Our successes and failures come and go.
They neither define us nor do they determine our worthiness.
They are merely part of the process of being alive.
Kristin Neff To start this heartfulness-mindfulness practice,
I invite you to get into a mindful body posture that feels most comfortable for you.
Maybe upright,
Not uptight,
Or relaxed and alert.
Allowing any tension in the body to be released if possible,
Or allowing what remains to just be as is.
If it feels comfortable,
You can close your eyes or you can direct a soft gaze to a fixed point.
Knowing that in mindfulness,
We want to do what we feel fully resourced to do,
You get to choose if it feels right to just dip a toe into the practice or dive in completely.
You can also choose to change the wording of the wishes to whatever feels right for you.
Ringing the bell to lead us into the heartfulness practice.
Begin by bringing to mind someone you care about.
Could be a friend,
Relative,
Or even a pet.
As you imagine this someone,
Bring attention to what you sense in your heart.
Now we're going to send that someone heartfulness wishes of worthiness.
As I say each wish,
You can repeat each wish until you hear the next one.
May you feel worthy.
May you accept yourself exactly as you are.
May you know you're more than enough.
Imagine this someone receiving your wishes instantly.
They begin to savor these wishes.
What body sensations,
Emotions,
And thoughts are you experiencing?
Allowing the image of this someone to fade,
Bring your attention to one complete breath.
Now bring your attention to yourself.
Perhaps it might be easier to imagine yourself as a child or at any other age.
As you imagine yourself,
What do you sense in your heart?
Now with an image of yourself in mind,
We'll send wishes of worthiness to ourselves.
Continuing with each wish until you hear the next one.
May I feel worthy.
May I accept myself exactly as I am.
May I know I'm more than enough.
Can you allow yourself to savor these kind wishes?
What body sensations,
Emotions,
Or thoughts are you experiencing?
Bring the image of yourself to fade,
Bring your awareness to one complete breath.
Now bring your attention to your community or any specific group or even the world as a whole.
See if you can imagine this group to whom you will send heartfulness wishes.
What do you sense in your heart?
Continue with each wish until you hear the next one.
May you feel worthy.
May you accept yourself exactly as you are.
May you know you're more than enough.
What body sensations,
Emotions,
Or thoughts are you experiencing?
As we transition out of this practice,
Take a moment to acknowledge yourself for honoring yourself with self-care.
As Kristin Neff says,
When our sense of self-worth and belonging is grounded in simply being human,
We can't be rejected or cast out by others.
