My dear hubby and I recently returned from Florida after leading a couples retreat there.
After the retreat, we stayed for a few days in a cozy spot on the beach, right along the boardwalk where we could stroll for hours. So grateful.
I LOVE walking. It’s where I often receive my greatest insights and inspiration.
And, when I’m in public, it’s also where I love to do one of my favorite practices to feel more heart-opening joy…
While walking this boardwalk each day, I was blissing out engaging in this, surrounded by so many dear humans I’d never met.
The practice is simple…
I look at the people around me and take a moment in my heart to sincerely wish them the very best.
Whether it’s at the grocery store, in a waiting room, on the street, at a stop light, in a restaurant, or anywhere at all…
…it feels so good to become present to the invisible thread of connection between us all.
We can surely ignore this, forget this, overlook this, deny this, go a lifetime not knowing it exists, or use it in ways that cause harm.
Or… the opposite!
For as long as I can remember, I have been enamored by the existence of this pathway between my heart and your heart and their heart and our heart…
…fascinated with understanding what both clutters and clears the way between us.
When I first started doing this practice of well-wishing, it wasn’t because of some strategy I learned.
It just felt right and so good to my soul.
I’ve since learned, however: the heart is perhaps the most powerful gateway for peace, love, and joy to flow, not only from us but TO us as well.
And so…
…cultivating practices that open our hearts and keep us centered in them are essential to awakening our greatest potential for true and abiding joy.
If you feel called to this practice, it’s simple, and you can’t do it wrong!
Before you begin, you may want to first place your hands on your own heart and wish yourself the very best.
Then, you can begin to look at other people and gently smile and say to them, silently and in your own heart, “I wish the very best for you.”
Or, on every inhale, you can breathe in peace and compassion for yourself.
Then, on every exhale, send peace and compassion to whoever is around you…
“May I be at peace. May you be at peace.”
You can do this anywhere at all (and nobody even needs to know you are doing it).
I also adore doing this practice when sitting in meditation, wishing well upon my family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, those I know, and those I’ve never met, pausing to become present with one person at a time.
I can feel my heart swelling, softening, and opening every time. And I just feel happier.
Turns out, there are some compelling science-backed mental health benefits of generating goodwill, kindness, and compassion for others.
Here are a few to inspire you…
– Strengthens emotional regulation
– Calms the stress response
– Increases positive emotions like joy, gratitude, and hope
– Reduces loneliness and boosts feelings of social connection, even toward strangers
– Improves our closest relationships, making compassion and connection more readily available in everyday life
– Enhances life satisfaction and meaning
Yay for all of that!
Sending so much love and wishing the very best for YOU.
