Guiding Light with Jill Rooks

“Imperfect action is better than perfect inaction.” Every once in a while I have to remind myself and the people in classes I teach that the fact that we are present and trying goes a long way. Showing up, doing our best, learning something along the way will always yield something that not-showing-up could ever do. Embrace the messy and the beautiful and the process. It is life.

Sharing a few reminders about what meditation is and thoughts on the practice before dropping into the body scan / visualization of this practice. Accepting each experience as unique, and approached with the concept of “expect nothing, gain everything” (Buddha saying). This guided experience travels through elements of the body in some cases referring to textures and sensations of the spine and organs. it will all feel familiar for anyone in tune with the structure and anatomy, but could be more descriptive than what some people might be used to. Enjoy the journey and as always, please reach out with any feedback.

This episode comes post-yoga-class-feelings-of-contentment, called Santosha in the yogic tradition. It includes a touch of the meditations that take place in that state of Santosha. Our human connection and the language of the heart as an energy that can be shared are discovered and remind us of our contract with life, our own and all beings.

It’s simpler than we think. The ability to tune in to ourselves, our wiring, and our frequency is there for all of us, the hard part is the practice. When we get out of tune and off sync with our inner nature, it’s easy to lose track. The simple thing to do is to get back on track. The simplicity is what makes it hard. Seeing up close for myself and perhaps you have encountered experiences as well with people you care about, getting out of tune can lead to painful outcomes. It’s a spiral that can quickly go downhill. My hope is that this practice of slowing down and reconnecting, simple breathing and calming can help bring us back to ourselves.

This bonus 8-min Ted-talk-style episode highlights the conversation on forgiveness as shared in a larger talk I offer entitled “The Most Important Conversation You’ll Ever Have”. The real talk shared here applies to every one of us connected to other human beings. Part of our imperfect humanity ensures that there will be struggles. Being aware of and having this conversation on forgiveness makes those struggles easier to navigate. It also exposes our vulnerability, helps us to overcome fear, and is a true testament to the ability to give and receive love. Listen. Think and reflect. Apply. Let me know how it goes. Thank you!

All because of our breath :) Take this guided tour through the power of your breath in exploring what’s on the inside.

Welcome to your practice. We step right into this one with a body scan and a journey within. Filled with gratitude for the miracle of our body and in awe of our uniqueness.

Rest. Relax. The secret ingredient to elevated performance and greatness. It takes “doing”, until it doesn’t, and then it becomes “being”. This episode walks you through the position and the space to empty and feel the brain relax, allowing the body to follow and discover a state of ease.

Short, organic, simple practice of pausing for some peace and quiet.

Beauty all around us. It’s in the little things. In this episode we’re taking a gaze inward, up and down our chakra energy centers. Notice the strength and the vulnerability, and notice the diversity and similarities of all that exists within us.

Reminding myself of the book, “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse” by Charlie Mackesy, this meditation comes from the page that asks, “what do you do when you get tired?” Recalling it as my mind retells the story, I offer you rest, the kind you can create for yourself.

Ease into the practice of meditation with just a few minutes of awareness of your space, your breath, where your feet are.

The beauty is that to move forward, we have to first stop. This is that pause, hold, “do nothing” state in order to see clearly and move in the directions we are meant to move with calm, ease and clarity. A short combination of discussion, how-to, and meditation.

Repetition and consistency provide the safe space, the comforting home, the predictable nature of inner peace present within us. Each time we return is like a hug, a nod, an affirmation that we are ok.

Short meditation on the power and strength of peace.

When the going gets tough…. That’s what we’re here for. To be aware and to have the skills to not get lost in tough things, but to find the strength and the calm ripple within us to meet them.

A few ideas for a simple meditation practice followed by a short, guided external and internal check-in

A short guided meditation when a moment or two is all you have, and actually, all you need to reconnect with the beauty of your being.

1 of 31 short guided meditations with a reminder on getting started:)

Mindful March :) This begins 31 days of guided meditations along with some bonus episodes of how-to’s, reminders, tips and interviews. This introduction to Series #3 of Guiding Light is my perspective of getting started and what meditation is, from a real-life perspective. Enjoy! I’d be humbled if you would also follow and share and leave a review! 🙏

This peaceful pause concludes 14 days of trail marker motivations and pauses in your day. Inspired by a few special people who shared their journeys with me and dedicated to many people who expressed to me that they just wanted to feel more peace. It’s right here. It’s yours. Sit with it. ❤️

This is a special one. The last trail marker in this series, giving gratitude to those who inspired it. A reminder to leave a piece of ourselves behind, our contract with those who’ve gone before us and those who may follow, this trail marker is the story of a life well lived.

Content. A state of being. Santosha is a Sanskrit word meaning contentment and one of the Niyamas in the 8 limbs of yoga. A simple concept in actuality, which is what makes it hard. Our brains like to assign meaning to things and they are programmed to be on most of the time. To stop, to pause, to re-wire them to allow some space and for the off switch to operate again is what we are working towards through meditation, and these pauses. If we are successful (through practice) we can experience that contentment.

When the going gets tough, what do you do? What do most people do? This trail marker is where you might find yourself differentiating from “most people”. This trail marker might be a defining moment and the opportunity to get tougher. Taking a page from “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch, if our “tough” is like the wall he writes about, then it is there for us. Not everyone will cross this trail marker, but for those who do, what’s on the other side, and more so, what it takes to get there, will change you.

When you become the observer, you are in the practice of meditation. It doesn’t require anything elaborate other than the choice to step into you. Chances are, even in a created quiet space, there is still a lot going on around us. This is the opportunity to be in that reality AND to allow the awareness to fall on what’s going on inside of us. In this pause, we start with the breath.

This is a fun one! This trail marker is inviting us to live and to live out loud!

A single pause is all it takes for about 30 trillion cells in our bodies to say thank you and experience a moment of ease. You’re worth it!

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? We are the experiencer and what we experience is determined by our thoughts. The thoughts that we regularly entertain and hold onto become our reality. We can imprint them pretty deeply. This trail marker is a pretty introspective one, encouraging us to evaluate our thoughts.

The value of rest in today’s world cannot be overstated. Are we taking it regularly and often enough for its effect to ripple through our being? Are we falling into it because some part of us gave out and demanded it? Or are we purposefully engaging in it in an effort to maintain a state of joy and strength, awareness and creation? This peaceful pause is the reminder of how beautiful a moment of rest is.

How we travel determines what those trail markers have to say to us. They reflect back to us the condition we approach them in. Hope vs fear, being open vs being closed, light vs darkness. All these things, add the element of companionship on the journey for when help is needed, and “if light is in your heart, you will find your way home” ~ Rumi

Simple. And so worth stopping to listen. Your peace is inside of you. The “peaceful pause” is something I heard myself saying to friends when they shared all the “out of control” they were experiencing. The peace is the hum. It’s like a river. It has rhythm and a natural order. It exists always. It’s there for us when we pause. Enjoy your hum.

In this 2nd series of Guiding Light I will be sharing for 14 alternating Trail Marker reminders and Peaceful Pause mini-meditations. The Peaceful Pause is like a whisper of serenity and a welcome breath of fresh air for those moments when you might need a pause the most.

Welcome to the 2nd Series of Guiding Light, and episode 31 in our podcast. This series will include alternating Trail Markers and Peaceful Pauses, offered daily for 14 days. Each is a few minutes in length, and offered to provide insight into the journey. Starting with our first Trail Marker, inspired by a group of young women venturing out on the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim. Keep placing one foot in front of the other.

These last 5 guided meditations in this series are inspired by Charlie Mackesy’s book, The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse. The book came out in October 2019 and was gifted to me soon after. When the pandemic hit in March 2020 I began offering guided meditations on zoom for my community and anybody who wanted to jump in. Charlie Mackey‘s book became the source of many incredible meditations. There was something very special about the people who came together to learn how to meditate, and to experience what meditation was, and if nothing else, to take a time out and a pause in their day to listen. It was a beautiful outcome where human beings met on common ground. I am excited to share a handful of meditations inspired by going back to this book over four years later, The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse.

These last 5 guided meditations in this series are inspired by Charlie Mackesy’s book, The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse. The book came out in October 2019 and was gifted to me soon after. When the pandemic hit in March 2020 I began offering guided meditations on zoom for my community and anybody who wanted to jump in. Charlie Mackey‘s book became the source of many incredible meditations. There was something very special about the people who came together to learn how to meditate, and to experience what meditation was, and if nothing else, to take a time out and a pause in their day to listen. It was a beautiful outcome where human beings met on common ground. I am excited to share a handful of meditations inspired by going back to this book over four years later, The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse.

These last 5 guided meditations in this series are inspired by Charlie Mackesy’s book, The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse. The book came out in October 2019 and was gifted to me soon after. When the pandemic hit in March 2020 I began offering guided meditations on zoom for my community and anybody who wanted to jump in. Charlie Mackey‘s book became the source of many incredible meditations. There was something very special about the people who came together to learn how to meditate, and to experience what meditation was, and if nothing else, to take a time out and a pause in their day to listen. It was a beautiful outcome where human beings met on common ground. I am excited to share a handful of meditations inspired by going back to this book over four years later, The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse.