“Learning to embrace the expanse of the present moment is the only true way to live a conscious life
Perspective helps us to remember that beauty and heartache coexist, as do grief and gratitude, joy and sadness.
The dividends of perspective are reaped long term, arriving when our gratefulness accounts are near empty.”
~
Kristi Nelson, Wake Up Grateful

While each person’s life contains a unique mix of both struggle and ease, there’s no denying the shared grief and loss resulting from a global pandemic and widespread political and social strife. We are all living with uncertainty in this challenging time. In her book, Kristi writes, “When our ‘now’ is disconcerting, it’s easy to fall into a pattern of perseverating about the past and worrying about the future. A simple spaciousness of presence can be disarming in its quiet grace and invitations.” Opening to this spaciousness of presence — this disarming — is the bedrock of the week’s practice and allows us to cultivate perspective. Our first step is the sacred act of pausing and being with our lives just as they are. 

Photo: Adam Hamel/Unsplash

  • We invite you to begin by listening to Kristi’s seven-minute video that frames our week together and offers a guided grateful living exercise for stopping and becoming present to this moment through the breath. Read the video transcript.
  • Following the video and the breathing exercise, spend time in written reflection using the following prompt as a way to begin: Pausing for stillness, I am aware…” You might write one sentence or several pages.
  • Commit, Pause, Savor: Commit to pausing to breathe and get present at three specific points throughout your day today. It’s often during the most challenging times of our lives — when we’d most benefit from pausing and becoming present — that it’s most difficult to remember to stop and breathe. If helpful, set a timer to remind you to pause. Savor what emerges.

Throughout the practice there will be invitations for written reflection so you may want to have a favorite notebook or journal at hand. We also invite you to share your reflections below.

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Enjoy the full seven-day Wake Up to Perspective practice.


Practices