It’s a big day here at A Sacred Journey! Not only do you get another free preview of the book today (this time a guided meditation)–today is also the day that the book website is launching! Pilgrimprinciples.com is your resource for learning more about the book, finding all of the free previews, reading more of what others are saying, and finding buttons and images to share on your blog or through social media. It’s time to spread the word!
You can also enter to win a signed copy of the book at pilgrimprinciples.com by signing up to receive A Sacred Journey’s weekly newsletter (those already signed up will be automatically entered). But what I’m most excited to share with you about the new site is the book trailer–a tantalizing foretaste of the book if I do say so, myself. Click here or on the video below to watch it now. (But don’t forget to come back to read your next free preview!)
Video by Sparkfly Photography; Music by Feather & Belle, used with permission
Have you watched the trailer? Did you drool with anticipation? And did you sign up to be entered to win a free copy? Good. Then you’re ready for this week’s free preview, which is from the 5th Pilgrim Principle: “A pilgrim creates daily rhythms to ground himself.” In the book, I focus on 5 areas of centering: mind, soul, spirit, presence, and the subject of today’s free preview–body. Today’s preview is a guided meditation–something that you’ll find with each principle in the book. I’ve also included a review I just received from Victor Saad, someone who is truly embracing life as a journey. (Read more reviews here.) Missed a preview? I’ve linked to all of them below.
Enjoy, and don’t forget to share!
1. “A pilgrim looks for the Sacred in the Quotidian” // Home
2. “A pilgrim practices somatic spirituality” // Taste
3. “A pilgrim is a good steward of resources” // Possessions
4. “A pilgrim immerses herself in culture” // Language
MORE PRAISE FOR THE BOOK
“Lacy takes you on a journey you’ve always longed for but never knew how to begin. With her as your gracious and eloquent guide, you’ll find yourself asking questions that move your soul and lead to meaningful discoveries. But beware, this is no quick read of quips and cliche advice. Pack your bags and bring along a few extra journals. The challenges and exercises will take you through meditation, practice, and reflection–all fueled by a hope that you will know your creator, your world, and your self far better than before.”
Victor Saad, founder of The Experience Institute
and author of The Leap Year Project
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pilgrim principles free book preview: body
a guided meditation
When we explored the second Pilgrim Principle, “A pilgrim practices somatic spirituality,” we talked about just how important the body is to our spirituality and how it can be used as a vessel for Sacred Encounter, inviting us to engage our spirituality in new ways. In the same way, the pilgrim knows that the exterior physical journey is a conduit to the interior spiritual journey. This is why, as we seek to ground ourselves, centering the body plays an especially important role.
Though it’s not often recognized in Western medicine, the wellness of the body is connected to the wellness of the mind or soul. Think about it: When you’re angry, does your body tense up? When you’re nervous, does your heart pound quickly? When you’re anxious, do you find that you might not be breathing as often or as deeply as you should?
No wonder we have expressions such as “Don’t forget to breathe” or “I have butterflies in my stomach.” Our bodies respond to the emotions and thoughts we’re experiencing, whether we’re aware of it or not. Sometimes our bodies can tell us that something is wrong when we don’t even know it–they hold our struggle and anxiety when we are unable or unwilling to do so otherwise.
Just as discomfort in our bodies can remind us to check in with our thoughts or emotions, when we experience heavy or complex thoughts and emotions, centering our body can help us to center our mind and soul. In this exercise we’re going to go through a meditation that you can use in the future–on your own at anytime and anyplace–when you want to center your body in order to help center your mind, soul, and spirit, calling you back to presence.
GUIDED MEDITATION
Get into a comfortable seated position with your feet on the floor. Close your eyes, gently breathing in and out for a few moments, slowing your breath, slowing your body, slowing your mind.
Now we’re going to begin a breathing exercise used in yoga and meditation, called ujjayi breath (pronounced oo-jai-ee). Ujjayi breath brings relaxation to the body, cultivating deep breathing that takes us all the way to our edges, where our lungs are fully empty and then conversely where they are completely full. To insure that your stomach and lungs are expanding when you breathe, it might be helpful to place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach.
Slowly breathe in through the nose, filling first the belly, then the chest, until your lungs are completely full. Pause, holding the breath in, and then slowly breathe out through the mouth with a slight “ha” sound (like waves in the ocean), releasing first the chest and then the belly, until your lungs are completely empty. Pause there, holding the breath out, and repeat. Your breathing will sound like waves rolling into the shore.
Closing your eyes, continue the ujjayi breath, breathing in to the count of four, pausing, and then breathing out to the count of four and pausing once more.
continue the breath for a few minutes with your eyes closed
Begin to relax your breath into a normal and steady thoughtless pace. You might find that your body is starting to feel centered already. Now we’re going to practice awareness of our bodies, beginning with our toes all the way to the top of our head. This practice helps your mind to stay focused on your body and can also help you recognize where you’re feeling pain or tension that you might not have noticed otherwise. It is also a good practice when you want to call yourself back to the present moment.
read each prompt one-by-one below,
following the instructions slowly as you go along, taking time to pause
and notice how you feel between each prompt
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Begin with your toes and the soles of your feet firmly on the ground. Without moving, feel the energy in your feet–the warmth, your blood flowing, the feeling of them touching the ground.
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Now slowly move your focus up to your knees. How do they feel?
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Continue moving up to your hips, feeling the energy of your body against your chair, grounded and rooted in your current position.
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Now move your attention up to your chest. How’s your breathing? Feel your chest rise and fall with the steadiness of your breath, and notice how it moves your entire upper body.
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Move out down the arms into your hands, resting. Do you feel the energy flowing, even though you’re not moving? Remember with gratitude all of the work your hands do each day.
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Now shift your focus back up the arms to your shoulders. This is a place where many people hold a lot of tension. Make sure your shoulders are back, opening your chest, and imagine breathing into that space, caring for and relieving any tension that’s there.
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Finally, move up to your mouth, your nose, your ears, your eyes, until you’ve reached the top of your head. Breathe clarity and peace into a place that’s so often consumed with thoughts.
bring your meditation to a close by returning
for a few moments to the ujjayi breath
As you come to an end, close your eyes once more and sit in stillness for a few moments, noticing how you feel.
PRACTICE
Do this meditation on your own anytime you feel chaotic and need re-centering, remembering how physically feeling grounded can lead to emotional, mental, and spiritual centering.
REFLECTION
How does your body feel after this meditation? How do you feel? In what ways can you incorporate exercises like these in moments when you need to feel grounded?
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This post was an excerpt from Pilgrim Principles: Journeying with Intention
in Everyday Life, releasing January 6, 2014.
Come back next Wednesday for another free preview and learn more about the book
and enter to win a signed copy at pilgrimprinciples.com.
