I’ll give you a hint: they’re not the three you’re thinking of. No, these three words are part of a mantra to open the self in guided meditation and beyond. The power of these three words knocked me down to my knees, not quickly like a linebackers frontal attack. No, these three words were a finger tap at my heart; each tap jarred me a little bit more, and then a little bit more, until I was truly overcome with a weight that has held me in place. It hasn’t held me down, mind you; it’s simply held me steady. And that’s crucial because holding steady, holding space, is the crux of the power of these three words.

These three words have me removing my shoes to step into yours. These three words untie what binds me to my ego, so that I can open up to compassion. Compassion is the new/ancient buzzword bantered about in yoga speak (last year it was all about the “authentic self”). I’m not dissing authenticity at all. Please bring your authentic self to dwell in the space afforded by these three words. Compassion, as defined by Oxford, is “sympathetic pity or concern for the suffering or misfortune of others.” But how does compassion touch you? How does it truly hit home to furnish every room in your soul house? 

Before I share these three words, let me describe how they feel inside me. When I say them, I have a visceral reaction. The words soften my tongue, they smooth the back of my throat, and then slip down, broadening the inside of my back ribs to slide lower along the inner bowl of my hips to then crest up toward my belly button. In the quiet of this internal container, I am warm and jelly like. There is no gripping nor grasping; there’s a quality of waiting with tender patience. 

Thinking of these three words brings a Madonna curve to my lips – not that I am in any way foolhardy enough to believe my starting point is anywhere near hers, yet, like her, I am part of something greater. This awareness, this rooted belief, enhances the power and gravitas of these three words, which inspire the phrase, “There but for the grace of God go I.”

As you say the three words, see where they land within you. Notice what you feel and, if called to, repeat them to enhance your capacity to connect, bear witness to, and hold space for those around you: 

“Just like me.”