108 Inner Beauty Treatments, Meditations &
Other Not-So-Secret Recipes
offerings
1. when you gesture towards inner beauty, it’s polite (and helpful) to show up with some hostess gifts for That Which Is, the Universe, or God, or however you most comfortably address the vast creative Everything from which we all come forth. the following drawings are created in that spirit. you can add to them whenever you like – the more, the better. and they don’t have to be drawings – if you’re a sculptey type of person, or a knitter, or a writer – go to town – and make these juicy.
2. make a drawing of something absolutely delicious. put a lot of vim into it – color, texture, sprinkles, chocolate sauce, the works. your gratitude for all that is delicious.
3. now draw something that sounds beautiful to your ears. doesn’t have to be music: the sound of your big dog yawning, or your baby waking up. draw it lovingly. your gratitude for all the beautiful sounds in the world.
4. draw something that smells amazing: your lover’s armpit, lilacs in the spring, potatoes roasted in butter. make the act of drawing a celebration of all that is good-smelling in the world.
5. draw something that is beautiful to your eyes: your grandmother’s wrinkly little eyes sparkling mischievously, way back there. the curl of hair behind your son’s ear. the weird little flowers that showed up in the lawn. this drawing is your gratitude for all that is beautiful to the eyes in this world.
6. now it’s time for something that feels really good: draw a hot bath. silk pajamas, rolling in new snow. your gratitude for all that is wonderful to the touch.
7. and let’s not forget the mind: draw or write down some thought or quotation that is beautiful, soothing, or inspiring to your mind. offer it in gratitude for all that is beautiful to think of in the world.
8. last but not least, draw something that is of great value to you. offer it up! now your ukulele, sweet sable brush, or red velvet dress is a gift to the universe.
9. when you are done, cut each of your drawings out with scissors, into pleasing shapes, and offer them to the Universe, with a sense of gratitude and of asking for help. put your offering drawings up to either side of the door to your dwelling, safety closet, bedroom, bathroom, studio, or other sacred space.
generosity
10. out of a little ball of clay, or whatever comes to hand, make something completely lovely, embodying your feelings of the world’s plenitude and sweetness.
11. give it to someone.
bouncer
12. who’s in charge of security around here? make a drawing/painting/collage of your inner bouncer, who wants to make it safe for you to be in the world. could be animal, could be mythical – just listen to what comes up, and draw it exactly as it comes to you.
13. put this drawing near the door to your dwelling, safety closet, bedroom, bathroom, studio, or other sacred space.
benefactor
14. who wishes you well in the world? make a drawing/painting/collage of your inner benefactor, who wants to see you flourish in the world. could be animal, could be mythical, could be Jesus – just listen to what comes up, and draw it exactly as it comes to you.
15. pin this drawing up above the entrance to your dwelling, safety closet, bedroom, studio, or other sacred space.
foundations
16. put your hand on your heart, and feel the heartbeat in your hand, as it pulses life through the body, keeping you alive beat by beat by beat, through no conscious planning of your own.
17. notice the in-breath rising as it breathes you, beyond effort or control.
18. notice the out-breath sinking as it breathes you, beyond effort or control.
19. sit on the ground or on a chair, or stand. feel deeply into the connections between your lower body and the chair, the floor, the ground, the earth. let go of the weight of your body. each out-breath allows the weight of your body to flow down through your seat, your legs, your feet, into the ground.
20. the weight flows down from every part of your body like sand flowing down through an hourglass, and is completely received and welcomed by the earth. welcome the earth’s support. feel how you can rely on the earth to hold you.
21. notice that with letting go comes an answering lightness.
22. bring attention to the crown of your head. imagine that your crown is connected to the sky by a silken cord. there’s a tiny bit of pull in the cord, so your head is supported from above.
23. thanks to that support, your chin can settle down, your neck and spine can lengthen, your shoulders can relax, and your arms can hang heavy from your shoulders.
24. feel your connection with sky: how the crown of your head grows open and rises as you allow yourself to welcome sky and to be welcomed by it.
well-being
25. find a place of well-being in your feet, legs, rump, or groin, and explore it. what is the felt experience of this particular well-being? is it warm or is it cool? is it small or is it large? is it specific or is it diffuse? is it bright or is it dark? is there a color associated with it? imagine this place of well-being is a room you have just discovered in the castle of your body, and discover it with a sense of gratitude and curiosity. feel that you are welcome there, and that you welcome what you find there.
26. find a place of well-being in your hips, back, torso, chest, belly, arms, or hands, and explore it, as above. feel that you are welcome there, and that you welcome what you find there. connect this place with the first place, building a bridge, a path, or a cable, connecting the two, drawing up a map of the networks of well-being.
27. find a place of well-being in your neck, throat, skull, scalp, mouth, ears, or face, and explore it, as above. feel that you are welcome there, and that you welcome what you find there. connect this place with the first and second places, building a bridge, a path, or a cable, connecting these places, drawing up a map of the networks of well-being.
28. imagine that your body is like a loaf of bread rising. each of the places of well-being you have found so far are like bubbles in that loaf, expanding, opening, allowing spaciousness to open in the body. allowing the body to be leavened with well-being, growing light and grounded, all at once.
29. bring attention to a place in the body where there is some discomfort. again, imagine this place as a room in the castle of your body. what is the felt experience of this particular discomfort? is it warm or is it cool? is it small or is it large? is it specific or is it diffuse? is it bright or is it dark? is there a color associated with it? explore your sensations with a sense of curiosity and welcoming.
30. with your attention, travel back and forth between a place of well-being, and a place of discomfort. are they really so different?
feet
31. fill a bucket or basin or salad bowl with warm water. add some epsom salts, dried flowers, or essential oils, if you like. wash your feet gently, feeling into the muscles and bones, the smooth and rough skin.
32. dry your feet like a pair of newborns.
33. find some oil or some lotion that smells and feels delicious. rub that in there real good. no toe left behind.
34. wash, dry, and oil someone else’s feet – not necessarily someone you know well at all. these feet have carried this person over a whole lifetime. feel into their weight and strength, their sensitivity. hold them.
hands & feet
35. with your eyes closed, feel into your hands. there are inward sensations – tingling, heartbeat – and there are outward sensations – warmth and coolness, breeze, contact.
36. same goes for the soles of your feet.
heartspace
37. put one hand on your heart & one hand on your back. feel the front and back of your ribcage, and your heart beating inside.
38. now, close your eyes, let your hands go back to resting, and listen into the space of your heart. does it feel bounded behind you? in front of you? to your left? to your right? above you, or below you? allow yourself to open to the unbounded, unobstructed quality of your heart-space.
whole-body pilgrimage
39. sit on the ground or on a chair, or stand. imagine that your body is a sacred mountain, and you are about to go on a pilgrimage all around it. first, feel into your seat, your legs, and your feet, and their connection with the ground. allow that connection to go deep into the earth, into the foundations of the mountain. be absolutely heavy, rooted and grounded.
40. feel your long, straight spine as the mountain’s axis and core.
41. bring your attention up the spine to the crown of your head, the mountain’s peak, impossibly high, connected to sky & pure air. allow the crown of the head to open and welcome its connection to sky. feel the height and majesty of this body-mountain.
42. begin your pilgrimage by exploring the back of the body. name the parts of the body as you bring your attention to them in succession: back of the head, back of the neck, trapezius muscles connecting the back of the neck with the shoulders, back of the shoulders, backs of the upper arms, backs of the elbows, backs of the forearms, backs of the wrists, palms of the hands, undersides of the fingers, spine between the shoulder blades, shoulder blades, the whole back of the ribcage, back of the waist, backs of your hipbones, sacrum, sitting bones, buttocks, perineum, backs of your thighs, backs of your knees, calves, backs of your ankles, heels, arches and balls of your feet, undersides of your toes. the whole back of the body. take your time. bring your attention and care to each part, and then to the whole.
43. this is the north face of the body-mountain. it is connected with night, winter, blue, earth, the pause between things, and equanimity.
44. feel the connection of the whole back of the body with the space opening infinitely behind it. now, imagine that the back of the body is a gate – you can choose to open it, and to allow the felt sense of the back-body and the felt sense of space opening behind you to become continuous. grounded in the body. infinite, spacious awareness extending behind you. the north face; the northern gate.
45. continue your pilgrimage by exploring the left side of the body. name the parts of the body as you bring your attention to them in succession: left side of the back of the head, left side of the crown of the head, left temple, left side of the forehead, left eyebrow, left eye, left side of the nose, left cheek, left ear, left upper lip, left side of the palate, left upper teeth, left side of the tongue, left side of the lower jaw, left lower teeth, left lower lip, left side of the chin, left side of the throat, side of the back of the neck, left trapezius muscle, left shoulder, left upper arm, left elbow, left forearm, left wrist, left hand and fingers, left shoulder blade, the whole left side of the ribcage, the left side of the chest, left upper belly below the ribcage, left mid-belly at the navel, left side of the waist, left hipbone, left side of the sacrum, left sitting bone, left lower belly, left side of the groin, left buttock, left thigh, left knee, calf, ankle, heel, foot, and toes. the whole left side of the body. take your time. bring your attention and care to each part, and then to the whole side.
46. this is the eastern face of the body-mountain. it is connected with morning, spring, green, air, the beginning of things, and fearless compassion.
47. feel the connection of the whole left side of the body with the space opening infinitely to your left. now, imagine that the left side of the body is a gate – you can choose to open it, and to allow the felt sense of the left side of the body and the felt sense of space opening to your left to become continuous. grounded in the body. infinite, spacious awareness extending to your left. the eastern face; the eastern gate.
48. take a moment to connect the felt sense of spaciousness at the back of the body & the left side. these two connect and flow together.
49. continue your pilgrimage by exploring the front of the body. name the parts of the body as you bring your attention to them in succession: crown of the head, forehead, eyebrows, eyes, nose, cheeks, ears, upper lip, palate, upper teeth, tongue, lower jaw, lower teeth, lower lip, chin, throat, collar bones, fronts of the shoulders, fronts of the upper arms, fronts of the elbows, fronts of the forearms, tops of the wrists, backs of the hands and tops of the fingers, front of the ribcage, chest, upper belly just below the ribcage, mid-belly at the navel, waist, fronts of the hipbones, lower belly, groin, fronts of the thighs, fronts of the knees, shins, fronts of the ankles, tops of the feet and toes.
50. this is the southern face of the body-mountain. it is connected with high noon, summer, yellow, fire, the peak of things, and generosity.
51. feel the connection of the whole front of the body with the space opening infinitely in front of it. now, imagine that the front of the body is a gate – you can choose to open it, and to allow the felt sense of the front-body and the felt sense of space opening in front of you to become continuous. grounded in the body. infinite, spacious awareness extending before you. the southern face; the southern gate.
52. take a moment to connect the felt sense of spaciousness at the front of the body & the left side & the back of the body. these all connect and flow together.
53. continue your pilgrimage by exploring the right side of the body. name the parts of the body as you bring your attention to them in succession: right side of the back of the head, right side of the crown of the head, right temple, right side of the forehead, right eyebrow, right eye, right side of the nose, right cheek, right ear, right upper lip, right side of the palate, right upper teeth, right side of the tongue, right side of the lower jaw, right lower teeth, right lower lip, right side of the chin, right side of the throat, side of the back of the neck, right trapezius muscle, right shoulder, right upper arm, right elbow, right forearm, right wrist, right hand and fingers, right shoulder blade, the whole right side of the ribcage, the right side of the chest, right upper belly below the ribcage, right mid-belly at the navel, right side of the waist, right hipbone, right side of the sacrum, right sitting bone, right lower belly, right side of the groin, right buttock, right thigh, right knee, calf, ankle, heel, foot, and toes. the whole right side of the body. take your time. bring your attention and care to each part, and then to the whole side.
54. this is the western face of the body-mountain. it is connected with late afternoon, autumn, red, water, the ending of things, and loving-kindness.
55. feel the connection of the whole right side of the body with the space opening infinitely to your right. now, imagine that the right side of the body is a gate – you can choose to open it, and to allow the felt sense of the right side of the body and the felt sense of space opening to your right to become continuous. grounded in the body. infinite, spacious awareness extending to your right. the western face; the western gate.
56. take a moment to connect the felt sense of spaciousness at the right side of the body & the front of the body & the left side & the back of the body. these all connect and flow together.
57. now, once again bring your attention to the lower body: your legs, feet, and seat, connecting with the earth. feel the connection of the whole lower body with the space opening infinitely below you. now, imagine that the lower body is a gate – you can choose to open it, and to allow the felt sense of the lower body and the felt sense of space opening below you to become continuous.
58. now, once again bring your attention to the upper body: your head, neck, shoulders, and torso, connecting with the sky. feel the connection of the whole upper body with the space opening infinitely above you. now, imagine that the upper body is a gate – you can choose to open it, and to allow the felt sense of the upper body and the felt sense of space opening above you to become continuous.
59. bring your attention to your heart, as the center of the vast space opening in all directions. feel yourself grounded in your body, this sacred mountain. feel this spacious, knowing, unfettered, released awareness. the more grounded you are, the more spacious awareness can be. feel the connection of your being with all times, directions and seasons ,with the place beyond the threshold of birth and death, from which springs your connection with all of life.
enough
60. that thing you think you want. what will it look like in 1 year? in 20 years? in 500 years? in 10,000 years?
61. feel into the bones of your skeleton – the big bones of your pelvis and thighs, the little teeny bones of your fingers and toes. there they are – nothing missing, nothing to add.
free/not-free
62. ask a partner, "what makes you free?" ask about 4 times, with a little space in between. whatever answers come up are the right answers, without too much thinking or self-editing. try not to respond or react in any outward way. just give your partner a space of deep listening.
63. then, ask your partner, "what makes you not-free?" ask about 4 times. whatever answers come up are the right answers.
64. now switch roles - you're answering, and your partner is asking. your partner asks, “what makes you free?” your partner asks, “what makes you not-free?” be received by your partner’s deep listening.
65. [variation] ask and answer the free/not-free questions while gazing at your own reflection in a mirror held by your partner.
66. [variation] ask and answer the free/not-free questions while gazing at the boundless sky in a mirror held by your partner.
67. based on what you've heard, imagine and bestow a blessing for your partner. likewise, your partner imagines and bestows a blessing for you.
68. if you like, you can tie strings or ribbons around one another's wrists, as reminders of your blessings. you are always free to choose towards freedom, or away from it, for your own good, and for the good of others.
taking yourself for a walk
69. find someplace that feels safe and receptive. begin walking slowly, maybe in a big circle, maybe back and forth on a track, maybe aimless wandering: you decide.
70. some of your attention is in your feet. feeling the strength of the feet pushing up from the ground. feeling the softness of the feet flattening in contact with the ground.
71. some of your attention is in your breath. maybe there is a way to connect the rising and falling rhythm of the breath with the rising and falling rhythm of the footfalls?
72. some of your attention is in your listening: hearing the sounds of your own body, the sounds of your walking, the sounds of the world.
73. some of your attention is in your visual field. soften your gaze by imagining you are looking with the backs of your eyes.
74. everything you feel, hear, think, and see changes all the time. your breath comes and goes, your footfalls are never the same. simply allow all of this to be.
75. you are taking an unsticky walk. don’t stick to anything. open your senses – be completely present, and completely unsticky. nothing is worth clinging to. Jesus said, “become passersby.”
night ocean/safe harbor
76. in an uncluttered room, find a place to lean against a wall, and close your eyes.
77. you can also try this in an orchard, park, garden, or woods. in that case, you will lean against a tree. this is pretty daring!
78. feel how wonderful it is to lean against this steady surface, and to have your weight supported. this is the safe-harbor feeling. you are a little clinker-built boat, tied up securely in harbor. let this feeling of safety fill you completely.
79. now, gently come to standing. you are loosing the rope tying you to the quay. feel it fall away & feel yourself ready to set out on the night ocean.
80. bring your arms up to waist-height, with your hands extended & fingers pointing outward like feelers. with your eyes still closed, take a step out onto the night ocean, and then another, slowly, carefully, enjoying the ocean-feeling.
81. no this shore, no the other shore. night ocean.
82. notice what happens when your finger-feelers touch the wall or the tree on the opposite side of the space you have traveled. are you startled? is it a relief? are your disappointed?
83. turn your back and rest again. you can make as many ocean-crossings as you like.
84. learn to know safe-harbor in all its nuances. learn to know night-ocean in all its nuances. beneath these two: a well-being that does not depend on one or the other.
becoming animal
85. bring to mind an animal you have loved, either in the present day, or in the past. bring to mind the animal’s overall appearance… the feel of its skin or fur… its temperature… its smell… the look of its eyes. bring this animal to mind as a whole creature.
86. bring to mind your beloved animal’s head as you remember it, in terms of feel, appearance, size, shape, and any other characteristics that arise in your memory. bring your attention gently to the top of your head. Feel the solidity of your skull. feel into the hair on your scalp. feel your brain, alert and processing. feel your ears, resting on the sides of your head, and your eyes, resting in their sockets. feel your sensitive nose, with the breath coming in and out of it. feel your mouth, with the tongue resting on the floor of the mouth, and the jaws relaxed. feel your whole head.
87. now notice all the similarities between your head and the beloved animal’s head. both feel, see, smell, hear, taste, and think. both eat, breathe, and communicate. both are hard and soft, subject to birth, aging, sickness, and death. both respond instinctively to love, and to abuse. feel how natural it is to wish both these bodies well:
may this body be well
in becoming the animal that I am
may I grow in compassion for all living beings
and may I know kinship with all that lives
88. bring to mind your beloved animal’s torso and belly as you remember them. their strength and roundness, solidity, smoothness, roughness, hairiness, or softness. then, gently bring your attention to your own torso and belly. the neck coming down into the shoulders. the shoulders relaxed, and the shoulder blades settling down the back. the front of your chest, the ribs wrapping around your lungs and heart. the sides of your waist. your belly, moving in and out with the breath. your sacrum, hips, buttocks, sitting bones, and groin. feeling the whole torso and belly, moving down from the neck to your seat on the chair.
89. noticing all the similarities between your torso and belly and the beloved animal’s. both contain heart and lungs, and organs of digestion, excretion, and reproduction. both are hard and soft, both subject to birth, aging, sickness, and death. both respond instinctively to love, and to abuse. Feel how natural it is to wish both these bodies well:
may this body be well
in becoming the animal that I am
may I grow in compassion for all living beings
and may I know kinship with all that lives
90. bring to mind your beloved animal’s limbs and feet as you remember them; the animal’s grace and agility, and the well-madeness of its feet, paws, or hooves. bring to mind the animal in movement and at rest, asleep and alert, young and old. then, gently bring your attention to your own limbs and feet. the upper arms, coming down from the shoulders. the elbows, forearms, wrists, and hands. the fingers, resting gently. the thighs, knees, shins, calves, ankles, and feet. the toes and heels. your whole arms and legs.
91. noticing all the similarities between your limbs and feet and the beloved animal’s. both are capable of movement and of rest. both have the solidity of bone and the resilience of flesh, the nimble, springing tension of ligaments and tendons, and the surface covering of skin and fur, scales, or feathers. both are subject to birth, aging, sickness, and death. both respond instinctively to love, and to abuse. feel how natural it is to wish both these bodies well:
may this body be well
in becoming the animal that I am
may I grow in compassion for all living beings
and may I know kinship with all that lives
92. finally, bring your beloved animal’s whole form to mind, and your own. reflect on both bodies’ exquisite ability to function in the world, their sensitivity, strength, alertness, and solidity. feel how both bodies are subject to hunger & satiety, to fluctuations in temperature and weather, to impressions of safety & of danger. both bodies are subject to birth, aging, sickness, and death. both respond instinctively to love, and to abuse. feel how natural it is to wish both these bodies well:
may this body be well
in becoming the animal that I am
may I grow in compassion for all living beings
and may I know kinship with all that lives
93. bring a sense of gratitude to the beloved animal you have been working with as a teacher, and gently let the animal go. feel how careful attention to your body has brought you to a calm, fully-embodied sense of presence. this presence is your birthright: always there for you in any moment you choose to acknowledge it. do not forget it. do not forget your animal teachers, or your connection with all that lives.
safety closet
94. find a nook, alcove, empty closet, dog crate, or window seat, and put a curtain or blanket over the front of it. put a chair or cushion inside the little space, and some kind of light, if you’d like.
95. go inside the safety closet. sit on the chair or cushion, and breathe. you’re going to be just fine. there is a place for you in the world. you are welcome here, and in turn, you can welcome others & the world.
safe, supported, connected
96. [to disarm the voice asking: where’s danger coming from right now?] consciously bring to mind a sense of basic safety. safe behind you, safe to your left, safe in front of you, safe to your right, safe above and safe below. in this moment, there is no threat. you are safe.
97. [to disarm the voice asking: what’s missing right now?] consciously bring to mind the safe, enclosing, protective clothing on your body. bring to mind the nourishing food and drink you have had in this day since waking up. bring to mind any medicines you have taken to support your health. bring to mind your access to shelter. in this moment, I am supported. I have enough. I am enough.
98. [to disarm the voice asking: does anybody love me?] consciously bring to mind small & great acts of kindness you’ve been a part of in the last days, weeks, months, years. bring to mind anyone who’s ever been good to you, no matter how distant, and anyone you have ever been good to. allow yourself to become aware of the air you breathe – given by the world, effortlessly. allow yourself to feel supported by your solid body, and your connections with all that lives. in this moment, I am not an isolated, flimsy thing. I am connected.
double-portrait
99. sit down opposite someone at a table, with a large piece of paper between you. each one of you has a colored marker or pencil – different colors.
100. close your eyes. settle into your body & your breath. your partner does the same thing.
101. set a timer for ten minutes. during those ten minutes, you will look only at your partner’s face, while she or he looks at your face. no looking at the paper whatsoever, and no talking, and a strict minimum of giggling. please. be quiet. become completely absorbed in seeing this beautiful face that has never before been seen in this way, and in allowing yourself to be seen.
102. pretend that your hand is like the needle of a seismograph. whatever your eye sees, traveling slowly and carefully over the terrain of your partner’s face, your hand draws it with exquisite sensitivity. light wispy lines for the down on a cheek; wiry lines for mustache-hairs, long smooth lines of forehead-wrinkles.
103. when the timer goes off, look at the drawings as a record of the act of looking. your critical mind won’t likely be pleased, but look! there is so much seeing here.
104. if you like, you can turn the paper 180 degrees and do another 10-minute round, layering on new drawing and new color: your drawing on top of your partners, and vice versa.
108 names of you
105. in Buddhist and Hindu iconography, 108 is a number that means “a lot” or “a complete set.” numerically, it’s 1 x 2 x 2x 3 x 3 x 3 - so, the beginning of an infinitely expanding sequence. meanwhile, the fiercely compassionate Hindu goddess Kali has a litany of 108 names or aspects that range from the deeply sweet: protector of all girls, to the terrifying: garlanded with skulls. what are your 108 names, ranging from the most likable to the shadowiest, from the proudest to the most shameful? what names have you been called? what roles have you fulfilled? write a litany of your 108 names.
sharing
106. this is only just a tiny start. there are many millions of inner beauty treatments out there – traditional ones, ones people are just now making up, and the ones that will occur to you in your practice. trust yourself. if you come up with something that feels kind, creative, and connecting, hoorah! another inner beauty treatment is born.
107. please share this list widely & expand & change it at will. tell me what you’ve found out!
108. it’s good to send the merits and benefits of inner beauty work out to all beings everywhere: those being born, and those dying. those who are well, and those who are stricken with illness. the young and the old, the seen and the unseen, the great and the small. those who are free and those who are in prison. the addicted, the joyful, the despondent. the oppressed and the oppressors. may all beings be free from harm, be safe, be strong, be happy, and abide at ease in well-being.