Brad4d Savasana

This is the one-year anniversary of Brad4d Savasana. In this year, I’ve learned that expectations can easily limit and frustrate. When we give away what comes freely without any expectation of anything in return, we can find that the well is always abundant. This podcast has become my audio rough draft of my written work, which you can find at https://medium.com/@mbbrad4d

On this Feast of St. Francis, we recognize that we are stewards of all living things on Mother Earth. St. Francis honors the elements of the earth as sisters and brothers in his Canticle of the Sun. Why not treat our natural family with care and love?

Hermann Hesse contemplates the autumn of his life, questioning how distant goals can steal the joy of each moment. We recognize that each moment is a season in itself, birthing something new, ripening what is sown, or harvesting our fruit. Sometimes the beauty of the moment is letting go.

What would happen if we repeated the same behaviors accepting the same results? If we know something we do brings us suffering, why do we continue? How do we bounce back from failure if we do nothing to improve?

We often bring our attachments into our conflicts with others. We tell others they are wrong while we’re fixed in our own mind of being right. We try to bully others into adopting our perspective. Instead, why not be magnetic and allow others to be attracted to your point of view? This allows you to be detached from changing someone else while showing in your own life how peace can exist.

The Social Dilemma really shocked me. Although I knew the tech companies were gathering data about me, I didn’t have a full understanding how persuasive technology worked. There are a lot of bad actors out there who are sowing discord in our minds and communities. We can be more mindful about what we choose to post ourselves, noticing how it reflects our own state of mind. However, we can also spe...

We are given a life to live, and when we encounter problems, we must refer to our instruction manual. These are teachings written inside our hearts, passed down through the many scriptures in various spiritual traditions. Yet we eschew them for the temporal, material, superficial teachings popular in modern media. The purveyors of these teachings profit from our problems while failing to point us...

Alan Jones wrote a book relating the spiritual walk to Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy.’ We live so much of our lives in a state of restless anticipation, and we seek relief from things that don’t satisfy. Eventually we must face our hell to find paradise. Note: I screwed up Dante’s order. First is inferno, then purgatorio, then Paradiso.

Gandhi coined the term “satyagraha” to indicate his philosophy of change. It’s loosely translated as “soul force,” employed by Dr. King. Some will use “nonviolent resistance” or “passive resistance,” but it’s much more than that. It’s about unity on the soul level. It’s less about changing people’s minds and more about moving people’s spirits.

Hope is that flicker of light, of goodness, that continues to burn in spite of darkness. We might feel hope is lost, but if we drop our attachments and desires for a specific outcome, we use our hands to cultivate that hope. We can do this if we all share our light of hope. This light of hope reveals the evil that lurks in the darkness. Our collective hope can light up a nation and a world.

Communication in relationships is important, but sometimes relationships can be cultivated beyond words. It’s not always necessary to speak, especially if we’re doing most of it. I found discursive prayers to be difficult because I felt I was doing more talking than listening. Instead, I chose to be silent for a while, letting the Holy Spirit speak beyond words.

Let’s face it—there aren’t many leaders in politics, business or society who are role models of love. Although we all have a dark side with which we need to reconcile, we must remember not to let our dark side become who we are, even if it temporarily gives us profit. Ultimately, love always prevails. You can be a light, a role model of love.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were Hollywood’s power couple many years ago. After their breakup, Lopez took her broken heart to the Dr. Phil show. They spoke of the ideal partner as “a soft place to fall.” Although that might appeal to the romantics, it’s not a prescription for an everlasting relationship that is life-giving for both.

In my 20s and 30s, I would write letters to myself to offer hope in my darkest days. I would promise to open them a few months later and contemplate my growth since then. In 2006, just after a bitter breakup, I wrote a love letter to my future partner. Reading it now made me realize what I wanted in a significant other I actually needed to cultivate within myself. You can be the author of your own...

The Light Of Truth Universal Shrine (LOTUS) sits deep in the heart of Virginia. Its motto is “One Truth, many paths.” How often do we bicker on the periphery without recognizing what’s deep in the heart of the argument? Saying that we are “saved,” “woke,” or “chosen” sets up more division and exclusivity. Rather than having a clenched fist, we should extend our open hand.

In a world that seems to be broken, it’s easy to fall back in despair. Instead, we can remain steadfast in our faith and hope. We look deep in our community and ask, “What small act can I do to keep hope alive?” These small acts of hope can build upon one another. Small acts of hope around the world can illuminate the world.

If you read about some of the great spiritual role models in history, you’ll know that there was something that drove their actions. Oftentimes their role was to shake up the status quo when people became complacent. As so many people turn away from religious practice, I can’t help but wonder who will emerge as our spiritual role models? Who will lead the people through spirit, rather than desire...

All living beings experience suffering. How we react to suffering is our choice. We can resist our suffering, which can bring on more suffering, or we can investigate it as birthing a new way of being. Many great leaders have emerged because their suffering brought them great purpose. In the case of this pandemic, will we return to our old lives and routines, or will we find a new way of living an...

In a culture that thrives on accumulating material possessions, we attribute power to those who have “the most.” We create false idols out of people who have great power, wealth, and fame. But the great religious traditions say that material possessions inhibit our ability to connect with the divine. The difference between a religion and a cult is the religious leader sacrifices himself for the sa...

It’s easy to get caught up in our drama. Can we step outside of it a few moments each day and reflect? We revisit ways in which we might have spoken untruth or acted carelessly, and we aim to do better next time. We also revisit moments where our thoughts, words, and actions have brought divine joy. By practicing this “Examen,” we recalibrate ourselves and remember our True North.

We mistake boasting for confidence. We attribute material success to our own doing, and oftentimes we forget how our privilege might have gotten us there. If our ego gets out of hand, God leaves us to our vices, which eventually leads to ruin. Therefore, when we boast, we should recognize that all things are fleeting. Even if we are in a high place, we should respect those in low places, because G...

When we don’t investigate what we believe, we might be led down a path of untruth that might seem honest and noble. Lance Armstrong felt compelled to maintain his untruth because the ends justified the means. But does that mean it’s ok to be dishonest? What about the people who believed the lies? How do we know the truth if we don’t invest in knowing it? Or are we more attached to proving others w...

Political leaders and legal professionals like to employ many words, but they do little to effect change. Three words that Jacob Blake’s mother said are the most necessary: “Search your hearts.” Julia Jackson’s words transcends her frustration and pain to appeal to something deeper within all of us—our hearts. This is the message we all need—to ask ourselves if we want to continue hurting ourselve...

It’s easy to react to others’ anger or disrespect with a similar response. However, this results in a power game, where peace will never be the result. Instead, we can respond with “Namaste” or “jai bhagwan.” Both sayings recognize the divine being in others and ourselves. They also serve as a wake-up call for others to remember that we all possess that divine spark.

We often assume that contemplatives and those who enjoy solitude don’t want to be a part of the world. It is in solitude that we gather our strength and our vision. It is in quiet contemplation that we let go of the material vision that wants to bear upon us. When we return, we inspire this vision—the way of unity that transcends division and transforms others. This passage is from Thomas Merton’s...