The other night I was up on my roof deck, walking, tapping my heart, practicing to (quite literally) shake off a hard day.

My anchor in the practice was singing out loud Dr. Michelle C. Chatman’s “I Am” song. Dr. Chatman is a contemplative educator, anthropology professor, and colleague of mine on the board of the Mindfulness in Education Network (MiEN). I learned this meditation / song from her at a retreat for educators that we co-led as the MiEN Board of Directors, at Omega Institute in New York.

For me, this is a kind of loving kindness (compassion) meditation, which has a history going back thousands of years. But this one hits differently than some of the variations I have practiced before. I love the way the vibrations of singing this song get under my skin, rumbling in my chest, penetrating into my bones.

Here are the words. Please listen to Dr. Chatman’s recording, and recite or sing along, silently or out loud. Each line is not just an idea, but a practice, an invitation to embody these four qualities of being.

I am here

I am safe

I am worthy

I am enough

I am here. This is a moment of mindfulness. I won’t let myself be pulled into my sadness about the past, or fears for the future. The present moment is my only true home.

I am safe. My body might not feel safe. I may be carrying trauma from past experiences, maybe from hours or years or generations ago. But I can use my discernment, and if in fact I am not in actual danger in this moment, I can teach and train my body that I am safe enough right now.

I am worthy. Just because I am a human being. No more or less worthy than any other human being. 

I am enough. I can let go of my imposter syndrome, my comparisons, the stories I tell myself that I need to do more and be more all the time. I am enough right now. This quality of being enough gives me the solidity and stability to be the ground for the kind of actions I want to bring into the world. As Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh has said, “Our quality of being determines our quality of doing.”

We can repeat the meditation / song a second time, using the word, “You.”  You are here. You are safe. You are worthy. You are enough. We can practice this meditation in family, in community, as a call-and-response, looking into the eyes of our sister or brother or friend as we sing.

Then, we can repeat the meditation a third time, using the word, “We.” Me we all feel safe and worthy, may we all be at peace in the world together.