Session Five: Be Excessively Gentle with Yourself
Meditation Practice
When the rhythm of the heart becomes hectic,
Time takes on the strain until it breaks;
Then all the unattended stress falls in
On the mind like an endless, increasing weight.
The light in the mind becomes dim.
Things you could take in your stride before
Now become laborsome events of will.
Weariness invades your spirit.
Gravity begins falling inside you,
Dragging down every bone.
The tide you never valued has gone out.
And you are marooned on unsure ground.
Something within you has closed down;
And you cannot push yourself back to life.
You have been forced to enter empty time.
The desire that drove you has relinquished.
There is nothing else to do now but rest
And patiently learn to receive the self
You have forsaken in the race of days.
At first your thinking will darken
And sadness take over like listless weather.
The flow of unwept tears will frighten you.
You have traveled too fast over false ground;
Now your soul has come to take you back.
Take refuge in your senses, open up
To all the small miracles you rushed through.
Become inclined to watch the way of rain
When it falls slow and free.
Imitate the habit of twilight,
Taking time to open the well of color
That fostered the brightness of day.
Draw alongside the silence of stone
Until its calmness can claim you.
Be excessively gentle with yourself.
Stay clear of those vexed in spirit.
Learn to linger around someone of ease
Who feels they have all the time in the world.
Gradually, you will return to yourself,
Having learned a new respect for your heart
And the joy that dwells far within slow time.
- John O'Donohue: To Bless the Space Between Us
I hope you are all keeping well and healthy. Welcome to the fifth and final session of Path to Centre. I hope that you have found the course to be of help during this time. You can return to any of the practices any time you feel to; when you need those particular tools to help you through. Remember, by doing this work, you not only help yourself, but you help others around you.
Above you will find a short ten minute meditation which I'd really recommend doing as a part of your morning ritual and as a part of your evening ritual. It is so important to begin and end the day in a way that nourishes you. At the end of this page, is the meditation made for our group to connect over space and time, joining together our heart energy. I hope that you find them both healing and connecting.
It's been lovely to witness you sharing, connecting and supporting each other on our private Facebook group. It warms my heart! If you haven't already joined the group, you can do so by clicking the button at the end of this page.
A Recap on Materials
The materials you will need for these sessions are probably lying around your home. Please don't venture out specifically to get materials! You might pick some up during your next necessary grocery shop. You can use markers or gel pens. If you don't have those, you can use pencils, even biros! Even if you only have one coloured biro, use that and play with the tones, with the dark and light to complete the mandala.
How the sessions work
Print out the Mandala as an A4 page and if you have a printer that can print it out as A3, all the better. If you can already draw mandalas, draw one from scratch for yourself, using this session as your prompt. If you aren't familiar with how to create a personal mandala, then please use the colouring PDF provided below.
Set your Sacred Space
Set up a sacred and quiet space for yourself where you will engage with the mandala. You can do this simply by lighting a candle or burning some incense. Perhaps gather crystals or objects from nature that have meaning for you. But please do set aside a special space and time with intention to do this work. Treat this time for yourself as a loving inward time dedicated solely to you.
Session Five:
The Practice: Be Excessively Kind to Yourself
During this mandala practice, I invite you to be kind to yourself. Notice your inner mind chatter and ask yourself, am I being kind? Would I speak this way to my best friend? Now is a time to be extremely gentle and kind to yourself both in your inner world and in your outer world. I invite you to be excessively kind! Speak gently to yourself and if this is something you usually find difficult to do, a good trick to do is think up a pet name for yourself and address yourself internally as that name. Sounds very weird I know....but it works! And nobody knows about your weird internal happenings anyway, right?
And don't just do it during your mandala process, but all the time. It won't be easy at first and if you catch yourself being harsh to yourself, that's okay. It's simply habit, but habits can be broken. When you catch yourself at it, apologise gently to yourself and tell yourself that you are doing your best. Pat yourself on the back.
Congratulate yourself on all you have achieved so far during this time. All that you have managed to do. All of the information you have managed to ingest and changes that you have had to make so far for yourselves and for your families, loved ones, your businesses or work life. You are doing brilliantly. Now tell yourself that.
Think of things that you might easily do for yourself to make your physical life more pleasurable. It might be having a morning ritual where you imagine cleansing off negative energy while you shower, allowing the water to carry it away. It might be to use those beautiful products that you've been keeping up for a special occasion. Now is a special time. Make time in the morning and evening for the ten minute meditation. Eat a nutritious breakfast (note to self!). Dress in your good clothes.
Perhaps there is something you can do to make your living space more beautiful and pleasurable to be in. You might take slips from plants and bring more nature into the rooms of your home. You might move furniture or art work around, rearranging your space to enliven the energy. You could light a candle at the evening meal, use the plates and bowls you may keep for special occasions. You get the idea.
Stay Clear of those Vexed in Spirit
You could make a resolution to only watch news once a day. You might remove negative feeds or people from your social media. You can do this without them knowing, without offending them. As John O'Donohue beautifully puts it "Stay clear of those vexed in Spirit, Learn to linger around someone of ease." People cope in different ways, but if their way of coping is adversely affecting you, it is not okay. If there is someone in your life who after a conversation with them you feel drained or more anxious, know that you don't always have to pick up the phone to them. Set a boundary. Call them for ten minutes when you feel able. Have an excuse to end the conversation after your allotted time. By knowing your feelings around people and places you can take actions to limit time there or even to not be there at all.
If you are sharing your home with others, carve out a time and space for yourself once a day and encourage the others to do that too if and when they need to. It is not an insult to others, but an act of self-care. When you give yourself that time and space for inner nourishment, you are much better able to be present, helpful and respectful to those around you. “Think of a wave: it washes onto the shore, and then it rolls back. Likewise, each of your activities has a backside of stillness. To be with people, you must be alone. To listen, you need silence. To exercise, you need rest. You do not need to inflict rest, silence, or aloneness. You can simply surrender to your existing urges for these essential actions.” Vironika Tugaleva
The Card for Session Three from Alana Fairchild's Rumi Deck
Above you will find a short ten minute meditation which I'd really recommend doing as a part of your morning ritual and as a part of your evening ritual. It is so important to begin and end the day in a way that nourishes you. At the end of this page, is the meditation made for our group to connect over space and time, joining together our heart energy. I hope that you find them both healing and connecting.
It's been lovely to witness you sharing, connecting and supporting each other on our private Facebook group. It warms my heart! If you haven't already joined the group, you can do so by clicking the button at the end of this page.
A Recap on Materials
The materials you will need for these sessions are probably lying around your home. Please don't venture out specifically to get materials! You might pick some up during your next necessary grocery shop. You can use markers or gel pens. If you don't have those, you can use pencils, even biros! Even if you only have one coloured biro, use that and play with the tones, with the dark and light to complete the mandala.
How the sessions work
Print out the Mandala as an A4 page and if you have a printer that can print it out as A3, all the better. If you can already draw mandalas, draw one from scratch for yourself, using this session as your prompt. If you aren't familiar with how to create a personal mandala, then please use the colouring PDF provided below.
Set your Sacred Space
Set up a sacred and quiet space for yourself where you will engage with the mandala. You can do this simply by lighting a candle or burning some incense. Perhaps gather crystals or objects from nature that have meaning for you. But please do set aside a special space and time with intention to do this work. Treat this time for yourself as a loving inward time dedicated solely to you.
Session Five:
The Practice: Be Excessively Kind to Yourself
During this mandala practice, I invite you to be kind to yourself. Notice your inner mind chatter and ask yourself, am I being kind? Would I speak this way to my best friend? Now is a time to be extremely gentle and kind to yourself both in your inner world and in your outer world. I invite you to be excessively kind! Speak gently to yourself and if this is something you usually find difficult to do, a good trick to do is think up a pet name for yourself and address yourself internally as that name. Sounds very weird I know....but it works! And nobody knows about your weird internal happenings anyway, right?
And don't just do it during your mandala process, but all the time. It won't be easy at first and if you catch yourself being harsh to yourself, that's okay. It's simply habit, but habits can be broken. When you catch yourself at it, apologise gently to yourself and tell yourself that you are doing your best. Pat yourself on the back.
Congratulate yourself on all you have achieved so far during this time. All that you have managed to do. All of the information you have managed to ingest and changes that you have had to make so far for yourselves and for your families, loved ones, your businesses or work life. You are doing brilliantly. Now tell yourself that.
Think of things that you might easily do for yourself to make your physical life more pleasurable. It might be having a morning ritual where you imagine cleansing off negative energy while you shower, allowing the water to carry it away. It might be to use those beautiful products that you've been keeping up for a special occasion. Now is a special time. Make time in the morning and evening for the ten minute meditation. Eat a nutritious breakfast (note to self!). Dress in your good clothes.
Perhaps there is something you can do to make your living space more beautiful and pleasurable to be in. You might take slips from plants and bring more nature into the rooms of your home. You might move furniture or art work around, rearranging your space to enliven the energy. You could light a candle at the evening meal, use the plates and bowls you may keep for special occasions. You get the idea.
Stay Clear of those Vexed in Spirit
You could make a resolution to only watch news once a day. You might remove negative feeds or people from your social media. You can do this without them knowing, without offending them. As John O'Donohue beautifully puts it "Stay clear of those vexed in Spirit, Learn to linger around someone of ease." People cope in different ways, but if their way of coping is adversely affecting you, it is not okay. If there is someone in your life who after a conversation with them you feel drained or more anxious, know that you don't always have to pick up the phone to them. Set a boundary. Call them for ten minutes when you feel able. Have an excuse to end the conversation after your allotted time. By knowing your feelings around people and places you can take actions to limit time there or even to not be there at all.
If you are sharing your home with others, carve out a time and space for yourself once a day and encourage the others to do that too if and when they need to. It is not an insult to others, but an act of self-care. When you give yourself that time and space for inner nourishment, you are much better able to be present, helpful and respectful to those around you. “Think of a wave: it washes onto the shore, and then it rolls back. Likewise, each of your activities has a backside of stillness. To be with people, you must be alone. To listen, you need silence. To exercise, you need rest. You do not need to inflict rest, silence, or aloneness. You can simply surrender to your existing urges for these essential actions.” Vironika Tugaleva
The Card for Session Three from Alana Fairchild's Rumi Deck
The card is 'The Right Choice' and the quote is:
"Stay close to those who know about the heart.
Choose the shade of a tree
that is in constant bloom.
Don't meander aimlessly
among the herb sellers and potion vendors.
Go directly to the shop
that sells nothing but sweets!
Don't sit waiting by every boiling pot
to have your plate filled!
Not every boiling pot
is cooking what you want.
Not every sugar cane is filled with sugar.
Not every down has an up.
Not every eye has vision.
Not every sea contains pearls."
Rumi
What a beautiful card for us in this session. The poem holds such wisdom for us to reflect upon. "In your heart of hearts you know what holds meaning for you. You may or may not have a grand vision to go along with that meaning as yet, but deep within, you know what is without value and what holds value - for you. You were born with those values intact, in your heart, and whatever confusion has arisen along the way is just where the values of others have transfused into your own blood. It is time for a transfusion of holy light into that blood, to be cleansed and purified, restored to its integrity and filled with passion for what is rightfully yours - your unique passion and purpose."
Listen to and trust in your innate wisdom.
Completion
When you feel your mandala is complete, please do share the image and your experience with the practice in our closed private Facebook Group which is a safe space in which to do this work. It is beautiful to bear witness to each other, to stand together in our collective experience. It is a joy to watch you support and witness each other. There is no need to try to fix anybody, just witness them on their journey. The link to join the group is below.
Now with your completed mandala:
Be still. Notice how you are feeling.
Notice how you are feeling in your body.
Notice how you are feeling in your mind.
Notice how you are feeling in your heart.
Notice how you are feeling in your spirit.
Your Completed Mandala - Keep or Destroy?
When completed, you can either keep your mandala somewhere where you can see it. Allow it to give you further insight. You might perhaps meditate on it. Often they deliver you wisdom as you walk by them, glancing at them as you are going about something different!
Alternatively, if you feel to - and you know best - you can create a ritual, releasing the energy of what came up for you by burning your mandala. Please do this in a safe way either in your fireplace or stove or outside in a safe place. Burn the mandala with the intention of letting this energy go, of transmuting it to a higher power. Allow yourself to release any further emotions that might surface during this process.
Conclusion
So....that is the end of this course! It has been an absolute honour and pleasure to guide you in this work and I really hope it helps. You can access the course at any time if you feel you'd like to revisit parts of it as and when you need to or feel to. So perhaps bookmark this mail so you can find it easily to click through.
Again I will say that it is brave work you are doing, and you are courageous for showing up to do it. I will be continuing to create and to follow my heart and inner guidance on where to go....and quite frankly at this time, I have no idea where that is! But that is okay. I feel a very Yin energy surrounding us all and I will take time to look inward, to create and to see what emerges from the cocoon.
You can follow along on social media, I'll post the pieces and projects I'm working on there. I'll also send regular mails to you on what I'm working on and hopefully in the coming months, physical workshops can resume. I love to hold a space during workshops and feel the connection and healing happening. But I think we've done alright here online, using what we have to hand during this strange time. I wish you and yours every blessing and please do continue to share your mandalas in the Facebook group even after you've finished with the course. It is nice to have a community of kindred souls to connect with.
Thank you to everyone who has donated. It really is helping at the moment and I appreciate it. Suggested donations are €20, €40 or €60.
Namaste
Patricia
The Mandala painting above is called 'Moon Manifestation'. A great piece to meditate on as a part of this session.
Limited edition prints are available below.
Listen to and trust in your innate wisdom.
Completion
When you feel your mandala is complete, please do share the image and your experience with the practice in our closed private Facebook Group which is a safe space in which to do this work. It is beautiful to bear witness to each other, to stand together in our collective experience. It is a joy to watch you support and witness each other. There is no need to try to fix anybody, just witness them on their journey. The link to join the group is below.
Now with your completed mandala:
Be still. Notice how you are feeling.
Notice how you are feeling in your body.
Notice how you are feeling in your mind.
Notice how you are feeling in your heart.
Notice how you are feeling in your spirit.
Your Completed Mandala - Keep or Destroy?
When completed, you can either keep your mandala somewhere where you can see it. Allow it to give you further insight. You might perhaps meditate on it. Often they deliver you wisdom as you walk by them, glancing at them as you are going about something different!
Alternatively, if you feel to - and you know best - you can create a ritual, releasing the energy of what came up for you by burning your mandala. Please do this in a safe way either in your fireplace or stove or outside in a safe place. Burn the mandala with the intention of letting this energy go, of transmuting it to a higher power. Allow yourself to release any further emotions that might surface during this process.
Conclusion
So....that is the end of this course! It has been an absolute honour and pleasure to guide you in this work and I really hope it helps. You can access the course at any time if you feel you'd like to revisit parts of it as and when you need to or feel to. So perhaps bookmark this mail so you can find it easily to click through.
Again I will say that it is brave work you are doing, and you are courageous for showing up to do it. I will be continuing to create and to follow my heart and inner guidance on where to go....and quite frankly at this time, I have no idea where that is! But that is okay. I feel a very Yin energy surrounding us all and I will take time to look inward, to create and to see what emerges from the cocoon.
You can follow along on social media, I'll post the pieces and projects I'm working on there. I'll also send regular mails to you on what I'm working on and hopefully in the coming months, physical workshops can resume. I love to hold a space during workshops and feel the connection and healing happening. But I think we've done alright here online, using what we have to hand during this strange time. I wish you and yours every blessing and please do continue to share your mandalas in the Facebook group even after you've finished with the course. It is nice to have a community of kindred souls to connect with.
Thank you to everyone who has donated. It really is helping at the moment and I appreciate it. Suggested donations are €20, €40 or €60.
Namaste
Patricia
The Mandala painting above is called 'Moon Manifestation'. A great piece to meditate on as a part of this session.
Limited edition prints are available below.
| Be Excessively Kind to Yourself - Colouring Sheet.pdf |
Suggested Donations: €20, €40 or €60
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