"It's the holiday season, that tender time of year marked by Thanksgiving feasts, Christmas lights, and New Year's promises. It's also the time of year when many of us silently vow to ourselves that we'll treat the people around us with greater tenderness. No more passing people by as if they're props on a stage or obstacles to swerve around."
"We take a few quiet moments to pause, creating a small clearing in the busyness of our day. In that space, we offer ourselves a simple, steadying phrase, spoken silently, slowly, softly: May I be safe. May I be free. May I be at peace. Stillness arrives at our side, and we help it settle there by easing into 4-7-8 breathing: inhaling for four, holding for seven, and exhaling to the count of eight (L. Alderman, 2016)."
"Now, we call for compassion. We lay a hand over our heart, or picture it there in our mind, and gently meet the gaze of the person we're approaching. We send them the same soft blessing, again slowly and silently: May you be safe. May you be free. May you be at peace. We imagine the words rising and gliding toward them, like a feather carried by a gentle breeze (H.Y. Went et al., 2013)."
The holiday season often prompts vows to treat others with greater tenderness, seeing them as kindred souls carrying stories etched in lines across their face. Consumer culture, however, sweeps people through December with gathering, purchasing, decorating, and distracting. A different stance begins inside, by pausing to create a small clearing and offering a steadying silent phrase: May I be safe. May I be free. May I be at peace. Stillness is supported by 4-7-8 breathing: inhaling for four, holding for seven, exhaling to eight. Compassion follows by laying a hand over the heart and sending the same soft blessing to others.
Read at Psychology Today
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