Categories: Scrubs

A composure meditation

Breath Prayer
Breathing in: Guide me…
Breathing out: …Guard me

Reflection Before Calming a Difficult Patient

Pause for a few moments before entering the room
where a difficult patient waits for you.
Invite a deep, calming breath to flow through your body.
Remind yourself that patience means “one who endures.”
Repeat this to yourself, reassure yourself.
Trust your ability to remain calm and composed.
Carry this affirmation in your heart:
“I am one who endures.”
Remind yourself as you step into the room
that this patient deserves your patience.
Hold your arms in a relaxed way, release your shoulders.
Invite a compassionate smile to soften your face.
Promise yourself that, no matter the interaction,
you will not let your runaway emotions run away with you.
Lean into the infinite Patience of the universe.
Ask for help from the Source of all patience
for restraint and calm acceptance,
for the gift of composure.

From the Bible
As we withdraw our projections
Upon others,
Balance and harmony adorn us
—Psalm 106

Rabbi Sheryl Lewart

Sheryl Lewart was a beloved spiritual teacher who lectured and led workshops and seminars in mystical Judaism (Kabbalah, Hasidism and Mussar). She served for 12 years as rabbi of Kehillat Israel—the largest Reconstructionist congregation in the world—in Los Angeles, and gave seminars regularly on values-based decision-making. Before passing away of cancer in late 2012, Sheryl offered spiritual direction and guidance in order to help others understand that by developing our own spirituality, we discover a deeper intimacy with God and a genuine compassion for all of creation. God, it has been suggested, is the wind that blows our ship, but it is up to us to turn the rudder and shift the sails in order to more fully catch the wind that freely blows.