First, a short announcement from me about my studio, Sacred Chill {West} and the future of live, virtual classes with me, and then…

The Dalai Lama is releasing a new album, Inner World, on July 6 in conjunction with his 85 birthday. This album is His Holiness’ teachings and mantras set to music, and it is fairly significant because this is the first time he has ever released mantras to music as a practice.

When we meditate, we are in essence harnessing the light of awareness and shining it inside. This light allows us to look deeper inside, to see more, to clear out the cobwebs.

This past Saturday, June 20, was the Summer Solstice, and it is the first solstice in many years that I didn’t teach a special meditation event. I usually host something extra special to harness the power of these reflective times, and yet, this year, even though I had already mapped up what I wanted to share and reflect on, I just kept delaying until the day was upon us and it was too late…

Our discomfort is wise. It is asking us to pay attention to something important. Anger. Sadness. Grief. Guilt. Shame. All of these difficult feelings are wise.  And yet, the realities of most of our upbringing is that we learn to respond to this discomfort unwisely. We respond to discomfort with knee-jerk reactions.

I take the weekends off; I completely unplug. No social media, no email, no news. Usually that allows me to refuel for the week ahead and to be able to engage wholeheartedly. However, this Monday as I opened my laptop, I opened it to discover that my own city, Atlanta, GA, was the home of another unjust murder of a black man by police. Rayshard Brooks. 

Hope is a practice. It is something we do rather than something we have. So too is our meditation practice. It isn’t a state to have or exhibit, it is a practice to return to on a daily basis.

I am humbled to share this practice with you all today. You are showing up even though I’m sure many of you are experiencing feelings of I-don’t-want-to right now. Perhaps you don’t want to meditate right now because you are so uncomfortable, or angry, or disappointed, or scared, or tired, or done with waiting one more second, or all of the above.

Today’s meditation practice is a compassion practice that can apply to any person or group of people that you choose to practice for – it can be practiced for yourself, if you are the one who needs that loving support today. When we practice, we are deeply connecting to the thread of humanity we all share. Let us stand {and sit} together in solidarity and in love.