some time.

I’m with you. You are never alone.

I love you no matter what.

Life is right here, breathe it in.

Life is at your fingertips. Focus on the sensations in your hands.

We will be fine.

None of this means anything about you.