Inner Work Exercises
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Inner Work Exercises
An Inner Work exercise is a guided process of self-exploration that relies on noticing, articulating and following your experience in order to solve problems, find a new point of view, work on relationship conflicts or make decisions.
Awareness skills and sensitivities can improve with practice but your attitude toward your momentary experience and your learning is equally important.
Some aspects of inner work may come easily to you while others may seem more elusive. Take time with your learning and practice. Use curiosity and beginner’s mind to stay open to what you experience. Trust your perception and the flow of your experience to help you find surprisingly meaningful attitudes, wisdom, messages hidden at times in unexpected places!
Using Visual Flirts to Tell a Story (13:08 minutes)
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Hi, my name is Lynn Lobo. In this meditation, we use visual flirts and storytelling to find a way through a problem. I want to thank Amy Mindell for the basis of this meditation.
Sometimes, we feel so busy in our lives that we lose connection with ourselves. We may long for something that is missing. Luckily, dreaming and imagination is always here to help us. We are surrounded by mystery and can tune in any time.
Before we begin, have some paper and colored markers nearby to catch your perceptions as we go. Go ahead and pause the recording to gather the materials needed.
Welcome back. As we go through this exercise, you can give yourself as much time as you like by pausing the recording as you need to. So, let’s begin.
Start by feeling yourself and noticing your breathing.
How are you doing today, in this moment? What is happening in your life? Is there a question or problem you have? Write it down. Spend time getting as clear as you can with your issue.
Once done, underline 2 important words about your problem. Then, write those two words as part of a list on your piece of paper. Put this aside.
Now, half close your eyes, sit back and let yourself relax. Let your breathing slow down naturally. And get a little cloudy and dreamy.
Gently gaze around the room, through half closed eyes, and notice something that draws your attention.
What is calling you?
Hold your attention there and let imagination play with what is seen. You may almost see something, let imagination play with it. That’s it. Let it form in your mind’s eye.
Feel into the quality of it. What is one word that describes that quality?
Write down the word that describes the experience on the list you have started.
Now, repeat this process for catching a visual flirt another two times. Give yourself as much time as you like by pausing the recording as you need to.
Half close your eyes, sit back and let yourself relax. Let your breathing slow down naturally. And get a little cloudy and dreamy.
Gently gaze around the room, through half closed eyes, and notice something that draws your attention.
What is calling you?
Hold your attention there and let imagination play with what is seen. You may almost see something, let imagination play with it. That’s it. Let it form in your mind’s eye.
Feel into the quality of it. What is one word that describes that quality?
Write down the word that describes the experience on the list you have started.
Once done, repeat this process.
Half close your eyes and let yourself relax. Let your breathing slow down naturally. Get a little cloudy and dreamy.
Gaze around the room and notice something that draws your attention.
What is calling you?
Hold your attention there and let imagination play with what is seen. You may almost see something. Let imagination play with it. That’s it. Let it form in your mind’s eye.
Feel into the quality of it. What is one word that describes that quality?
Write down the word that describes the experience.
Now, take a look at your list of words. You should have 5 words — two from your original question and 3 words from visual flirts.
Let your mind go cloudy again and let a spontaneous story unfold using the 5 words. Let imagination play with this story in amazing ways. Don’t think too much. Just let the words come. Catch the story and write it down. Give yourself as much time as you like.
Now, retell the story out loud. Act out parts of the drama and enjoy the telling of the story creatively. Go into the feelings of the characters as they interact. Go ahead and flesh it out.
OK, tell the story once again, but this time weave in a figure that asks the question you originally had. Dramatize the story again, until the question is answered. Give yourself as much time as you like by pausing the recording as you need to.
Write down this new version of the story and draw pictures to embellish it. Just use simple stick figures. Your drawings are vistas into expanding narratives beyond words. Take time and enjoy the experience of what is creatively emerging. This story is divine.
Lastly, how might this story be a metaphor for what is trying to happen in your life. Make some notes.
Take a few moments to look at your surroundings with your eyes open. Feel your body in this moment in time. Acknowledge you have been on a long journey. Welcome back to your everyday life.
Connecting to Mythic Forces (8:51 minutes)
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Hi, my name is Cindy Trawinski.
This is an inner work on connecting to mythic forces.
I tend to identify with certain aspects of myself easily and overlook or don’t even notice other parts of
myself. Often times, mythic forces can be found in the background of our dreams and everyday
struggles. I don’t usually identify with these consciously, but mythic forces can connect me to universal
qualities and personal allies — to strong background currents in my life. They may point to
unrecognized energies and abilities in and around me that can impact the way I behave or see myself
and the world. Discovering these mythic forces can revitalize me or bring important new perspectives.
For this inner work, you might want to have a something to write or draw with and paper available. Feel
free to pause the audio and get anything materials you like, now.
Ok, let’s begin.
Sit quietly now and think about your ordinary way of being. Look at yourself in your daily life. How
would you describe your ordinary way of being to someone? Take a moment and act it out to yourself a
little right now. You can try by feeling the way you tend stand or sit, talk or move, the way you laugh or
clear your throat, the way you nod your head, or brush your hair aside. Act out your ordinary way of
being and then make a note or two to describe this.
Now, remember or think of a something you have done, or you do in your life that moves you deeply,
that makes you feel well or that you are passionate about. Describe it to yourself and make a note about
that.
Now, imagine or remember that activity or experience – the one that makes you feel well or that you’re
passionate about. And feel that experience in your body. Remember what it’s like. Notice your body
when you are in that experience.
You can be still or let your body move as you remember and imagine that experience. What happens in
your body as you bring this experience to mind? Let your awareness fall into your body. What feeling
does this experience create in your body?
Ask yourself: what is it about that experience that you long for? And when you are ready, make a few
notes to describe this experience or longing to yourself.
When you are ready, if you can, stand up and re-feel that experience. Let it become bigger, or more
exaggerated — fuller in some way. Imagine this experience connects you to a mythic figure who moves
or acts that way. Who is this figure? Where is this figure? Notice what its surroundings are and what it’s
doing.
On a piece of paper, draw this mythic figure and its environment. Then, tell a short, spontaneous story
about this picture that has some meaningful end.
What is the significance of this story or the way of being implied by it? Ask yourself where in your life
could you use this? How could this way of being be helpful to you? How does it relate to or connect to
your ordinary way of being that you noted at the beginning? Are you already living it some way? If so,
how?
Take time to stay with these questions and write down your answers or a few notes about what you’ve
learned.
If you like, reflect on what you’ve learned in this inner work and any next steps you are noticing for
yourself.
Facing Fear with Earth Wisdom (12:56 minutes)
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Welcome
Hi, my name is Suzette Payne and welcome to this meditation and inner work on “Facing Fear with Earth Wisdom”.
Fear is a feeling that nature has given us to protect us from danger. We can, also, become stuck in patterns of fear and worry that create barriers to living more fully and with more ease.
However, there are hidden resources found in nature — earth energies that can be an ally for us to guide and find surprising gifts and meaning to support us in working with our fear states.
Before, we begin the exercise, you may want to have paper to write or draw on close by. Feel free to pause your audio and get any material you would like to and to find a comfortable space for yourself to do the inner work.
Remember you can always pause the audio to give yourself more time to deepen your meditation experience.
And now, take a few moments to think about what it is you are most fearful or worried about these days. Name one that is most challenging for you.
Write this down, and then put it aside and we will come back to this at the end of your meditation.
To welcome you into our time together, bring your attention to your body and how you are sitting. Notice your breathing. Feel your feet on the floor. Feel your legs, your back, arms, shoulders, neck and head. Send your breath to your whole body and being.
And now, there is a question for your body. “Hello dear body, what do you need to feel most comfortable? “
Invite your body to move as it needs to, to create the most ease and comfort. Perhaps you would like to stretch or move your shoulders or get a pillow. And now if you need, pause the tape to create this space of more ease and presence.
After you have settled, close your eyes. Feel into your deepest self –whatever that means to you. Where do you sense or feel that deepest part in your body? It could be in your chest, or throat, your back, your belly. Trust your intuition. Place your hand or hands on this part of your body. Now, send your breath to your deepest self. Give yourself time to deepen your attention to this feeling.
As you are breathing, think about a special place on the earth that comes to mind, a place in nature that you know now or remember or perhaps imagine. A special earth spot that you love.
Go to this earth spot in your imagination. Stand, sit, or lie in that spot. Feel the earth under you and feel the sky around you. Look around and see what you notice. Sense its atmosphere and its presence.
And take your time to feel, touch, see, and listen to the nature that you find. What is the light like? What season is it? Are there plants, trees, water or other living creatures? Just notice what you notice.
Believe in your experience and how all your senses are aware of the nature around you. Feel the earth receiving you and welcoming you.
Slowly let yourself be absorbed. Let your whole self become this place on the earth. You, now, are the land, and air and light and all that you sense.
As you become the spirit of the land, let it move thru your body like it moves. See through its eyes and ways of being. Make sounds or songs that it sings. And, now, dance it’s dance.
As you are being and moving and expressing this earth spirit, look back at your everyday self-sitting on the earth spot. See the fears and worries that are challenging you.
What wisdom or advice might this earth spirit have for you in your life and the challenges you are facing with worry and fear? Listen to the message and ask other questions that come to mind.
Take a few moments to honor or give thanks to this spirit that has come today.
Is there something you can find in your home or in nature that would remind you of this spirit and how it is an ally for you? You could even draw or paint it.
As we close our time together, take time to reflect on what you may have learned from this earth spirit. Take notes, if right for you, to ground your insights.
Thank you for being open and using your intuitive and sentient awareness to discover how the wisdom of the earth can befriend you
and be a support to face fears and challenges in your life.
Be well in spirit, heart and mind.
Finding Meaning Using Death as a Guide (9:12 minutes)
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Hi, my name is Niyati Evers and this is an inner work on finding meaning during COVID.
The power of living through a time like we are today, is that because we are faced with a potentially deadly disease, it brings us face to face with our mortality, something we often prefer to look away from. As much as facing our mortality can be scary, it can also bring us in touch with what is truly important and meaningful in our lives. And being connected to what gives us meaning can make all the difference as we navigate, each of us in our own way, the challenges of our times. In this inner work we will explore how to connect to a sense of meaning through the lens of what bring us joy. Let’s begin.
- Looking back over the last months, what were some of the moments or interactions that brought you the greatest joy or fulfillment? For example, it could be when you were playing a fantasy game with your grandchild or it could be a moment of deep sharing or love or when you felt your creative juices flowing, and so forth.
- Let yourself remember a couple of those moments and then pick one that stands out for you.
- Once you’ve made your pick, go back to that moment and notice how you were feeling, what you were doing, what the atmosphere was like, how you were interacting with the other person and anything else that stands out for you about this memory.
- Now, as the next step, we’re going to zoom in even more, like a camera lens that is picking up even finer details. What was the quality of connection like at that moment? How were you different? For example, were you more expressive than you tend to be, were you more open-hearted or playful or authentic?
- And looking back, is there anything you’re holding back that you would actually like to express? If death were your guide and you imagine death whispering in your ear, saying, don’t hold back, give it your all, this is it, this is the moment – what would you say or do that you might normally hold back a bit or feel too shy to bring out? Just notice what comes up spontaneously in response to this question and take a moment to make some notes.
- Whatever your answer was to the question above, let yourself meditate for a moment on that particular quality. How might you want that particular quality more into your life and into your engagements with other people? For example, if you noticed that you held back your appreciation, how might you want to express that more to the people around you?
- Take a moment to imagine yourself living that quality more in your life (or with regard to your disturbance)? How would that impact your sense of meaning?
What brings us deep joy or fulfillment is always about some form connection. Connection to ourselves, to our dreams, to other people, to children or animals, to our creativity and our bodies and our sexuality, to God or spirit or nature, and so forth. And when we’re connected to what resonates for us on a deep level, it brings us alive. And that’s the key. If you want to connect to your sense of meaning, look for ways to connect more deeply to that which brings you most fully alive.
Working with A Critical Inner Voice (13:15 minutes)
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Hi, my name is Rami and this is an exercise on working with critical inner voices using a process called Inner Work.
Inner Work refers to facilitating one’s own awareness by sensing and noticing physical sensations, impulses, movements, sounds and other sensory information. This guided process of self-exploration can help you solve problems, find a new point of view, work on relationship conflicts or make decisions.
For this inner work, you may want to have a something to write or draw with and paper available. Feel free to pause the audio to get anything materials you like or at any time during this process.
Let’s get comfortable.
Feel free to find a place where you can feel comfortable. Maybe in a chair, lying on the floor or moving about the room, whatever works for you.
Once you have settled, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Begin to relax. Feel at ease and sink into the moment.
Let’s begin.
1. Take some time to consider a moment when you have become aware of a critical inner voice. For example, when you have spoke up at work or asked a question in a class or group. Maybe a voice came up inside you, or you had a body reaction or you saw something? Just notice what comes up and make a note of it.
2. If more than one thing comes up for you, choose just one – whatever you are most curious about. Now, take a piece of paper and make a drawing or energy sketch of whatever you are focused on or have chosen. An energy sketch is a quick, free form mark that represents the energy or quality of what you are noticing/experiencing.
3. Take a look at your drawing, what quality do you notice? For example, is it wiggly, strong, light, flowy, sharp, wavy? What quality do you notice? Give this quality a name.
4. Imagine this quality as a figure and see how it moves, its posture…does it make a sound or have a rhythm. Make a small hand movement to express this figure. Take your time, bit by bit, let yourself feel into and become this figure. Hmmm, become it…
5. Once you and this figure have become one, allow yourself to see thru its eyes. What is its worldview? How does it see the problems of its world? When you are ready, see if there is any advice or wisdom that this figure has for you when an inner critical voice arises.
If you like, reflect on what you discovered in this inner work and find a way to capture any meaningful information you found.
You may want to take a few minutes now to become aware of your immediate surroundings before returning to your other activities.
Thank you for visiting Deep Well. Perhaps you will join us at another time.
New Beginnings (9:40 minutes)
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New Beginnings | November 5, 2020
Hi, welcome to Deep Well, my name is Cindy and this is an inner work designed to help you address anxious feelings you may have about starting something new. It is common to sometimes feel a bit apprehensive at the outset of something new like a new job, moving to a new home, starting a new class or program, or joining a new group of people for some other reason. Even getting your garden ready for a new year can bring excitement and also worries or an anxious feeling.
For this inner work, you may want to have a something to write or draw with and paper available. Feel free to pause the audio and get anything materials you like now.
OK, let’s begin.
1. Take a moment to settle in. Adjust your body and find a comfortable position. Close your eyes if you are comfortable doing that, and just get in touch with your breathing. Take a couple deep breaths, let your mind go foggy, and relax.
2. Bring to mind something new that you are thinking about starting or may have already begun. If there is more than one new thing on your mind, for now, just choose one new thing to explore.
Meditate on this new beginning for moment or two. When you are ready, notice what you are anxious, afraid or worried about. It could be anything that is currently or potentially disturbing or worriesome to you…for example, meeting new people, having enough time to do everything, worries about fitting in, concerns about group activities or expectations you or others may have, etc.
3. Make a few mental or actual notes on paper about what you are anxious about.
4. Now, put your paper aside and imagine someone or something that could be a source of guidance. It could be a book you look to, a person you use as a sounding board, it could be someone imaginary, living or dead, an inner ally, your body or something or place in nature. In your imagination who or what could be a source of guidance? Trust what comes to mind, even if it is a bit surprising, irrational or unusual.
5. Once you have a figure or something that can provide guidance, take a moment and look at that figure or ally. Notice it carefully. Hold it in your inner gaze. Give yourself a moment to study it. Notice where it is and what is around it. Is it alone or are there others? Sense and feel this figure.
6. As you become more aware of it, imagine being or becoming this source of guidance. Let your posture or facial expression shift to become it. Let yourself stand or sit as it does. Let yourself or your hands move like it does. Let yourself speak as it does or make sounds like it. Let yourself become it.
7. See through the eyes of this source of guidance. See as it sees. What is its mind set, its inner attitude towards things? How does it view the world? How does it see or hold the problems of its world? Make some notes about this.
8. From this viewpoint, give your ordinary self, the one with a bit of anxiety about starting your new endeavor, a tip or some words of wisdom.
9. When you are ready, you might want to make some notes about this message or wisdom. How can this point of view help you with your concerns about your new beginning? Make a few notes about this.
Take a few minutes now to become aware of your immediate surroundings before returning to your day. If you like, continue to reflect on what you learned in this inner work and take notes to capture anything else important or any next steps you are noticing.
Thank you for visiting Deep Well. You may return to this inner work anytime you like to address new beginnings.
Using Your Awareness to Solve Everyday Problems (6:39 minutes)
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Hi Welcome to Deep Well. My name is Nathaniel Holder and this is an inner work exercise using your awareness to solve an everyday problem.
All of us have ordinary troubles and difficulties. We search for the right answer but don’t find it easily. Try this inner work and see if your awareness can help you.
If you like, get some paper and pen or pencil to take some notes. Feel free to pause the audio now or at anytime during the exercise to get any materials you like.
Now, we will begin.
Take moment or two and think of an everyday problem/concern that is on your mind. It needn’t be a big problem, just something you have been turning over. Jot it down or make a mental note of it.
Set that problem aside, now and make yourself comfortable. Take a few breaths and let your mind go fuzzy, out of focus. Relax.
When you are ready, slowly open your eyes and notice the very first thing that catches your attention. Notice what you see when you are just opening your eyes, not specifically choosing to attend to something.
Whatever it is that caught your attention…a color, an object, a glimmer, sound, movement etc.., hold it leisurely in your focus. Try to avoid interpreting it.
Study the aspect of it that reached out to you. Meditate on that aspect.
Once you have identified that aspect, hold it in your focus and notice the experience it is creating in you.
Try going a bit deeper, until you spontaneously get a sense of its essence. Its essence is its most essential quality. Its most fundamental nature.
Make room for that essence experience. Let it fill you and shift your identity if needed. Look at the problem you thought of when we started. How has it changed? What insight into the problem do you have that you didn’t have before?
Make a note of what you discovered.
Take a few moments to become aware of your surroundings and re-orient yourself to your ordinary life. You can return to this exercise anytime you have a problem or question on your mind.
Thanks for using Deep Well. You are welcome back anytime.
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Exercises
Listen to Mini Works
Mini Works are short audio-recorded inner work exercises – no more than 2-3 minutes in duration. Led by Cindy Trawinski, PsyD, MAPW, these brief exercises are a quick way to bring wisdom to ease into your day.
Meet Our Contributors
Cindy Trawinski, PsyD, MAPW
Lynn Lobo Dipl. PW, MAPW
Nathaniel Holder, MAPW
Niyati Evers, MAPW
Rami Henrich, LCSW, MAPW
Suzette Payne
