The teachings and practices included in this essay represent several aspects of one particular morning service January 9, 2008. Each session has its own dynamic. We use the liturgy and topics of the prayers as our focus for contemplation.

We enter the sacred space quietly and with respect. Carl Woolf, the facilitator, encourages participants not to get stuck in the roles of performer or mere observer. The service begins with an extended silent sitting meditation.

As part of our commitment for the service, we chant, "I hereby accept upon myself the mitzvah of the creator to love my fellow as myself (and also to love myself)". "Hareini m'qabel alai et mitsvat haborei v'ahavta l'rei-akha kamocha v'gam et ats'm'kha," based on "Love your Neighbor as Yourself" p.222.

We chant, "Oh pure soul/ In you I see/ Endless possibility", "Elohai n'shemah sh'natata bi, t'horah hi" (p. 144). This chant, based on Elohai n'shamah, proclaims "My God, the soul you have given me is Pure. Each morning our soul is returned to us and we give thanks." We let the sound resonate inside and feel the beauty of our souls. We are encouraged to put our feelings of gratitude and awe into an "envelope" which we can take with us where ever we go, opening the envelope when need be throughout the day.

We participate in a Four worlds movement mediation. We focus on four important anchoring energy points: Physical, Feeling, Thinking and Essence. Standing, we sweep our hands from the ground up to our lower belly, our heart, our head, and then raise our hands over our head. We experience "cosmic chi", lifting our hands towards infinity. Though our feet are anchored in the earth, we also are in touch with the infinity below us.

We recognize two kinds of mind or ways of being present. The Big Mind, all encompassing mind mochin d'gadlut is when we look at the world from a point way above the world. The mochin d'amkut is the deep internal awareness, when we feel the infinite well inside us. Going inside, we inhale to our inner core.

We cultivate the Big Smile: We imagine a dog kennel. In one cage is a very happy puppy. We respond to the happy puppy with a smile of happiness. In another cage, there is a puppy with a broken leg. We acknowledge the suffering of that puppy with a smile of compassion and empathy. Ultimately, we interweave the smiles of joy and the smiles of compassion. We expand our compassionate vision beyond the two cages, to people in our meditation group, to people in traffic, to people in our work place. Now we are ready to face our upcoming day, living each moment in our lives in a fresh, new way.

Page references are from "Siddur Hadash, A new Siddur for All Sabbath and Festival Services", New York, 2000.