Centring Down with Compassion

**“Seek to know an inward stillness, even amid the activities of daily life.” — Quaker Advices and Queries 3**

How can we cultivate a deeper experience of stillness, not only in meditation or Meeting for Worship, but in the ordinary moments of our lives? And what might change if we learned to hold ourselves with the same tenderness we so readily offer others?

In this third recording from my Woodbrooke course *Centring Down With Compassion*, we explore Quaker Advices and Queries 3 through reflection, embodied mindfulness and a guided meditation on Holding in the Light.

We begin with a simple three-breath practice: **Grounded, Greeted, Gathered**.

With the first breath, we reconnect with the earth and our bodies. With the second, we imagine ourselves welcomed into the presence of the divine. And with the third, we experience what it might mean to belong, with every part of ourselves gathered into love.

Advices and Queries 3 invites us to set aside regular times for stillness, while also discovering how to return to that inward quiet throughout the day.

We explore how small, gentle habits of mindfulness can become part of ordinary activities — waiting in a queue, climbing the stairs or pausing between tasks. Rather than treating meditation as another thing to achieve, we can begin to experience these moments as opportunities to turn towards the Inner Light.

The recording also explores the Quaker practice of **Holding in the Light**, and the sometimes difficult invitation to recognise ourselves as cherished.

For many of us, our inner critic is quick to notice our shortcomings, while kindness towards ourselves can feel unfamiliar. Through loving-kindness meditation and compassionate awareness, we can gradually develop a different relationship with our inner world.

**The talk is followed by a guided meditation**, inviting you to centre down and practise Holding in the Light: first someone dear to you, then yourself, and finally the wider community.

This recording may be particularly helpful if you're:

- Exploring Quaker Advices and Queries or Meeting for Worship

- Finding it difficult to establish a regular meditation practice

- Looking for ways to bring mindfulness into everyday life

- Interested in contemplative prayer and the Quaker Inner Light

- Wanting to soften a harsh inner critic and cultivate self-compassion

- Curious about the practice of Holding in the Light

I'm Carolyn Baynes, a Quaker and Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapist. My reflections bring together Quaker spirituality, mindfulness and a compassionate approach to our inner experience.

Whether you're a Quaker, exploring meditation or simply longing for a little more stillness and kindness in your day, you're warmly welcome.

**An invitation to reflect:** What small moments in your day might become invitations to pause, turn inward and remember that you, too, are cherished?

Explore more reflections, meditations and my therapy work:

https://carolynbaynes.co.uk

#Quakerism #AdvicesAndQueries #HoldingInTheLight #Mindfulness #QuakerMeditation

Unwind with this body scan and breath anchor meditation

A short resourcing meditation to welcome all the parts of our selves.

Take Ten minutes to ground and reconnect to your body to grow a sense of safety and stability in the face of challenge.

“Cherish that of God within you, so that this love may grow in you and guide you.” — Quaker Advices and Queries 2

What might change if we could recognise the preciousness within ourselves, and bring every part of our lives into the shelter of divine love?

In this second recording from my Woodbrooke course Centring Down With Compassion, we explore Quaker Advices and Queries 2 through contemplative reflection, embodied mindfulness and a guided meditation.

We begin with an invitation to experience stillness through the body, building on the practice of Take Heed from Advices and Queries 1.

The second Advice and Query invites us to bring the whole of our lives under the ordering of the Spirit of Christ, to remain open to the healing power of God's love, and to cherish that of God within us.

I reflect on what these invitations might mean in everyday life. Are there aspects of ourselves or our relationships that feel outside the shelter of love? Might we sometimes hold tightly to familiar beliefs, resentments or suffering, even when something gentler is available?

Through a simple practice of closing and opening the hand, we explore what it feels like to move from holding on towards greater openness and receptivity.

We also consider the beautiful image of a golden Buddha concealed beneath layers of clay and plaster. Sometimes our own inner gold can become hidden beneath protective layers developed through life's difficulties. Yet the preciousness beneath them remains.

Drawing on Quaker spirituality, mindfulness and contemplative Christian wisdom, I invite us to explore how we might recognise and cherish that inner light, allowing it to guide our relationships and everyday choices.

The talk is followed by a guided meditation, inviting you to settle into the body, rest with the breath, and experience what it might mean to be grounded, greeted and gathered in love.

This recording may be particularly meaningful if you're:

Exploring Quaker Advices and Queries or Quaker spirituality

Interested in the Inner Light and contemplative prayer

Seeking a compassionate approach to mindfulness and meditation

Finding it difficult to recognise your own worth or goodness

Curious about how spiritual practice can become part of everyday life

I'm Carolyn Baynes, a Quaker and Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapist. My reflections bring together Quaker spirituality, embodied mindfulness and a compassionate curiosity about our inner world.

You're warmly welcome, whether you're a Quaker, exploring spirituality or simply looking for a little stillness and kindness in your day.

An invitation to reflect: What part of your life might be longing to come under the shelter of love? And what would it be like to cherish the light already within you?

Explore more reflections, meditations and my therapy work:

https://carolynbaynes.co.uk

#Quakerism #AdvicesAndQueries #QuakerMeditation #InnerLight #Mindfulness

**“Take heed, dear Friends, to the promptings of love and truth in your hearts.” — Quaker Advices and Queries 1**

What does it mean to take heed? And how can we find stillness when our minds are so busy?

In this first talk in my series *Centring Down With Compassion*, recorded as part of a Woodbrooke Quaker course, I explore the opening passage of Quaker Advices and Queries and its gentle invitation to pay attention to the love and truth within us.

For many of us, centring down in Quaker Meeting for Worship can feel difficult. We may long for silence, yet find ourselves caught up in thoughts, worries or the momentum of everyday life. We might even begin to believe that we're not very good at being still.

But what if stillness doesn't require us to stop thinking?

Drawing on Quaker spirituality, mindfulness and embodied meditation, I explore how bringing awareness into the body can help us come home to the present moment. Rather than treating our thoughts as the enemy, we can learn to notice them with kindness and discover a deeper place of listening.

We reflect on the words *“Take heed”* as an invitation to become mindful of our inner experience, to recognise the promptings of love and truth, and to allow the Inner Light to illuminate what needs our attention.

**The talk is followed by a guided meditation**, inviting you to explore this practice of attentive presence for yourself, and to consider how the compassion we cultivate inwardly might extend to others — listening without needing to fix, change or advise.

This recording may be particularly helpful if you're:

- Exploring Quaker faith and the Advices and Queries

- Finding it difficult to settle into silence during Meeting for Worship

- Interested in centring down, mindfulness or contemplative prayer

- Looking for a gentle, body-based approach to meditation

- Curious about how compassionate awareness can shape everyday life

I'm Carolyn Baynes, a Quaker and Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapist. My reflections bring together Quaker spirituality, mindfulness and a compassionate approach to our inner experience.

You're warmly welcome, wherever you are on your journey.

**An invitation to reflect:** What might change if, rather than trying to become still, you simply began to take heed of what is already present?

Explore more reflections, meditations and my therapy work:

https://carolynbaynes.co.uk

#Quakerism #AdvicesAndQueries #QuakerMeditation #Mindfulness #InnerLight