A MEDITATION TO UNITE THE WORLD!
During a recent loving kindness meditation I had a vision. The entire world had stopped to hold hand to heart; to breathe in peace and to breathe out calm.
I thought to myself, how powerful this practice could be to make the planet breathe a little easier!
It turns out there is already a movement rallying us together to collectively pause for humanity – Global Silent Minute.
Inspired by England’s silent minute during the First World War – whose collective pause for peace and freedom at 9:00pm each evening has been attributed as the “secret weapon” to diverting Germany’s invasion – Global Silent Minute takes place in Australian time on December 22 at 8am, AEDST.
All we need to do in the name of peace, harmony and global cooperation is stop what we’re doing and shoosh for 60 seconds!
So that’s what I’ll be doing on December 22 – how about you?
In the meantime, here’s a meditation you can try any time you’re wanting a little peace and calm in your own life or the life of others.
Merry Christmas!
Welcome. This is a meditation you can try if you’re feeling alone, or disconnected from life.
BECOMING PRESENT
Before we commence just gently harness your attention in to where you are; to settle on your body, and on your breath.
Elongating the spine as much as you can to feel alert but also remain comfortable. Feeling an opening of the chest, a dropping of the shoulders, and a softening of the tummy.
And having a quick check-in with yourself. How am I feeling in this moment? Just giving your mental state a little label. Busy, relaxed, sleepy – whatever it may be. Accepting this state.
And establishing a connection with your breath now. Following the in-breath as far as it goes, until it turns around and comes back out again. Feeling each breath envelope different parts of your body.
Perhaps noticing your breathing start to settle as you allow the body and the mind this time to be still; to rest; to simply be.
MEDITATION
What I invite you to do now is place your hand on your heart; or if you prefer just to imagine holding your hand to your chest.
And with every in-breath and out-breath, synchronise the phrases:
Breathing in peace
Breathing out calm
Inviting peace and calm into your experience with every in-breath and every out-breath.
Breathing in peace
Breathing out calm
And now, bit by bit, imagine others are stopping to do the same.
In the suburbs. People sitting at traffic lights. People filling up their cars.
Breathing in peace
Breathing out calm
Farmers in their fields. Teachers in front of their classes. World leaders and the homeless alike.
Hand on chest. Breathing in peace, breathing out calm.
People you know and love; and those people you find hard to love.
Each stopping to breathe in peace and breathe out calm.
Imagine the entire world has stopped all at once to partake in this one simple gesture. All together, hands on chest.
Breathing in peace
Breathing out calm
Generating loving energy. Dissolving hurt and fear. Becoming aware of everything we share; of our similarities, rather than our differences.
Breathing in peace
Breathing out calm
How much easier the planet would breathe if we could all pause and take in these symbolic breaths? The oxygen that this earth provides us and that we transform to give back.
I’ll leave you here to continue on in silent meditation. Continue to breathe in peace and breathe out calm and if you can keep the visualisation going, imagining all sorts of people near and afar stopping to hold hand to heart and do the same.
Peace. Calm.
