Seeds of Compassion Guided Meditation

Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker

Relax into this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Sunflower", by James Crews.

Sunflower, by James Crews

"Joy is not made to be a crumb."

Mary Oliver once wrote, but isn't that

how it often shows up at first? One crumb

of attention, then another, and another

until you're able to follow the trail

leading to the volunteer sunflower

you hadn't noticed blooming by the garden.

"Volunteer," we say, meaning no human

hand nestled that seed in the ground,

though the same could be said of joy too,

which seems to spring up out of nowhere

when you see the face of the flower

the French call tournesol, meaning

"turned toward the sun." And don't we

each carry a small sun in our chests

that tells us where to turn, where it's warm,

where something bright has struggled up

out of the earth, and is now calling our name?

-Sunflower, by James Crews.

Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are available on Amazon.com.

Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.com

This podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.