I recently participated in the "Mornings with the Mentor" group coaching program, a practice offering involving a commitment to spend 20 minutes each morning making and listening to recordings. The program was attractive because I was drawn to establishing the habit of turning to the Mentor first thing each morning. Twenty minutes can seem daunting to conditioned mind, but isn’t that a good thing?

What I find is that focusing on conscious compassionate awareness at the start of the day grounds me in what is real and strengthens the "turning away from conditioned mind" muscle. I connect to the field of awareness and record the experience of belonging, finding my place, again, in the natural order of things. 

Sometimes I R/L while walking in the pre-dawn darkness and the sounds of night critters are part of the soundtrack, and other times I sit with the recorder and a cup of tea. It can be tempting to “cut it short,” but the commitment to 20 minutes helps me move beyond ego’s voice, and gives the heart, that “still small voice,” time and space to speak and be heard.  As we know from practice, there are good things waiting when we move beyond resistance, and this practice demonstrates that truth again and again!

The recording is available for listening later in the day, and serves as a reminder of connection, participation, and the reality of being grounded and embraced by unconditional love. By meeting my need for connection, I’m in touch with gratitude for being an integral part of Life, and so, I interact with others from a place of "gratitude wants to give," offering presence, the fruit of practice.

Do you have a favorite R/L insight, idea, or practice tool? We’d love to hear it! Send us your favorite quick tip (75 words or less) or submit your idea for a blog post.