Welcome to The Daily Insight.
My name is Christina McMahon,
And I'm a teacher here on Insight Timer.
In today's meditation,
You'll spend some time savoring the love that is already present in your life,
So that you can walk through your day with a heart full of love,
Welcoming and inviting even more love to come to you,
Wishing you a restorative practice.
Find yourself in a comfortable meditation posture,
Maybe resting your feet on the floor and your hands on your lap,
If that feels good to you.
And gently close your eyes.
Let's begin to quiet the mind with a soft focus on your breathing.
With every inhale,
And with every exhale,
You are tracing the path of your breath as it moves through your body.
There's no getting this wrong.
There's no getting this right.
You are just following your breath.
If your attention drifts from your breath,
Gently guide it back there.
Recognizing that every time your attention wanders and you notice it,
Is a moment of mindfulness.
And it's simply a matter of coming back to the breath.
Now shift your attention to your heart area in the center of your chest.
And we're going to focus on the feeling of love in your body.
What does love feel like to you?
Is it a warming up of your heart,
Like a fireplace being lit?
A feeling of lightness on the inside?
If you're more visual,
Maybe there's a color that comes to mind for you when you focus on love.
Take a moment to sense into what love feels like for you,
Whenever you offer it to yourself or receive it from others.
This feeling of love is our natural state.
It's simply a matter of bringing our awareness to it.
Now let's begin to savor all of the different ways you've experienced love in the past few days or maybe weeks.
When have you felt this lightness of being,
This warming up of your heart?
Bring to mind now even small moments you've shared recently with those who are closest to your heart.
This could be good friends,
A child or a pet,
Maybe your family or a partner,
Your neighbors or the people you work with.
Maybe you're recalling a warm conversation,
A shared laugh,
An encouraging text message that you've received.
Take a moment now to savor some of those loving moments,
Bringing them to mind,
Holding them steady in your heart.
Feel the genuineness of those close connections,
The easy back and forth quality of your care for one another.
The trust and reassurance you feel from your loved ones,
Those who celebrate you for who you are,
Just as you celebrate them.
And allow some gratitude into your heart,
A light sense of gladness for having those loved ones in your life.
Now bring your focus to how you have shown this quality of love to others.
Listening deeply when someone you love really needs it.
Acts of kindness or consideration,
Even for casual acquaintances.
People who pass in and out of your everyday and you share a smile with them or hold open a door for them.
Notice how that inner warmth or that lightness of being or that color that represents love for you is possible to feel even in these small acts or fleeting moments of connection.
Now bring to mind how you have shown love to yourself recently.
Did you give yourself the gift of doing something you love?
Or allow yourself to rest,
Taking a break from a busy day?
Such as making the choice to meditate today.
Maybe you simply showed yourself some compassion and understanding if something in your day didn't go well.
Allow that feeling of warmth or lightness,
That loving feeling to be here as you reflect on all the ways that you've shown love to yourself recently.
Whenever you do this practice of savoring all the ways that love shows up in your life,
You remind yourself how full of love your heart already is whenever you pause to notice it.
Now call to mind the ways you'd like more love to come into your life in the coming months.
This could be greater self-love or self-compassion,
New friends or maybe more quality time with your current circle of friends,
A new partner or a rejuvenation of your current relationship,
New work connections,
Strengthened bonds with your family or an expansion of your family.
However you would like love to show up for you in the coming months,
Bring this to mind now.
Now begin to repeat the following phrase either out loud or just silently to yourself.
I am open to receiving even more love into my heart.
I am open to receiving even more love into my heart.
I am open to receiving even more love into my heart.
With every repetition,
Lean into this phrase even more.
Feel it in your body.
I am open to receiving even more love into my heart.
I am open to receiving even more love into my heart.
I am open to receiving even more love into my heart.
And from this more heart-centered place,
Let's begin to close by going back to the breath.
Once again tracing the path of your breath as it moves through your body.
Relaxing into the inhale.
.
.
And the exhale.
.
.
Recognizing that even this act,
This quiet focus on your breathing,
This moment of stillness,
Is a moment of love.
When you're ready,
You can begin to move your body around slowly.
And then open your eyes and come back to this moment.
Thank you for sharing this practice with me.
Wishing you a heart full of love today and every day.
