Welcome to this Heart Coherence Meditation.
My name is Elfrida Mannahan Vaughan.
Before we begin,
Please ensure that you are sitting in a straight-backed chair or on a meditation cushion such as a zafu on the floor or using a meditation stool.
Your posture should be upright with your back straight,
Your shoulders relaxed and your chin a little tucked in with your eyes closed or your eyelids lowered and your gaze defocused.
This meditation will begin with a meditation bell and end with a bell.
During the periods of silence please continue with the practice silently to yourself.
So please begin by bringing awareness to your breath at the tip of your nose as you breathe in and breathe out.
Our breath is our anchor,
Our home base.
If you find your mind wanders or you become distracted during this practice,
Simply come back to your breath and begin the practice again.
So we're going to take a slow even breath in and an even breath out ensuring that the in-breath and the out-breath are of equal length.
So breathing in for a count of five,
Breathing in one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five and breathing out one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Breathing in one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five and breathing out one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Breathing in one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Breathing out one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five and maintain this even in-breath and out-breath throughout this practice.
And so as you breathe in and breathe out slowly to a count of five,
I'd like you to imagine your breath now traveling in and out through your chest at the center where your heart is.
Allow this even breath to fill your chest and as it exits allow the breath to travel out through the chest out from the body.
So breathing in one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Breathing out one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
And I'd like you to bring to mind now a loved one or a favored thing,
Person or place.
Someone that when you think of them you are filled with a sense of love and joy or something that brings that sense of warmth and joy into your heart.
And so hold this individual or this thing in your mind and allow your breath to travel in and out through your chest evenly.
We will do this in silence now for a few moments.
If you find your mind wanders or you become distracted,
Simply come back to the breath as soon as you become aware of the distraction and continue breathing in and out through the chest at a slow even pace whilst holding the thought,
Image or sense of the loved one or loved thing in your mind.
Bring awareness to that feeling of joy and happiness connecting with that center in your body where your heart rests,
Allowing your breath to connect with that wonderful feeling of love.
You you and if your mind wanders you become distracted as soon as you become aware of the distractions simply come back noticing the breath allowing it to be even and holding in your mind that loved one or favorite thing you and now allow your breath to return to normal and as you breathe out imagine that sense of love and joy leaves your body traveling out into the rest of your day connecting you with all those you meet all those you care for and those you may be challenged by allow that sense of love and joy travel from you as it exits at your chest as you breathe in and breathe out and hold that connection of love for yourself bringing it with you throughout your day into all of your relationships and so for the remainder of this practice simply notice your breath and hold space for that feeling so that you can bring it with you wherever you go thank you for joining me in this heart coherence meditation my name is Elfrieda Mannahan Vaughan you
