6 Tools To OM Your Power
“In times like these, it helps to recall that there have always been times like these.” ― Paul Harvey.
Paul Harvey’s words are most certainly true. However, so many people we work with are deeply worn out, burnt out and running out of hope, that frankly, knowing this doesn’t help. It may put things into perspective, but it doesn’t mitigate the stress of dealing with these times we are in – and we are in deep!
The people we work with feel overwhelmed by what is happening in the world. What will be with COVID? Is it on the rise? Will we go back into quarantine? Will our kids be in school next year? When can I see my grandchildren?
They feel scared. Scared about the possibility of getting sick, scared about losing their jobs, or not having a job, or a tumultuous stock market, or just the normal fears we all have.
They are experiencing despair. Despair about the protests and riots across America. Despair around injustices, racial tensions and political divides.
They feel powerless. Powerless to stop the virus. Powerless to repair the injustice. Powerless to unify a broken society or what feels like a crumbling world.
However, during times like these, do you know what does help, what has always helped and what will always help?
It’s not more news, more arguing, more shouting. It’s not more frenetic energy, more anger, and certainly not fighting violence with violence.
Yes, we need to get out into the world and right the wrongs, cure the world’s ills, fix what is broken and restore our country and society to a place of civility, safety and peace. But, don’t think for a second that these efforts begin out in the world. They never have and never will. Fixing what is broken always begins at home, right where we stand. To paraphrase Gandhi, change begins with you and me.
In the words of an old Hasidic Rabbi on his deathbed: “When I was young, I set out to change the world. When I grew older, I perceived that this was too ambitious, so I set out to change my state. This too, I realized, as I grew older, was too ambitious, so I set out to change my town. When I realized I could not even do this, I tried to change my family. Now as an old man, I know that I should have started by changing myself. If I had started with myself, maybe then I would have succeeded in changing my family, the town, or even the state – and who knows, maybe even the world.”
OM Your Power is a six part series, each part exploring a different, ancient and timeless tool in helping us make true and lasting change in the world through, first and foremost, changing ourselves.
In Om Your Power we’ll explore
1. Making Time – the importance of making time and creating space to do inner work.
2. Meditation – the imperative of cutting through the noise, finding the still small voice within, and learning to listen to our soul.
3. Mindfulness – learning to pay attention to the opportunities all around us, all day, every day, to wake up and see the truth.
4. Movement – experiencing the body and body movement as a pathway into consciousness, processing feelings and meeting the Divine.
5. Manifestation – harnessing the reins of our thoughts and feelings as a process of creating our reality.
6. Meaning – owning the one and only thing we can ever control, our response to external circumstances – our choice.
In times like these we could all use a lot more OM, so join us and learn to OM your power. When we do, you can be sure, there won’t have to be times like these.
Ariela & Baruch HaLevi