Breathe compassion in and compassion out -- as you settle into this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "The Fawn", by Nikita Gill. (From the book, "Where Hope Comes From; Poems of Resilience, Healing, and Light).

"The Fawn", by Nikita Gill

(After Mary Oliver's "Wild Geese")

You do not have to win at a crisis.

You do not have to push yourself

to learn a new language or write a book

or take up an instrument.

Nothing will come of forcing yourself

to compete your way out of trauma.

Take this time to look at the stars.

Take this time to look at how the sky

still holds clouds that are the shape of hope.

How the dawn begins at the tips of dewy grass,

for this is where the horizon begins.

Somewhere the dappled fawn raises

her soft neck to watch the sun rise

over her meadow.

Somewhere else monarch butterflies begin

their long migration, knowing many of them

will not make it home.

Remember that you do not need to earn

your right to the precious minutes you have

on this planet. They are already yours,

like the fawn and the butterflies.

The universe beckons you to enjoy this life

it has given you through a heart

that beats to the rhythm of

its very own cosmic song.

-"The Fawn", by Nikita Gill

(After Mary Oliver's "Wild Geese")

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.