I recently took a course with psychotherapist and shaman, Sandra Ingerman. She shared a powerful, yet simple practice of holding a word within and really feeling it. Feeling the word resonate and affect change within your body – heart, stomach, liver, all parts. To begin, choose a word such as “radiance”. Try it out now…. allow this word to settle in different parts of you. How does this feel, do you notice a change within? Now try and expand this feeling outward, from you to your surroundings. Can you sense a word such as radiance all around you? Play with different words that have meaning and power for you.
Another one of my beloved teachers, Doug Silsbee, shared a similar practice of holding the resonance of a state or word, such as spaciousness and compassion, within your “field” when being present with another person. Both practices involve having a “felt” experience. When you do these practices, your whole body shifts. You feel your way instead of thinking. By doing these practices over time, you literally rewire your nervous system and override old ways of being that do not serve you. They bring about the reality that you want to create and help form deeper connections with the world around you.
The power of one word is tremendous. I’ve mentioned this before in writings… a word can either bless or curse. This concept is found in every tradition of spiritually from Christianity to Shamanism. A practice I do first thing in the morning is pausing and listening deeply for a word that I want to invite into this day. A word that would benefit me to feel and one that would benefit the world around me. I do my best to touchback into this word throughout that day. Though I often forget, I keep trying. By doing this I set a powerful intention for the day and have a direction to point my compass. I invite you to try it and let me know how it goes!