Finding your Sanctuary

Where do you feel safe?  Often times when we are in a state of less than perfect, we need a place to go to.  We need a sanctuary.  This is the place you go to when you need to heal, or when you seek guidance from a higher power.  It can be a physical place such as a bedroom, or it can be purely in your mind, such as a place you've never been in real life but sometimes end up in in dreams that feels safe.  The reason we all need sanctuaries is to take a break from the reality that is life and focus on that which we wouldn't normally see, or to simply lie for a moment in nothingness in order to clear our heads.

I myself have three sanctuaries that I discovered during my teenage years.  The first is the shower.  The feeling of hot water calms me down; sitting in the bathtub with a lit candle as the only light and gentle music is the next step in my "water meditation."  I've tried all sorts of things in the water, oils and bubble baths, but I find simply very hot water in the almost darkness to be my favorite, along with Sarah Mc Lachlan's "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy"

My second sanctuary is next to window that faces open space during sunset.  This is the place I went to most during my youth.  There's something about the setting sun, the heat from the rays just before it starts to fade coming into the room and hitting my body that I find extremely soothing.  I noticed my dog loves it too.  I feel like a plant being wrapped in the sun's warmth.

My third sanctuary is my bedroom at night lit by a simple candle.  I seem to get my greatest sense of ease being in this place.  I play soft music usually when I am here.  Sometimes I do the Alexander Technique exercise I explained in this morning's "Hotness Factor" facebook group.

In all of these sanctuaries I do the same thing.  I take a deep breath and ask myself a question: "What has brought me here?  What is it that I need to know that I'm not seeing an answer to at the moment?"  I think about what I am going through and ask for guidance as to what it all means, and what I can do to move forward with my life instead of continuing to do the same things day in and out. 

Next time you're not feeling well, try visiting your sanctuary.  It may be the place you're needed most.