12 years ago…

I had the good fortune of receiving the counsel of a man whose simple advice would change my life forever. Before I share that advice with you, I want to tell you who he is.

He is Mike Kennedy SJ, a Jesuit Priest, who has dedicated his life to serving the incarcerated through his prison ministry. He is one of my living heroes. Someone who never took himself too seriously, except in his vocation.

I recall his ministry with the juveniles at Sylmar detention center and how he would inspire hope and freedom in adolescents with double-life sentences. His ministry also advocated for passing of laws that gave juveniles with life sentences eventual review before a parole board. Check out his work here.

His Advice was this…

Meditate. He encouraged me to meditate everyday, and I still remember what he said to me that day, “It will change your life.”

Funny enough, I later found out he said this quite often… including when he wanted to encourage people to try a delicious new food dish.

But I took him seriously then, and I still do, and for the last 12 years, I have meditated twice a day - when I wake up and before I go to sleep.

All I know is I am a more grounded person than I was 12 years ago, and I do attribute a lot of it to my daily meditative practice. It also helps me transition into and out of my day.

My end of day meditation practice

1. Dim lights and put my phone away.

2. Ground myself in my breath - slower, deeper, & intentional

3. Reflect on Gratitude - what am I thankful for today?

4. Let go of stressors for the day - allow worries to get smaller with each breath.

5. Self-Acknowledgments - what did I do well today?

I usually just focus on one or two areas: gratitude, stressors, or self-acknowledgment. Sometimes I just reflect on a good moment in my day, and I just relish in it a bit longer.

Try it- It might just change your life.

My work

Yoojin Nam LMFT is the author of Thinking to Feel. He has been providing psychotherapy for 7 years and is licensed to practice in CA & TX.

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Disclaimer: These posts are not a replacement for therapy. The information contained within is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be therapeutic advice.