Cultivating Peace In Your Heart

Hi there,

This is Katie.

I'm going to share with you a meditation that I created.

My hope is that this practice supports you in cultivating peacefulness in your heart that you can then radiate out to the entire planet and to all of its inhabitants.

So we'll start the meditation with a short body scan to get us relaxed.

I'll be bringing your attention to different parts of your body.

As you notice them,

I invite you to try to release any tension you feel and to relax.

We will then move into a heart centered breath.

Take a moment to find the center of your chest.

This is the fourth chakra or heart chakra called Anahata in Sanskrit.

This is the area we will be activating during our meditation by breathing in and out of this spot.

It may help you to envision or imagine a portal or a doorway opening at your heart center,

Allowing your breath to move in and out of this space.

We will be inviting peace and tranquility to move in and out of this space during our practice.

To wrap up the practice,

We will imagine the peacefulness we have cultivated forming a bubble that can expand out to encompass our homes,

Our neighborhoods,

And so on until we include the entire planet and all those who inhabit it with us.

So let's get started.

Go ahead and find a comfy place to sit.

You can sit on the floor,

On a pillow,

You can sit in a chair,

Or really anywhere that allows you to sit comfortably for about 20 minutes.

Preferably you'll have your back straight.

You can place your hands in your lap or on your knees.

Some people like to do a mudra or a symbolic hand gesture with their hands.

If you have a personal practice with hand mudras,

You can feel free to do that now.

I'm going to invite you now to relax your eyes.

You can close them or cap them,

Which means to gaze gently at the floor about two feet in front of you.

However you are comfortable,

Begin there.

With your eyes closed or capped,

I invite you to begin by taking three long,

Slow,

Deep breaths.

Exhale slowly and deeply through your nostrils.

Exhale slowly and fully through your nostrils.

This sends a signal to your body and your nervous system to relax.

We'll now start the body scan.

Start by resting your attention on the crown of your head.

Notice any sensations there and as much as you can,

Begin to relax your scalp.

Next,

Relax any tensions you feel in your forehead and your eyes.

Your ears,

Your cheeks and your nose.

Now your jaw.

Bring your attention to your neck,

Allowing the tension to melt away.

Let your shoulders soften and lower away from your ears.

Begin to gently move your awareness down your right arm,

Past your elbow and your wrist and down to your fingertips,

Letting the tension release.

Moving down your left arm,

Release any tension in your elbow,

Your wrist and your fingertips.

Now notice your upper back.

Relax this area and let the relaxation flow down your spine as you move your awareness down the back of your body.

Scan your lower back and continue moving down your back body,

Passing your glutes and relaxing those as much as possible.

Moving down your left leg,

Release any tension you're holding in your hamstrings and behind your knees.

Move down your calf,

Relaxing your muscles and now bringing awareness to your ankle.

Notice the bottom of your left foot and send it a loving thought for all of the work it does for you throughout the day.

Release any tension you're holding in your toes.

And as you round your attention over the tips of your toes,

Begin to notice the top of your left foot,

Your instep where the laces of your shoes rest.

See if you can release any tension in this spot.

Bring your awareness up your left leg,

Relaxing as much as possible along the way.

Move up and over your ankle and your shin,

Past your knee,

Over your quad,

Relaxing and releasing any tension you're holding in your left leg.

Now give your right leg the same attention,

Starting with your hamstring,

Moving down the back of your knee,

Over the same spots as before.

Pause at the sole of your right foot,

Sharing gratitude with this side for all the support it offers you throughout your day.

And as you round your attention over the tips of your toes,

Again,

Notice the top of your right foot,

Where the laces of your shoes rest,

And see if you can release any tension in this spot.

Bring your awareness up your right leg,

Relaxing as much as possible along the way,

Moving over your ankle and your shin,

Past your knee,

Over your quad,

Relaxing and releasing any tension you're holding in your right leg.

At the top of your legs,

Bring awareness to your hips and your lower belly,

Softening these areas.

As you notice your belly,

You may want to begin to draw in a deep breath,

One that pushes your belly out,

Expanding it as you inhale deeply.

As you exhale slowly,

You can push your belly in,

Moving your attention with your breath as it moves up through your chest,

And as your shoulders drop down and you exhale out of your nose or mouth.

Draw in one more deep breath,

Breathing down into your belly,

Expanding it out and relaxing it again as you exhale,

First from your belly,

Then your chest,

Shoulders,

And nose or mouth.

As you allow your breath to return to its natural pace and rhythm,

Let your attention land on your heart center,

Resting there as your chest rises and falls with the natural rhythm of your breath.

Let's stay here for a few moments,

Noticing and appreciating your breath,

Noticing and appreciating your heart center,

The home for your sense of self,

The seed of your emotions.

Let's stay here for a few moments,

Noticing and appreciating your breath,

The seed of your emotions.

We are going to stay in this place for a bit,

Our heart center.

As you breathe in your next inhale,

I invite you to imagine or visualize that your breath is entering your heart center through a portal or doorway,

Opening to invite in peace and tranquility to your heart center.

You can imagine a color or an image or simply the feeling attached to those words.

As you breathe this in,

Let whatever form of peace and tranquility you choose flood into your portal or doorway and flow through your body,

Filling every corner of your being.

As you exhale,

I invite you to breathe out again through the portal or doorway at your heart center,

Radiating out that same peace and tranquility,

Sharing it with the beings and the world around you.

Now again,

Breathing in through your heart center,

Allowing the gift of peace and tranquility to enter your body and breathing out through your heart center,

Sharing out the gift of peace and tranquility.

Breathing in peace and tranquility,

Breathing out peace and tranquility.

In peace and tranquility,

Out peace and tranquility.

We are going to continue this for a few minutes.

Breathing in your natural pace and rhythm,

You can continue to imagine peace and tranquility flowing in and out of your heart center,

Or you can simply shift your attention to rest for a few minutes.

If your attention wanders,

It's okay.

Simply bring your focus back to your heart center.

Your inhale and your exhale.

Breathing in and out through your heart center.

Breathing in and out through your heart center.

Breathing in and out through your heart center.

Breathing in and out through your heart center.

Breathing in and out through your heart center.

Breathing in and out through your heart center.

Feeling the peacefulness you've cultivated in your heart,

We will now radiate that out to the world.

Begin by bringing your attention to your heart center.

One more time,

Breathing in and imagining your body filling completely with peace and tranquility.

As you exhale,

Breathing out this peace and tranquility,

I invite you to imagine them expanding into a bubble of peacefulness and love and healing joy.

As this bubble grows,

It first fills the spaces in the room and then expands out around your house or the building you are in,

Bringing peace to all the inhabitants.

Imagine this bubble of peacefulness expanding out and encompassing your neighborhood.

The peace and tranquility inside permeating through the spaces and bringing healing and love and joy.

Now imagine this bubble expanding out to include your city or town in this loving field of light and peace.

May all the beings in our cities and towns feel peace and protection.

Continue expanding your bubble of peacefulness out around your region and your country,

Around your continent.

And now,

Encompassing the entire planet,

Sending peace to all of its inhabitants.

We'll sit in this feeling for a few more minutes,

Holding our beautiful earth and its inhabitants in the warm,

Loving embrace of your bubble of peacefulness and tranquility.

I will ring the bell when our practice is closing.

Okay.

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Take your time coming out of your meditation.

There's no need to rush.

When you are ready,

You can open your eyes,

Gazing first at the floor,

And then opening them fully,

Bringing a smile to your face.

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