Receiving a Hindu blessing in India
I was running on my favourite path by the river, listening to a podcast interview with Sylvia Boorstein, when she said something that nearly stopped me dead in my tracks. As part of a guided meditation, she said “Now offer yourself a blessing.”
Offer myself a blessing? Really? I had no idea how to do that! What would I bless myself with?
I love offering blessings. I do it often for friends, writing a list of things I wish for them as they enter a new phase of their life, celebrate a birthday, go through struggles, etc. If I can’t come up with something myself, I’ll offer them one of my favourites from John O’Donohue‘s book To Bless the Space Between Us. I even offer my students a blessing at the end of almost every session or workshop I teach.
Blessing people I care about? Easy-peasy. Because I love them and want the best for them. There was a time, in fact, when I offered people Twitter blessings – a wish for your day in 140 characters or less.
I also love being blessed by others. I feel fortunate that I have received, for example, a Hindu blessing from a woman in a tiny village in India, and an Orthodox blessing from a priest in an ancient church in Ethiopia. Blessings are powerful things that can carry us a long way.
But offering a blessing for myself? Honestly – I didn’t have a clue how to do that. AND it had never occurred to me that I should. And yet… I love myself don’t I? And doesn’t the Bible teach us to “love our neighbours as ourselves”? To love them (and to bless them), I first have to love myself.
As soon as I heard Sylvia Boorstein say it though, I knew that it was something I needed to learn how to do. I need to bless myself.
I need to believe that I am worthy of being blessed just like I believe my friends and family are worthy. I need to offer myself the same compassion and kindness that I am willing to offer those I love.
Sylvia suggested the following blessing, and I’m trying to offer it to myself at least once a day. I may even print it and hang it by my bed so I see it first thing in the morning.
May I feel safe.
May I feel happy.
May I feel strong.
May I live with ease.
Just now, laying on the couch in the middle of the night because I woke up with a stress ball in my stomach, I put my hand on my heart and said it aloud. It feels kind of powerful.
LOVE THIS!!!!
Amazing isn’t it? It is so easy to wish well for others, but when we are asked to treat ourselves as we would our best friend… we are at a loss for words!
I’ve encountered this in my meditation practices as well. The frozen-in-place feeling of – how the heck do I do that?
I’m learning this too. Thank you so much for sharing your experience with this.
So far I am enjoying what I’m reading I really want to be closer to the Lord and am trying to .I prey for others and IM needing strength for myself So can be a better person and mother
I’ve been in such a bad place in my life and now I’m putting this online .I feel that he Lord wants me to be blessed and have been waiting for years for this amazing feeling to hit me like magic and nothing has ever happened until now I can’t explain it but Jesus is with me .
Just received a blessing I’m so thankful for this I prey for all people that r hurting be strong there r Angel s eveywhere
I unfortunately don’t feel blessed. I am trying to do what’s right in the eyes of God but it’s difficult. Life has pushed me down for a while now which makes it difficult to worship him. Sometimes I feel unloved, cursed and refected by God.