This is an exercise intended to help you access your wise mind,
That part of you that knows what is right for you and can help you navigate even the toughest circumstances.
Wise mind is a helpful place to make tough choices that knows the path forward.
It acknowledges and cares for both our heart and our head,
The emotional self and the logical self.
For only in acknowledging both can we find true wisdom and peace with our path forward.
This exercise can be done either as a meditative practice or as a written exercise.
Feel free to pause and write your observations down if it feels right to you.
Let's begin by pausing to connect with the breath and ground ourselves in the present moment.
Soften your gaze or close your eyes.
Find a comfortable position.
Allow yourself to release any tension from the body if possible.
If not,
Simply soften and allow what remains.
Begin by noticing the weight of the body sinking into the chair or the floor.
Feeling that connection with your surroundings.
Then noticing the flow of the breath.
Simply becoming aware of each in-breath and each out-breath.
Letting go of any judgment that might arise.
Too fast,
Too slow,
Not deep enough.
Whatever it is,
Simply allowing the breath to breathe itself.
Allowing the body to right itself and to do what feels natural and good in this moment.
When you are ready,
Bring your mind to the situation or decision that is troubling you.
Simply allow yourself to become aware of your dilemma.
Then notice your emotion mind.
Notice what that emotional part of you has to say about the situation.
What feelings come up here?
What is the emotional pull?
What direction do your feelings want to take?
Allow yourself to simply acknowledge these without judgment.
Are there any other feelings coming up around this issue?
Sometimes feelings can conflict,
Be chaotic or even seem to contradict each other.
Allow all the feelings around the situation to be acknowledged.
Now turn the mind to find your logic mind.
What are the facts of the situation?
Strip to feeling and judgment.
What do you know to be true about the situation?
Pause here and acknowledge what logic mind has to say.
Are there any other facts that are relevant that need to be acknowledged?
Come back to the breath.
Pause.
Allow the thoughts and feelings stirred up a moment ago to settle like flakes in a snow globe.
Simply gently returning the attention to the breath again without judgment.
Staying with the breath,
Coming back if the attention has wandered.
Now allow yourself to return to emotion mind and to logic mind.
Acknowledging the many disparate pieces of the situation.
Ask yourself,
What will be the best path for me to take?
The best actions I can do given what is within my control here?
And simply listen.
Don't force an answer.
Allow yourself to simply listen for a moment to hear what your own wise mind has to say.
You may not hear anything right away.
If so,
That's okay.
Give yourself permission to step away from this exercise if you need to,
To allow things to settle further and for the answer to emerge or to deepen.
If an answer has emerged,
Take this wisdom with you and let it guide you in navigating the path forward,
Informing your actions to help you become the best version of yourself in this moment.
And then come back to it as many times as you need to with compassion and gentleness for yourself.
