I think it is important to pay attention to how we take up space. This is not to say that we should not take up space, or that we cannot sometimes fall apart and be a little less mindful. Rather, the point is that there is such deep importance in our thoughts, our words, our deeds. We live in a deeply saturated and loud world. When we add our music to it, we want it to have purpose and beauty.

Can you imagine if everyone did this? If everyone honored themselves, their thoughts, words, and actions, as sacred? If we could all come to live this way? Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? What could shift if we asked ourselves these questions as we moved about our day?

There are moments when we forget to breathe, when we forget to slow down and ask ourselves these questions before we speak or act. Then we find compassion and forgiveness for ourselves and we try to remember next time.

Life is practice and although we seem to strive for it, there exists no such thing as perfection. The sooner we open to that truth, the sooner we stop punishing ourselves and others.

We breathe, we do our best, we treat ourselves as sacred as the pathway to treating others as sacred. That is the place from which we can begin to heal our world.

Do what you need to do to ask yourself these questions before you take up space in the world. It is not a matter of not taking up the space – it is a question of how you will occupy the space you do take up.

What will help you get there? Maybe you can set a timer for every five or ten minutes and pause to take a few conscious breaths and maybe even notice how you spent those last few minutes. Can you do that for an hour of your day? This is going to be my practice is the coming weeks.

As you gain practice, maybe the timer can be less frequent and eventually you may not need it at all. Maybe the practice, if it works for you, becomes so ingrained in your sacred self that it has become you with no need for reminder. And then maybe in those trying moments, because you have more overall awareness, you can steady yourself with your breath as you gather your thoughts, as you contemplate your words and as you prepare your deeds. Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?

With Love and Gratitude,