Growing up as the daughter of a mortician, Suzanne Worthley—energy-healer, intuit, teacher, meditation guru—death, and the conversations and conundrums found within, were ever-present in her childhood home. “Death was viewed as normal,” she says. “I grew up seeing death as a very natural next step in our soul’s evolution, versus seeing it as an ending to something.” While other families were discussing sports, school and the minutiae of everyday life over their plates of mashed potatoes and meatloaf, Worthley and her family, it seems, were chatting about souls, the physical body, the connection between the two, a higher power and what happens when we die.
And that truthfulness, that honesty in the topics of which most folks tend to steer clear, propelled Worthley to ponder life’s greatest mysteries and, ultimately, led her to her life’s work. After a career in marketing, Worthley wanted more out of life, so she began studying, working with healers, meditating and practicing her energy work on her supportive family. She started offering energy and healing sessions, energy clearings, tarot and psychic readings. She expanded to include working with people in hospice, leading spiritual retreats in Peru and organizing an annual spirit search event at Palmer House Hotel in Sauk Centre, Minn. “I do just about anything having to do with healing energy,” she says.
Another avenue Worthley pursues is meditation, where she instructs in classes all around the Twin Cites, including through White Bear Community Education, on everything from the overall concept of meditation to the benefits of meditation to providing tips on how best to practice the time-honored tradition. “Anyone who meditates regularly receives profound benefits in all levels—physical, mental, emotional and spiritual,” Worthley says. “The essence of meditation is singular: the cultivation of mindful awareness and expanded consciousness.”
Her meditation class includes a lesson from Worthley based on a current issue in the world and guided individual meditation, followed by a group meditation for 15 to 40 people. The group meditation takes place as all participants are seated in chairs in a circle, and Worthley moves around the circle “to do personal healing and balancing, using drums and singing bowls,” she says.
Worthley reveals meditation is perfect for many different reasons, from lowering blood pressure to easing anxiety to finding greater “self-understanding.” And she suggests those who want to begin meditation on their own start with 10-minute increments, create a special place to meditate, establish a daily habit, and be easy on yourself—it will, she says, get easier with practice.
Steps of Meditation
How to Sit:
- Keep your back straight.
- Your eyes can be open or closed.
- Cross your legs however you want.
- Look slightly downward, even if your eyes are closed.
- Find a posture that’s both comfortable and keeps you upright.
What to Do:
- Get comfortable.
- Bring your attention/focus to your breath.
- Don’t think.
- Bring your attention back to your mind when it wanders.
- Breathe with intent.
Close your eyes, take a deep breath in through your nose and out your mouth; bring a sense of awareness to your body. Feel the chair, ground, earth beneath you; the solid sensation offers support and stability. Breathe deeply, in and out. Inhale and exhale, going deeper and deeper into a relaxed state of mind and body. Feel your conscious mind sink deep into your physical body. In your mind's eye, tell your body that you are ready to communicate, to listen to it. Ask that it reveal information for your highest good.
