Be still

Getting to “fall back” an hour can be a big help for people like me, for whom “early to bed and early to rise” is an ongoing struggle. Thanks to the time change I made it to the Temple of Light to meditate this morning (true, it was after group sadhana, but it’s a start)!

It’s such a blessing to meditate in the Temple, but — even so — I could tell that feelings of anxiety and restlessness had a grip on me. Sometimes when that happens, doing my specific “practices” can feel like a chore, something to be resisted rather than embraced. So instead of practicing “techniques” I started an inner dialogue: “Be still. Be still. Be still. Breathe. Be still….”

After a while I realized “Be still” was directed to my body and I inwardly added: “Be calm” for my mind. “Be calm. Be calm. Be still. Be calm…” And finally…

RELAX.

That’s for my heart. I remember being in Assisi and hearing Swamiji say to a friend: “Relax in your heart.” It was a new concept to me and I’ve always remembered him saying it. But I haven’t been very consistent about doing it and lately I’ve been feeling an increasing tightness there. So, “Relax in the heart. Relax in the heart. Be still. Be calm. Relax in the heart…”

Afterwards I suddenly recalled a beautiful experience from years and years ago. I was attending a Unity church in San Francisco, and one of the ministers (Troy Wheeler; I still remember his name!) did something different for his sermon. First he asked us to close our eyes and then he shared the following scripture, repeating each phrase several times, with gradually increasing pauses in between.

Be still and know that I am God…
Be still and know that I am…
Be still and know…
Be still…
Be…

I think that might have been one of my first experiences of true stillness; it was truly peaceful and I’ve never forgotten it.

By the way, I did manage to get still and calm and relaxed enough so I could also practice my techniques this morning! 🙂