This is a meditation to cultivate all four of the heart practices,
Loving kindness,
Compassion,
Appreciative joy,
And equanimity.
Seeing your heart as a garden and settling in to the posture you've chosen,
Allowing yourself to arrive in present moment awareness,
Allowing your body to settle,
Making adjustments where you need them,
And deepening the inhale,
Bringing the breath as deep into the bottom of the belly as we can naturally bring it,
Gently extending the exhale,
Slowly releasing the air as if blowing out through a straw,
Again,
Deep inhale,
Extending the exhale.
One more time,
Deep inhale,
Extending the exhale,
At the bottom of the exhale,
Squeezing out any excess air that still remains,
Allowing the breath to come back to its natural rhythm.
Each day,
The world will offer us seeds,
Seeds of joy,
Kindness,
Or connection.
It may also offer us seeds of frustration,
Pain,
Or indifference.
What we choose to plant,
Nurture,
And let bloom determines what kind of garden we create,
Both for ourselves and for those around us.
In this fast pace,
Often overwhelming world,
It's easy to feel like our hearts are overgrown with weeds,
Too tangled and chaotic to manage.
Today,
We're offering ourselves an opportunity to clear that space,
Tend to it with care,
Watch it flourish with compassion,
Joy,
And balance,
Bringing your attention to your feet,
Feeling the sensations of what they are touching or what is touching them,
And bringing that attention up through the ankles,
Into the lower legs,
Into the knees,
Into the thighs,
Hips,
And pelvis.
Long,
Slow,
Deep breath here.
Slowly and gently extending the exhale,
Bringing your attention now to your lower belly,
Lower back,
Middle back,
Upper back.
Deep inhale here.
Slowly and gently extending the exhale,
Bringing your attention now into the neck,
Back of the head,
Skull,
Shoulders,
Upper arms.
Nice slow inhale here.
Slowly and gently extending the exhale,
Bringing your attention now to your heart space,
Intentionally breathing into and out of the space in the center of your chest.
Now,
Imagine a beautiful and ornate gate at the entrance to the garden of your heart.
Notice what is surrounding the gate,
What kind of plants are here,
Are they colorful and fragrant,
Or are they wilting and tangled?
Are there thorns,
Are there flowers?
What do you see?
Allow whatever is here to be here.
See it as it is.
Touch in to what is there,
And move now to open the gate and enter the pathway to begin walking through your heart's garden.
How does the pathway look?
Is it clear?
Is it blocked?
Are there weeds or even barbed wire along the path?
See the path winding through the beautiful garden space that lives and beats within you.
With each inhale,
We bring attention to whatever it is that needs it.
With each exhale,
Allow a clearing,
Softening to the pathway to just allow it to open a little more.
All we need is an opportunity to come into your heart's garden.
Feel the rich,
Fertile soil under your feet.
Sense the texture.
Know that this is equanimity,
Keeping everything grounded,
Providing a place to root and grow,
Allowing your heart to stay balanced through life's seasons.
In equanimity practice,
We're cultivating a mind and heart that stays balanced and at ease with our surroundings.
In equanimity,
We come to understand that our happiness and suffering is not caused by our experiences and circumstances,
But in our responses to them.
We offer our heart equanimity by silently repeating these phrases to ourselves.
I am responsible for my own actions.
I am responsible for the energy and attention I give my thoughts,
Feelings,
And experiences.
May I find a true source of happiness.
May I find peace exactly where I am.
I am responsible for my own actions.
I am responsible for the energy and attention I give my thoughts,
Feelings,
And experiences.
May I find a true source of happiness.
May I find peace exactly where I am.
I am responsible for my own actions.
I am responsible for the energy and attention I give my thoughts,
Feelings,
And experiences.
May I find a true source of happiness.
May I find peace exactly where I am.
Now you begin to feel a gentle rain on your skin.
This is compassion,
Nurturing the most tender parts of yourself,
Cleansing and nourishing you with each drop.
Compassion is the steady rain,
Nurturing the most tender parts of yourself.
Notice the sensations in your heart.
What does it feel like?
Do the sensations change?
You may notice feelings of warmth and openness.
Perhaps you are experiencing an aching sensation.
You may decide to place your hand on your chest where your heart is as you allow space for a warm and tender heart,
And repeat silently to yourself,
May I accept myself exactly as I am.
May I be kind and gentle with myself.
May I find peace and ease.
May I accept myself exactly as I am.
May I be kind and gentle with myself.
May I find peace and ease.
May I accept myself exactly as I am.
May I accept myself exactly as I am.
May I be kind and gentle with myself.
May I find peace and ease.
And the rain begins to stop and the clouds begin to part.
And the sunlight is coming through and you feel the warmth on your skin.
This is loving-kindness.
A sunlight that encourages you to grow toward connection,
No matter how tangled things get.
Just like the light and warmth from the sun that never wanes,
Loving-kindness is also an infinite source of connection.
Turning your face upwards towards the light and the heat,
Allowing it to radiate downward throughout your entire being,
Silently repeat the following phrases to yourself.
May I be filled with loving-kindness.
May I be safe from inner and outer harm.
May I be well in body,
Heart,
And mind.
May I be at ease and happy.
May I be filled with loving-kindness.
May I be safe from inner and outer harm.
May I be well in body,
Heart,
And mind.
May I be at ease and happy.
May I be filled with loving-kindness.
May I be safe from inner and outer harm.
May I be well in body,
Heart,
And mind.
May I be at ease and happy.
Appreciative joy is the fragrant bloom that brightens your life when you celebrate the joy of others.
The practice is to counteract any greed,
Ill will,
Jealousy,
Or envy,
And recognize how our joy is connected to the joy of others.
Imagine as you inhale the scent of your favorite flower and the joy that you are filled with as you engage with that scent.
As you experience that joy,
Silently repeat the following phrases,
Sending them out to whoever comes to mind.
Just as I am happy for the joy I have,
I am happy for the joy you have.
May your joy increase.
May you be grateful and content.
Just as I am happy for the joy I have,
I am happy for the joy you have.
May your joy increase.
May you be grateful and content.
Just as I am happy for the joy I have,
I am happy for the joy you have.
May your joy increase.
May you be grateful and content.
These four boundless qualities offer you the tools to create a heart full of peace,
Kindness,
And resilience.
We need all of these elements in order to cultivate an open and compassionate heart.
We need a little dirt in which to grow.
We need a little rain in order to nurture.
We need sunlight in order to thrive.
And we need also to stop once in a while to smell the flowers and enjoy the fruits that are growing amongst us.
And coming back now to the space around you.
Deepening the inhale.
Lengthening the exhale.
Noticing the parts of you that are touching whatever is beneath you.
And noticing where there is space.
Www.
Mooji.
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