G.R.A.C.E. – A Mindful Daily Reflection or Meditation Practice Begin by settling into a comfortable, relaxed, yet alert sitting or lying down position. You may wish to take in 2-3 deeper and nourishing breaths to help you fully arrive and settle into a time of quiet.

Ground in the body Feel your feet in contact with the floor, the weight of your body being held and supported by the chair you are sitting in, or the surface you are resting on. Take a moment to experience the feel of your body being supported by the earth itself. Allow your attention to move inward, to the present moment sensations of your body simply sitting, breathing, and being – right here, right now.

Release As best you can, gently acknowledge and release any residual stress, tension, or bracing held in the body by relaxing and softening into any areas of tightness or holding. As you soften into tightly held areas, you may find it helpful to periodically take a few deeper breaths, taking in the nourishing qualities of the in-breath and experiencing the natural release or letting go of the out- breath.

Allow Open up to and allow whatever is present to simply be. As if stepping back and observing with a fresh and spacious curiosity, gently observe the sensations of your body’s natural rhythmic breathing. As best you can, be with any thoughts or emotions that may arise with the same spacious and kind observing quality you gave to the breath. There is no need to attach to, identify with, or to harshly judge our thoughts or emotions. Instead, we can practice lightening up on our all-too-common and often harsh tendencies toward judging, fixing, comparing and/or perfectionism.

Compassion Offer yourself a bit of kindness, self-compassion, and/or forgiveness. Turn the same warmth and kindness that you so freely offer to others inward now, toward yourself. Consider silently repeating to yourself, “May I be at ease” or “May I offer myself kindness, understanding, and caring today” or, perhaps reflecting on the need to make amends, or to ask for forgiveness for what you may have said, done, or not said or done. With a generous dose of kindness and humility, compassionately remember that this being human isn’t always easy for any of us.

Empathy Turn now to shine the light of kindness and wisdom outward, by extending empathy and compassion toward others. Perhaps silently sending caring wishes to another, such as “May you be at ease with the difficulties in your life” or “May you know a deep inner peace,” or perhaps reflecting on future words or helpful actions you may offer to this person. With equal doses of humility, wisdom, compassion, and growing understanding, pause to recognize another person’s innate human dignity and your shared humanity.