everything

“Everything” by Perry Rhodes has helped quiet my mind during this troubling time. It’s the first single from his instrumental album, Words Underlined. He created it for me to write to and I’ve already written thousands of words to it. But I’ve also found that it stills the worry and fear that has been boiling inside of me due to the current state of the world. ⁣
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I’ve used it as a free form mediation where I do absolutely nothing and let the song spread through my conscious mind. At the end, I always feel lighter and refined, like I’ve shed unwanted layers. ⁣
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I’ve also used it alongside a meditation practice called tonglen. It means giving and taking. With each in-breath, we take in others’ pain. With each out-breath, we send them relief. The key here is to let the story line go—not just our personal anger, loneliness, and worry, but also the pain of others who in this moment are also experiencing feelings of rage, fear, and isolation. Breathe it in for everyone. Connect with it fully. Then breathe it out, sending a sense of space and peace, a renewed freshness. Tonglen connects us to suffering in a way that helps us overcome our fear of it and therefore dissolves the tightness in our hearts. Doing this practice alongside this beautiful song has brought peace and space into my heart and mind. And my hope is that you will feel it too. ⁣
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There’s so much more I want to say about this song but for now, I want to leave you with the hope of feeling lighter and less burdened by the current state of things. There’s a tone of hopefulness in this song that I feel is so important right now. “Everything” is eight minutes long, giving you time to truly sink into the moment. Give the full song a listen on Spotify.