A mindfulness practice
inspired by The Hero’s Journey.
Whether as part of a religious observance, like Lent, or just because twelve weeks sounds like a lot, this shorter version of my Thirty Minute Life Change program is perfect when you want to up your mindfulness game for just a few weeks, or during a special season of reflection.
Beginning on your chosen start date, you’ll “unlock” three ten minute activities each week: a guided meditation, a vinyasa yoga practice and a ten minute journal prompt — often taken from a religious text that relates to the week’s theme.
The Hero’s Journey
The Hero’s Journey or “monomyth” is the real tale as old as time. In it, the hero (that’s you!) hears a call (that’s this!) and chooses to answer it, crossing from the safety of her known world into the unknown. As we loosely follow this structure, set out most famously in Joseph Campbell’s book of the same name, we will step out together, eventually returning home to live a richer, fuller, more purposeful life.
Three Mindfulness Modalities.
One Integrated Program.
Every week, beginning on your chosen start date, you’ll unlock three 10 minutes exercises:
Yoga
An all-levels ten-minute Vinyasa flow.
Improve your flexibility, strength and balance, while also reducing stress and anxiety
Meditation
A ten-minute guided meditation to help focus your mind, increase your awareness and to find inner peace.
Journaling
A journal prompt, from which you write for 10 minutes to help reflect and process on each week’s themes.
Spiritual. Not Religious.
My inspiration for this version of the course was the Christian season of Lent, which — as a lifelong Episcopalian — I have observed in varying degrees all my life. In fact, it was a Lenten observance in 2000 that led me to begin a regular weekly yoga practice.
That said, I have created this course to be spiritual, but not geared toward any single religion. There will be quotes from the Bible here and there, but I have also sought out quotes from other religious and secular texts to support each week’s theme.
Why Forty Days?
Forty is a kind of magic number in many religious and spiritual traditions. It is the length of the observance of Lent, yes, but the Old Testament is riddled with “40 days and nights” (Moses on Mt. Sinai and Noah on the Ark) … plus the number also shows up in Sumerian, Islam, Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh traditions. (Source: Wikipedia)
As a result, I’ve very deliberate to offer a mindfulness program that is ideally appropriate for any your personal tradition, even if that’s more Agnostic than aligned with any one faith. I also find that my own religious practice is only deepened when I broaden my view.
Freedom to Live!
You can’t go home again because home has ceased to exist, except in the mothballs of memory. John Steinbeck And I know things now, many valuable things,That I hadn’t known before.Do not put your faith in a cape and a hood,They will not protect you the way that they should. And take extra care with […]
Read “Freedom to Live!”
The Road Back
As we turn the corner back toward home — toward the conclusion that we trust is eminent — we are forced to revisit the sites of our past trials and triumphs. Life’s like a movie, write your own endingKeep believing, keep pretendingWe’ve done just what we set out to do.Thanks to the lovers, the dreamers, and […]
Read “The Road Back”
Encountering the Divine
Traditionally, western-style yoga classes end with the Sanskrit word “Namaste.” It literally just means “greetings,” but we use it as a statement of gratitude and recognition. I close my classes (and our brief practice here) with a statement that my teacher Mindy uses: The light in me bows to an honors the light in you.When […]
Read “Encountering the Divine”
Trials & Temptation
You have departed — left home — and crossed into the first of your trials. Life is suffering. The BuddhaFirst “Noble Truth” We also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our […]
Read “Trials & Temptation”
Into the Unknown
As we take the first steps on our journey together, let’s take a few moments to reflect on what is bringing us to this practice. Where are you going?Don’t leave me aloneHow do I follow youInto the unknown? “Into the Unknown”Frozen IILyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez *I promised that I’d try to keep […]
Read “Into the Unknown”