Strong Back, Soft Front 

On your inhale, gather your attention;

on your exhale, drop into the body.

Shift attention to your spine.

Your back exemplifies equanimity,

being present for whatever is unfolding right now.

“Strong back.”

Shift your attention to your chest.

Rest in this willingness to open to compassion.

“Soft front.”

Strong back, soft front. Equanimity, compassion.

~Roshi Joan Halifax

when you see and feel passion for all you encounter….

inquiry for today~ this calm heart really is the way…..

it’s not all about despair

Deep down, all is well – imperturbable, calm. Taking a deep breath in, the air smells cleaner, fresh like the sparkling sea. Breathing out, we relax, making room for the next new in-breath, appreciating the ease of breathing in a new way. In just this moment, all can be well inside each one of us. It depends on where we place our attention. As a COVID team in Belfast writes:

When you go out and see the empty streets, the empty stadiums, the empty train platforms, don’t say to yourself, “It looks like the end of the world.”

What you’re seeing is love in action. What you’re seeing, in that negative space, is how much we do care for each other, for our grandparents, our parents, our brothers and sisters, protecting people we will never meet.

People will lose jobs over this. Some will lose their businesses. And some will lose their lives. All the more reason to take a moment, when you’re out on your walk, or on your way to the store, or just watching the news, to look into the emptiness and marvel at all of that love.

Let it fill you and sustain you. It isn’t the end of the world. It is the most remarkable act of global solidarity we may ever witness. 

~Trudy Goodman