My 7 year old son asks me this every night.  This is how we end the day at his bedtime and now, after about 6 months, he initiates it.  For months he loved to hear what I was grateful for each day and would ‘ditto’ those.  It seemed like a special surprise or treat anytime I said that I was grateful for HIM or a specific time shared with him that day.  Now he is catching on and has his own ‘gratefuls’.  This is not only a beautiful ritual to build into your day and your families but it actually reduces stress hormones, like Cortisol, in your body.  Other practices for bedtime that reduce stress hormones and prepare your body and mind for deep, content sleep are intentional breathing and less to NO screens an hour before bed.  

Try  breathing in through your nose for 4 seconds, emulate a slow sip to elongate and then breathing out thoroughly for 6-8 seconds.  Until your lungs feel truly empty.

Keep this up for at least 2 minutes as you first rest your head on your pillow and hands are on belly.

Sweet Dreams.

An affirmation from Edgar Cayce that can bring a quiet purpose to your doings:

Let me be a channel of peace in the world

Repeated in the morning and throughout the day, this may surprise you in the ways it can weave itself into the fabric of your interactions as your perception changes and you become a more integrated piece of the whole.  You may find yourself with words you haven’t heard yourself speak before that prove to be the guidance or reassurance another needs…

Ask yourself  when interacting with others:

How can my presence contribute to this? What can I give or offer?

Remembering to prompt yourself in this way while confirming your presence as benefical to others removes any intention of gain.  It assists with resetting curiosity, approach, and approachableness.

Meditation on loving kindness:

I notice how my body feels and the thoughts that occupy my mind.  I give full attention to what I find there.  As I focus my attention on any discomfort, tension, anxiety, fear, easiness, calm, joy, – any and all sensations residing in me- I meet them with loving kindness.  I move towards and sit with the sensations I experience.  There is no resistance, only acknowledgement and acceptance.  With loving kindness all is dissolved and I am free of what was held.

Being curious about yourself and your experience can release judgments you may be in the practice of imposing.

Ask yourself: What can I contribute to today?  How can I approach the situations I encounter with ease?   How can every moment be infused with a lighter tone and willingness to explore what is offered?

Honoring a joyful curiosity is something we do naturally in childhood.  Releasing the layers of conditioning brought on with age, and keeping vigilant about holding a fresh perspective will help you to see and behave differently.  It will change all of your experiences.

Yesterday my sister was here for a short stay to help celebrate my daughter’s upcoming birthday.  In the morning, we stepped out to take the dog for a walk before mixing up a batch of chocolate waffles for the bunch of  smiley kiddos that were continuing on with us from the sleepover party started the evening before.  While making our way around the neighborhood, a man in a black impala stopped to ask us for….. directions, though, he wasn’t seeking a designated spot on a map.   He shared a delimia with us to do with his self expression constantly being copied by a friend.  His case was of a buddy always matching up choice in cars – colors, tinting, rims, and trims-  to be the same as what he chose.  He asked, “how  would you guys feel about this?”.  My first thought was to reply, “make your peace with it” but for some reason the urge to defer to my sister was stronger than the need to speak.  I’m glad because her response was so much better for this exchange!  She said to him, “that’s because you have good taste” with a snap in the air.  “Imitation is the highest form of flattery, isn’t that what they say!?!”  The man nodded his head in agreement, feeling the truth of this saying.  I joined her in sharing that had he asked me this same question ten years ago I would have felt the issue in a similar way, wanting my choices in style, decor, or other expression to stand alone as a mark of my identity.  I went on to say that when we are firmly rooted, owning ourselves and our choices, we don’t care if someone copies them because: “hey! I’m at peace with myself and my choices and I love my ideas and why shouldn’t you too.”  He smiled at us and said, “I’m glad I asked you about this.”  He drove on and Jen and I took a moment to hash out why it was better for her to speak first.  She had the ‘right’ way to relate and then opened our visitor to receiving the idea of loving yourself first, so it’s easy for others to do so as well.

It’s important to get the context spot on before moving into new territory with change and rewiring perspective.  So often we need to open to another way of thinking, but the combination or code for understanding communication has to be matched first.

Choose a way of asking yourself a question about the root of our relationships, health and Dharma.

• Am I allowing within this moment or am I resisting within this moment?
• Is this love, right now or is this fear, right now?

Whether you find yourself looking back, examining the present experience OR looking ahead to the big IF…. chose which version of this sits well with you and ask it for the rest of your life.

Positivity, flow and abundance are there waiting for us all.

When you find yourself in a cycle of thinking that weighs down your energy or  that you realize doesn’t support a positive flow or peacefulness, you can either let it go or change the channel.  Sometimes letting something go isn’t easy, but if you can learn to place your attention on things that feel good, it may help you let go more quickly.  Switching the channel and letting go can be the same thing or work as feeders into the other.  What channel can you switch to when everything in your day is off?  How can you let go when you’ve got a huge problem staring you in the face? The most effective channel I’ve tried is gratitude.  Making a list of the things that are going well and that you’re thankful for is helpful.  You may find other channels that help you to switch gears or let go through art, exercise, nature, or otherwise depending on your passions.  Gratitude, however, is a failsafe for all.