This practice is often referred to as gladdening or warming the heart.
It's a meditation that we can do to train ourselves to counter our innate human tendency toward negativity.
It's not to deny what's here,
But to widen our perspective,
To allow for all of our experience,
The pleasant along with the unpleasant,
Knowing that we're bigger than any one thought,
Any one emotion,
Or any one particular experience.
So please settle into a comfortable posture.
You might choose to be seated,
Or lie down,
Or stand.
Choosing a posture that supports alertness and also allows you to be comfortable and at ease.
Taking in your surroundings,
Becoming aware of the time and also the day,
And inviting the eyes to either close or the gaze to be lowered,
And starting to notice how it is for you right now.
Meeting whatever's here with an attitude of friendliness,
An attitude of openness and curiosity,
A willingness to be with your experience as it is without judgment.
You might like to set an intention for this practice,
So guiding the awareness to the area of the heart and asking what it's aiming for.
So you might ask something about how you'd like to show up for yourself,
How you'd like to show up for others or the world around you.
Asking in whatever way feels natural for you and then just listening.
If an intention arises,
You might like to softly,
Silently offer it to yourself in a positive way.
So in this moment I aim to be more and then fill in the blank.
And if no intention has arisen,
Know that that's totally fine as well.
We can just remain open and curious.
Now letting go of any intention that did bubble up,
Coming back to sense the whole body resting right here,
Noticing if there's any clenching in the body.
And wherever you're holding on,
Inviting a gentle letting go.
So noticing the shoulders,
Inviting them to drop down and back,
Letting the arms and hands be at ease,
Inviting the belly to soften,
Letting go of any gripping through the legs,
The feet,
Noticing the muscles in the face,
Checking the jaw,
Allowing it to be unlocked,
Sensing the skin around the eyes,
Letting it soften,
Checking the brow and the forehead.
Wherever you discover tension or tightness that can't be released,
Acknowledging that that's here too,
And letting it be.
And sensing the whole body resting right here.
As we rest in this steady and comfortable posture,
I'd like to invite you to call to mind a recent pleasant experience.
It can be something very small,
A word or a gesture or a deed,
Something that was either offered to you or by you.
So let's just take a moment to see what comes to mind.
If you're having trouble calling to mind an experience,
Then maybe you can recall something for which you're grateful.
Again,
It can be something very small.
And whenever you have recalled a pleasant experience or the thing for which you're grateful,
See if you can bring it to mind in some detail.
So recalling where you were and who else might have been there,
Any details about your surroundings and also what you experienced.
Taking some time to get in touch with any pleasant feelings you experienced.
They may have been emotions or physical sensations,
Maybe thoughts that were gentle and kind or happy.
Recalling how you felt then and also starting to notice how you're feeling right now as you look back on this experience.
And now in whatever way feels accessible to you,
Imagine soaking in all of this pleasantness.
You might imagine that you can absorb it in every layer of tissue in your body.
You might imagine that you can absorb it all the way down to the center of your bones.
You might imagine that you can fan this experience through the body every time you breathe in,
Sending all of this good energy to every cell in the body.
Savoring it and soaking it in.
And whenever you feel like you're done savoring and soaking in,
Gently beginning to let the image fade,
Gradually returning your awareness to the whole body resting right here.
As we bring this meditation to a close,
You might like to offer yourself some appreciation for making time for this practice,
For being here for yourself,
Or for whatever resonates with you right now.
Knowing that we can return to this practice any time to cultivate our ability to access pleasantness,
And in doing so,
Help ourselves lean in a more positive direction.
In a moment,
I'll invite three sounds of the bell.
You can just let the awareness rest with the sound.
And when you no longer hear it,
Take your time stretching and massaging your shoulders or neck as you like,
And continuing from here.
About three times.
