In Between + Meditation Recording N. 14
a list of ones
Hi!
How are you? Lately, when I ask people this question, I’ve been met with a mix of facial expressions and mumblings, as if words can’t quite capture how we actually feel - I’m finding harder and harder to put into a words myself too. So, I’ll take it back. I won’t ask how are you, instead, I’ll ask: What made you smile today?
Thank you for reading my latest post on our ironic pursuit of control. I’ll be hosting our monthly free gathering next Friday, September 27, on Zoom, where we’ll explore our relationship with control. If you’d like to join, here’s the link.
Here’s another round list of ones! I hope you enjoy.
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One Mini Playlist
One Instruction
One Breathing Practice
This exercise is great for regulating your nervous system using your vocal cords.
Relax your face, especially your jaw.
Take a slow, deep inhale through your nose for a count of 4 to 5.
Hold for a count of 3.
Exhale by opening your mouth and making the sound out loud “AAAAAA” for as long as feels comfortable.
Repeat this for a few cycles.
One Reassurance
Every so often, I bring these words from Alice Walker here, so we can feel her hand in our hearts and relax our knees:
“Some periods of our growth are so confusing that we don’t even recognize that growth is what is happening. We may feel hostile or angry or weepy and hysterical, or we may feel depressed. It would never occur to us, unless we stumbled on a book or person who explained it to us, that we were in fact in the process of change, of actually becoming larger, spiritually, than we were before. Whenever we grow, we tend to feel it, as a young seed must feel the weight and inertia of the earth as it seeks to break out of its shell on its way to becoming a plant. Often the feeling is anything but pleasant. But what is most unpleasant is the not knowing what is happening . . . Those long periods when something inside ourselves seems to be waiting, holding its breath, unsure about what the next step should be, eventually become the periods we wait for, for it is in those periods that we realize that we are being prepared for the next phase of our life and that, in all probability, a new level of the personality is about to be revealed.”
―Alice Walker
One Story
I often return to this story, from Krista Tippett, for the Meditative Story Podcast. It’s titled “What we discover when we’re not looking”
One Opera
Gilberto Gil is one of Brazilian’s most important musicians. He recently worked on a breathtaking opera with the São Paulo Orchestra. Watch here
One Tv Series
The last season of My Brilliant Friend is now available. Elena Ferrante, the pseudonymous writer behind the books that originated the series, is one of my favorite authors. If you haven’t read the books, run!! Then, enjoy the series.
One Request
I-don’t -know!!!!
One Tear
A beautiful new way to express something that is often hard to put into words.
One Reminder
We’re on the final stretch for the US Elections. Register to vote
One Question
Maybe instead of trying to figure out how you feel, try this:
What wants to be known?
With love,
Mariana
MEDITATION RECORDING
A few instructions:
This practice will help you access and explore your inner knowing. (I wrote more about this topic here)
Find yourself in a quiet place.
Sit in a position that feels most comfortable. You can use a couch, bed, chair, or sit on the ground. Find a posture that helps you stay awake yet relaxed.
You can either close your eyes fully or keep your gaze softly focused on a spot near you on the ground.
Take your time transitioning back to your tasks.
This recording is from a monthly gathering I offer, so there may be occasional glitches.
Love this so much! Your capacity to summarize and lean into the light