Seasonal Sentiments

I notice the themes of peace, love and joy showing up throughout the holiday season. These are great sentiments to share during the holidays and throughout the year.

PEACE I am reminded of the words of Thich Nhat Hanh who said, “There is no way to peace; peace is the way.” We should not wait for some spiritual teacher or government leader to create peace in the world. All peace begins with us—in our hearts, in our words and in our actions.  

LOVE Just this week I read these words by Mohanji: “Whenever negative thoughts plague your mind, whatever its causes are, step back and think for a moment ‘Is this what I choose to park in my sacred space?’ I bet you will want nothing to do with those negative thoughts. Instead, park love in your sacred space permanently.” Can it be that simple to remind ourselves that we want ourselves to be expressions of love in all we think, say and do? Yes, it can be that easy.

JOY This quote from Buffy Sainte-Marie should make you smile: “You have to sniff out joy. Keep your nose to the joy trail.” So much of information flowing toward us these days is not good news and if we get caught up in it we will most certainly lose track of our joy. Let’s keep our focus on that trail of joy by expressing gratitude for all that is good and beautiful in our lives and in the world.

HERE’S A PRACTICE FOR YOU
Find a comfortable place to sit where you won’t be disturbed for 10 minutes.
For about a minute settle down and simply breathe in and out.
For two minutes, breathe in peace and breathe out peace.
For two minutes, breathe in love and breathe out love.
For two minutes, breathe in joy and breathe out joy.
For two minutes, choose one of the three and breathe in and breathe out.
For the last minute, observe how you feel in your body, mind and emotions and make an easy transition into the rest of your day.