The Grounding Power of Recapitulation in Times of Chaos

Confession: I can’t imagine getting through this Pandemic if I hadn’t been prepping for this kind of chaos for years. Years of experiencing loss and grief and upheaval led me down a path of seeking peace and health on all levels. You have to start somewhere. I learned a lot of what I know from Deepak Chopra (& his friends & daughter) ever since attending my first week-long meditation conference at The Chopra Center in 2015. It was the year after my mom had died. I’d hit rock-bottom of heartbroken and was in the midst of a spiritual awakening that felt like hell most days.

Not until spending seven days and seven nights in the energy of spiritual luminaries including Deepak himself, along with Neale Donald Walsh and Roger Gabriel did I even have a clue how to meditate, why to meditate or to what effect it might transform my entire life. I sat mesmerized morning to night listening to the educators, like I was a student back at college in a room packed with others who were led down the “spiritually curious” path for reasons that barely made sense back then.

I find myself thinking back to this experience a lot lately, as the skills and tools I gained are core elements of my own personal spiritual toolkit. And they are in teachings I find myself sharing with others ready to venture down this rocky path. And it IS a rocky path.

Some days I feel immune to the craziness the entire world is being rocked by, other days I can barely get out of bed. Regardless of which kind of day it is, I bring myself back to the teachings of Dr. Chopra and am reminded the importance of getting quiet and asking (out loud for God and my angels and spirit guides to hear): 1) Who Am I? 2) What are my Deepest Desires? 3) What am I grateful for? 4) How May I serve.

I think back to how interesting I thought it was for Deepak to be instructing us not to ask these questions with the expectation of immediate answers. As Jews, we grew up asking four different questions at the Passover table but we also ran through the answers as written in the prayer books. No, this is a different type of self-questioning meant for guidance during meditation. This type of self-questioning without needing quick resolution is designed to allow your mind to get silent and actually hear the (often surprising) answers being shown to you. Try it. Sounds crazy if you are new to all this, but trust me, it works.

A few weeks ago, I was feeling challenged by a decision I had made from my “business mind” rather than from my heart and soul. When I took a few days off from everything and everyone, and asked myself quietly Deepak’s four questions, it all made sense. I immediately circled back to who I know I am and what my deepest desires are (peace, love, health, joy, abundance, freedom, fun). I made changes without hesitation. I am breathing much easier and sleeping much better as a result.

While asking question three, I recalled immediately what I am most grateful for (my health, my dogs, living on Maui safe during the pandemic, my friends who are like family, my sister getting vaccinated so she’s safe in her job at a hospital, my intuition and my rock-solid faith that always trumps fear). AND, I heard some really cool ideas on how I can serve, things I’d been too busy to acknowledge while focused on how to make a living doing something with someone that felt totally misaligned.

This all brings me to this idea of RECAPITULATION which Deepak taught us about at that same conference, and which I’ve heard him speak about over the years. It is a practice of getting into bed at night, and before we fall asleep, letting the events of the day replay like a movie that only we can see. It’s our own highlight reel of what went right on this gift of a day. Not that everything everyday is good, but there IS joy in every day to be seen. Some days, it’s just the entire day spent at home with my dogs watching a sunrise over Haleakala and the full moon rise over the ocean that night.

Days like today, it’s as if my life on Maui is a rom-com feature film that included an early morning drive across the island to drop my three dogs at their favorite groomer. To them, it’s a really fun SPA day with a human other than me! To me, it’s four hours of FREE time to spend doing my favorite things including getting coffee at a local cafe and then taking it to the beach for a walk by the ocean and then visiting a local jewelry maker/friend at the local farmer’s market and impulse buying myself a Chrysocolla (look it up, you’ll want some!) necklace! I saved time for a quick lunch by the sea and watched whales while I enjoyed my dairy free coconut squash soup and kale salad with pomegranates and fresh Mahi Mahi.

After picking up the pupsters, we had a leisurely drive home along the ocean and all I could think about is how grateful I am to be healthy and live in such a beautiful place. Other highlights included a few calls with new clients to plan their upcoming family vacations, something that truly brings me joy after a year of sitting on the sidelines waiting out the pandemic. A quick healthy dinner delivered by a local chef, followed by a walk in the neighborhood with the dogs, a date with my laptop to bang out this “Day 3 of 31” blog posts I promised myself I’d write, and now it’s time for bed.

I am so excited to fall asleep with peace in my heart, knowing the act of recapitulating my day is like prepping my soul for another day of gratitude-inducing actions tomorrow. If you haven’t tried recapitulation as a way to end your day, give it a go. Email me on stacy@stacymaui.com and let me know how it works for you. Much aloha to all. And to all, a good night xo