Welcome.
I'm glad you're here.
My name is Lynn.
And today's meditation is starting your morning with a smile,
Some intentional breath,
And some positive affirmations,
With the hope that by participating in this session,
You'll be uplifted and energized.
To have a positive day.
Remember that happiness is a state of mind.
It's a choice,
Not a result.
A how,
Not a what.
Let's begin.
Find a comfortable seat.
Could be on a chair or a cushion.
Maybe you choose to be reclined in some way.
Wherever you've chosen,
Feel the support of what's beneath you and soften.
Soften the shoulders and the jaw,
That area between your eyebrows.
Everything that you can and surrender.
And then I encourage you to bring a gentle smile to your face.
Let's begin our day with a smile and a breath and a choice to meet today,
This day,
With openness and kindness.
Take a deep breath in through the nose.
Open your mouth and let it go.
Now gently bring the lips together.
Allow the teeth to gently separate.
Relax your hands and your lap.
And if it feels okay,
Close the eyes or optionally find a soft gaze.
Guide your awareness to your breath.
We're not going to control the breath in this practice.
So simply notice your body inhaling and your body exhaling.
And the inhale,
The belly rises.
On the exhale,
The belly falls.
And the breath serves as an anchor for the brain for the mind to come back to.
Always an opportunity to notice each inhale and each exhale.
Take another great big inhale here welcoming clarity in.
Open the mouth and as you exhale,
Release something that no longer serves you.
Bring that gentle smile back to your face.
Notice what changes for you with that simple movement.
Raising the corners of the mouth.
Now add to that gentle movement,
That gentle smile,
The visualization of a time that you remember feeling happy.
Notice where in your body you feel that.
What images come up.
Is it easier to smile as you're imagining this place,
This time,
This situation where you are happy.
Gratitude is a wonderful way to elicit happiness.
It's hard to not feel good when you're feeling grateful.
Try this out with a simple body scan.
We'll start with our feet.
Imagine your feet now.
Maybe you wiggle the toes and you say,
Thank you feet.
Thank you for taking me where I want to go.
Thank you for supporting me.
Thank you feet for being my foundation,
My roots.
Moving up to the legs.
Thank you legs.
You're strong.
You're sturdy.
You help me bend and stretch and step.
You help me walk.
Thank you legs.
And then moving up to the hips and the pelvis.
That whole area where the root chakra lives.
Thank you hips.
Thank you root chakra.
Thank you for grounding me.
Thank you for serving as the beginning of the legs.
Thank you for allowing me to sometimes tuck emotion in and store it here.
Thank you hips.
And then up to the belly.
Thank you belly.
Thank you for digesting my food.
Taking the nutrients that my body needs.
Letting go of the things my body doesn't need.
Thank you belly.
And up through the lungs.
Thank you lungs.
Thank you for breathing for me.
Thank you for oxygenating the blood that flows through my body.
Sharing that oxygen all through the cells,
The organs,
Everywhere in my body.
Thank you for carrying the cells that fight disease,
That fight viruses.
Thank you lungs.
And the heart.
Thank you heart.
Thank you heart for beating and pushing that blood through the body.
Thank you heart for allowing me to feel,
To be.
To be more than my thoughts.
Thank you for the electricity in my heart that keeps it beating.
And up to the throat.
Thank you throat.
Thank you for my voice.
Thank you for being the part of my body that supports my head.
Thank you for the shoulders and the arms that extend out from just underneath you.
Thank you throat.
And then the head,
Where we've got so many of our senses,
Our ears for hearing,
Our mouth for talking,
Our nose for smelling,
Our tongue for tasting.
And the place that houses the most amazing computer in the world,
Our brain.
Wow.
Thank you head.
Thank you.
Feel the warmth of the smile and this gratitude and the softening of your body and the opening of your heart as you just went through and thanked yourself for your amazing body.
Take a great big breath in through the nose,
Breathing in clarity.
Exhale,
Let something else go.
And now with this wonderful sense of gratitude and the smile on our face,
Repeat silently or maybe out loud,
These affirmations that will help you keep this sense of happiness.
The sense of presence.
You might want to bring your hands to your heart or maybe you want to open your arms wide and really feel that heart open.
Either way,
You do you.
One or more of these affirmations may especially speak to you.
So feel free when that happens to hang on to that one.
I am grounded,
Present,
And ready for this day.
I welcome joy and peace into every moment.
I choose kindness for myself and others.
Today is a gift,
And I greet it with gratitude.
My smile is powerful,
And my presence is enough.
Take a great big breath in.
Exhale,
Let it go.
What do you notice about right now?
Maybe you're feeling happier,
Calmer,
Grounded.
Maybe you're noticing that you can create happiness in your body through a simple smile,
A few deep breaths,
And maybe an affirmation or two.
Whatever it is that you're noticing,
You created this,
And it's available to you anytime,
Anywhere.
Take another great big breath in through the nose.
Open the mouth and exhale.
With every breath,
I shine brighter.
With every breath,
I spread peace.
Gently begin to bring your awareness back to your body.
You're very much awake,
And you're very present.
Maybe you begin to wiggle your fingers and your toes.
Maybe you rock your head from side to side.
Maybe you lift the corners of your mouth another time.
Grateful for this time you spent calming your mind and coming to the right now.
Gradually bring awareness back to the room.
Maybe you gently blink your eyes open,
Fully aware now,
Sensing what's going on around you.
I hope you carry this meditation and the feelings you created with you in your day today,
And let your smile be your gift to everyone you meet along your journey.
Thank you.
