Hello and welcome.
My name is Sadhu Simone.
In today's practice,
We're going to be asked to use the power of the mind to rejoice on all the good things that you have done because maybe you forgot.
And in the good things that a loved one has done,
A stranger,
A teacher,
A benefactor,
Even a difficult person,
And the whole world.
You're training the mind to a new baseline,
One that's skillful,
Beneficial,
Grateful,
Abundant,
Kind,
Compassionate,
And creative.
So let's begin by tuning into your posture.
And we can meditate sitting on a chair or sitting on a meditation cushion on the floor or lying down.
Wherever feels most comfortable for you.
Invite the two key words,
Intentionality and grace,
Into your posture.
Now,
Posture that balances awakefulness and relaxation.
And whenever you're ready,
You may gently close your eyes.
So let's begin by doing a breathing exercise.
And this breathing exercise,
I'll call it straw breath.
So imagine if you had a straw hanging from your lips.
So we'll be sipping the breath in through the mouth and then out through the nose.
And we'll do this for a few mindful moments.
This is a way for us to relax our nervous systems and begin to bring the mind into a more still space.
So let's begin.
Part your lips as if you had a straw hanging from your lips.
Let's breathe in through the mouth.
In through the mouth.
Hold at the top here.
And then out through the nose.
In through the mouth.
And again,
Breathing in through the mouth.
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
And we're gonna hold here.
Two,
Three,
And then out through the nose.
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
And six.
And breathing in through the mouth,
Expanding the belly,
The chest,
All the way to the very top.
And once you reach the top,
I invite you to take one more sip here.
And then hold yourself.
Suspend the breath.
And then out through the nose.
And once again,
Deep breath in through the mouth.
Hold at the top.
And then out through the nose.
And let it go.
Let it go.
And allow your natural breathing rhythm to occur.
And then shifting your attention,
Your mindfulness from the external world into your internal landscape.
And tuning into your feelings,
Your emotions.
Maybe noticing what emotions are present right here,
Now,
To be experienced.
Perhaps you're noticing a sense of unease or even some stress.
Or maybe there's a sense of peacefulness and calm.
And just allowing things to be as they are.
There's no need to change anything.
And now gathering all of your attention,
All of the energy of the mind to remember all the good things that you've done from the smallest to the biggest.
It all counts.
From the thoughts to your intentions,
To your words you spoke,
To your actions.
So start with today.
Tracing back yesterday,
This week,
This month,
This year.
It all counts.
From the smallest to the biggest.
And then open up to your whole life this far.
See how far back you can trace.
And then rejoice.
Rejoice.
Connect with the language of the spiritual heart and rejoice in all the amazing ways you have done good things.
This is such a powerful practice.
It's watering all the beneficial,
Skillful,
Compassionate,
Kind,
And creative seeds in our mind.
These seeds are directly connected with the language,
With the intention of the spiritual heart.
Reminding us of our true essence.
And now let's spend a few mindful moments rejoicing in all the good things a loved one has done.
It's an uncomplicated,
Loving relationship.
So allow yourself to either remember or use the power of your imagination to visualize all the ways that this loved one has done good things.
All the amazing ways they have done good things.
It's helpful you can say their name to yourself.
So you really get to connect with the feeling of their presence.
And then bring into mind a benefactor,
A mentor.
Someone who you're inspired by.
Maybe this is someone that you've met or maybe you've met someone who's helped you.
Maybe you haven't.
That's okay.
Just see if you can bring to mind exercising your imagination or maybe these are things that you have heard or read that this benefactor,
This mentor,
This inspiring person has done all the good things that they have done.
And just rejoice on all the good things that they have done.
The words they spoke,
Their actions.
From the smallest to the biggest,
It all counts.
And if at any moment the attention,
Your attention gets pulled away to additional thoughts or distractions that may arise,
Just invite it back.
Keep utilizing all of the energy of the mind and rest you on this powerful practice.
And then let go of the benefactor,
The mentor,
This inspiring person,
And we're gonna move on to a difficult person.
This isn't the most complicated relationship we have in our lives.
This is one that perhaps we've had a mild disagreement with.
And see if you can bring to mind the ways that this difficult person has done good things.
And see if you can rejoice on the good things that this person has done.
And just to remind us that we're all innately good.
So all beings,
No matter how difficult,
Everyone is trying to do good things.
So see if you can bring to mind this difficult person,
Maybe say their name to yourself,
And see if you can just spend a few moments rejoicing on the good things that this person,
This difficult person has done.
And if this proves to be too difficult this moment,
Just come back and rejoice in the good things that you have done.
And then we'll transition into a stranger.
This is someone who you just don't know their names or much about their lives,
But you see them quite often.
Maybe this is someone who works at the supermarket you go to or the coffee shop or the bank teller,
Whoever it is,
See if you can just bring one person to mind,
This stranger,
And see if you can,
To your best effort,
To use the power of your imagination to visualize and rejoice on all the good things that this stranger has done.
We'll just rest here for a few moments,
Rejoicing on all the,
From the smallest to the biggest,
All the things that this stranger,
The good things that this stranger has done.
And then opening up to all beings,
Opening up to all beings everywhere.
Say for a few moments we can use the power of the mind to visualize all the ways that you can in this very moment,
Imagine the good things that all beings have done.
People far and wide in all parts of the world,
All the good things that they've done,
The words they spoke,
Their actions,
Their intentions,
Rejoicing,
Connecting with the language of the spiritual heart and deeply rejoice in all the amazing ways all beings do their best effort to do good things.
And resting here,
Continuing this process,
This powerful process,
And rejoicing in all the good things all beings have done.
And then letting it all go,
As we begin to bring this practice into a close,
You may want to bring both hands in the prayer position in front of your heart for the universal gesture of gratitude.
And just take a moment to appreciate that this practice is an act of profound generosity.
It benefits both yourself and everyone connected to you.
And then take a moment to notice how your internal landscape has shifted.
And when you're ready in your own time,
You can gently open your eyes.
Thank you so much for your practice.
