Shifting from Perfection to Presence: Using Wisdom To Guide A Meditation Session
Last week, I had the honor of leading a breathwork and meditation session for a group of wine professionals. In the days leading up to the event, the familiar imposter syndrome made its annoying appearance. I found myself diving deep into old yogic philosophy textbooks, sifting through breathwork notes, and obsessively searching for sources to ensure every piece of information I shared would be perfectly attributed. I also created a resource, "9 Practices to Calm a Busy Mind," so attendees could take something tangible with them. You can download it HERE.
On the morning of the event, I watched the sunrise as I prepared my notes and fine-tuned the session. But as the day dawned, so did a creeping sense of anxiety. The overwhelm began to rise, and rather than reach for another flash card, I decided to take my own advice. I set a timer for two minutes and focused on slow belly breathing to clear my mind. After about a minute, when my mind stopped racing with plans, a quiet inner voice whispered: "Today is about sharing wisdom, not knowledge."
When the bells signaled the end of my meditation, I took a moment to reflect on this thought. There’s a subtle but powerful difference between the two. Knowledge is a collection of facts, information, and skills acquired through study and experience—it's the what we know. Wisdom, however, is the thoughtful application of that knowledge. It’s understanding how and when to use what we know to support and help others.
With this realization, I shifted my approach. Instead of sticking rigidly to my original plan, I went for a pre-dawn walk and applied wisdom to the techniques I would share. For instance, instead of explaining the intricacies of the vagus nerve and its role in the parasympathetic nervous system, I would focus on why the parasympathetic system is crucial for reducing stress. In leading the body scan meditation, rather than explaining the anatomy of the hands, I shared how much tension the hands tend to hold and why simply softening them—even just a little—can help the entire body relax.
In the end, the day unfolded differently than I had imagined, but it was more meaningful for it. We concluded with a beautiful sound bath meditation (more on that later).
As a takeaway, I created a simple reference guide, "9 Practices to Calm a Busy Mind"— a collection of breathwork, movement, and meditation exercises that you can do on your own or with a partner. Each practice is five minutes or less. You can download it for FREE HERE, and keep it on hand for whenever you need a moment of calm. Consider it a gift to yourself.
Audio recordings of these practices will be available soon, so stay tuned!
Until then, keep breathing.
Namaste,
Beck
