When I was a 24-year-old young woman fresh out of seminary, I had the opportunity to live in England and serve as a pastor for several small churches in Blackpool, England. One sacred memory for me is planning a meditative retreat for my parishioners. The retreat was at Chester Cathedral, which is a nearly 1,000 year old Anglican cathedral in the walled city of Chester, England. At this retreat we ate our meals in silence, sang Taize music, and practiced several spiritual disciplines, including the Examen, an ancient Ignatius spiritual practice.
I was introduced to spiritual practices in seminary, but during this retreat in Chester, England, I can remember having a deeper sense of how much I craved silence and the gift of turning inward to pay attention to myself, thoughts, feelings, and also to a deeper relationship with the Divine.
Ignatious of Loyola was one of the founders of the Jesuits, a Catholic group of priests and lay people committed to social work, human rights, and ecumenism. In addition to being a founder of the Jesuits, Ignatius was a mystic who encouraged the daily practice of the Examen and other spiritual exercises. Ignatius wrote, “In the same way that strolling, walking, and running exercise the body, spiritual exercises prepare the soul to become free of extravagant attachments and to discover what God wants to accomplish in one’s life.”
If you haven’t practiced the Examen, I encourage you to follow the steps below at the end of your day. This is my modern take on the Examen, paired with yoga in these 5 easy steps:
Step 1- Breathe
For this practice you might begin sitting in a chair or on a yoga mat, standing, or lying on your back. Take several deep breaths in and out. Find stillness and place yourself in God’s presence as you continue to intentionally breathe. Perhaps you physically place one hand on your heart and one hand on your belly to feel the rise and fall of your breath. Maybe you find a simple mantra like: Inhale: Just and Exhale: This. Allow yourself to abide in the presence of a God who cherishes you.
Step 2: Give Thanks
Find gratitude for the moments of grace and beauty in this very day. If you practice yoga maybe you find a Goddess pose. In this pose your arms are in the shape of a football field goal and you can find this pose standing, in a chair, or lying down on the ground. This pose can help you open up your heart to all that was holy and good in the day at hand.
Step 3: Reflect
Be curious and non-judgmentally review your day — What were your highs and lows, your thoughts and feelings, your strengths and growing edges? If you practice yoga, maybe you find child’s pose. Child’s pose is a grounded position you can practice on the floor or in a chair, where your chest falls over your thighs. This pose can help you to find introspection and humility, as you review and reflect on your day.
Step 4: Pray
Whether you are sitting on a yoga mat or in a chair, standing, or lying on your back you might bring your hands to your torso in prayer and thank God, seek forgiveness, allow the Divine to hold you, or ask for guidance about an event that happened today.
Step 5: Hope
Look toward tomorrow and remind yourself that God will walk with you into the unknown. If you like yoga, find a five pointed star, either on your back or standing. In this posture your arms and legs are wide. This posture is a symbolic position that says you are willing to live abundantly and take up space in the world. If you are standing in this position, you might choose to both physically and emotionally lift up your heart to the sky, to God, and towards the future, with hope in your heart.
I love spiritual practices because they are an invitation to be more in touch with your body, heart, thoughts, and spirit. Practices like the Examen invite you to be curious about who you are and who you want to be. I know if I am not utilizing meditative disciplines to pay attention to the state of my heart, mind, body, and soul, resentments start to deepen and I start to lose touch with my values and purpose in life.
In this world you likely feel constantly bombarded by artificial intelligence, advertisements, social media, text messages, television, professional duties, social commitments, and many other external demands. All these priorities can be soul deflating, but you can find new life in spiritual exercises like the Examen that invite you to pay attention to your internal world. The Examen is a mindful practice that can help you be still, find gratitude, reflect, let go, commune with God, find hope, and live with a greater sense of compassion towards yourself, thoughts, feelings, others, and life.
