Inner Work Practice

For the next thirteen weeks, our default inner work exercise will be a practice adapted from Deborah Rose Longo’s “Inner Task Friday” in the Facebook Wisdom School Community with Cynthia Bourgeault’s Wisdom students.

1. Become aware of the natural flow of your breathing for a few breaths, noting the sensation or presence of the physical body as the air comes in and goes out. Relax the body as you breathe out.
2. Let a feeling of gratitude or wonder arise. Relax into a feeling of gratitude or wonder for life or for whatever you may feel gratitude for. Do this for a few more breathes.
3. For the next few breaths, say inwardly “I”, as you inhale, breathing with the intention of taking in finer energies or substances in the air and feeling a connection to Higher help. When you breathe out say inwardly “AM”, with an awareness of your whole body physical presence.
4. Finish in three breaths with Inner words: “Lord Help Me”; “Lord Help Us”; “Lord Have Mercy”.

The exercise itself is a form of self-remembering — returning from “all these other things” back to myself.  Its aim is to practice three-centered awareness — observing (seeing), sensing, feeling. Engaging all three centers and having a sense of whole body awareness is essential. Activating gratitude, wonder, our being, or our own inner poverty and need for higher help — all are good catalysts for self-remembering.

The inner exercise should only take a minute or two (or less) once familiar with the steps and will remain the same each week. Only the time we choose to engage the exercise will change. Each week we will engage this practice at a designated time — usually before or during a routine activity in the day, or while transitioning into a new activity.