Welcome to this moment and to your practice.
Please find a comfortable seat,
One that will allow your body and mind to remain awake and aware while also being relaxed.
And then inviting your eyes to close if it's comforting,
Otherwise keeping them slightly open and resting on an object that is not moving.
When you find yourself at ease,
Gently bring your attention to the sound surrounding you and supporting your practice of being in this present moment.
Then gently noticing your body,
Its position in space,
Where it touches other surfaces,
The floor,
The chair,
The cushion,
Other parts of your body.
But also note where your body is only held by the air,
By the atmosphere.
And with curiosity,
Notice the difference between the two,
Parts of the body touching,
Parts of the body free of touch.
Now gently invite your attention on the breath of your body,
On your body being breathed,
Becoming aware of the gentle movement of the body following each of your inhale and each of your exhale.
Breathing in I am aware of breathing in.
Breathing out I am aware of the body breathing out.
If your mind wanders,
Bring it back to this breath.
Bring it back to your body,
Moving it innocent with life moving through you,
With life moving through and with each breath.
Breathing in experiencing this breath.
Bringing permission to the mind to settle gently in this moment.
And then kindly bringing your attention to your heart space in the middle of the chest.
You may or you may not notice a warm sensation in the middle of the chest or maybe it's the pounding of your heart,
Gentle reminder of the miracle that it is to be alive.
And noticing the breath of your heart,
Its rhythm,
Its qualities.
And now I would like to invite you to bring to your awareness a recent event or a person for which you are grateful or something that fills your heart with joy or gratitude or contentment or peace.
No need to search too hard,
See what comes first and let that experience fill you up.
If it's difficult to find something that you are grateful for or that brings contentment or peace,
See if you can find something more neutral that doesn't trigger any unpleasant feelings or thoughts.
And allowing this experience to fill your heart,
To fill your mind.
If you brought to mind a person,
See if you can see that person as vividly as possible.
If it's the event,
Notice where it took place,
How it happened.
While staying with this experience,
Notice how you feel within.
How does your body respond,
Remembering this person or this event?
Allow yourself to feel,
Give yourself that permission to feel the pleasant.
Maybe it is just a sensation of contentment or ease.
It's not too wild or too joyful but it's really a sense of well-being within.
Notice that.
There might be thoughts in the mind or emotions arising in the heart.
Notice what arises without becoming attached to the experience.
Simply be the witness.
Now allowing yourself to release the memory,
See if you can stay with the pleasantness it evoked for you and gently inviting a smile on your face.
Noticing how the birth of a smile on your face,
On your lips,
Soften the muscles of your face.
Staying present with your experience of smiling,
Allowing this beautiful smile of yours to expand to your throat,
Imagining a smile in your throat.
Then this smile moving ever so gently into your heart.
Now allowing the smile to move into your belly.
Softening,
Relaxing the face,
The heart,
The throat,
The belly.
Now gently imagining a soft smile blooming into the palm of your hands and the palms of your feet.
How does it feel to smile with your hand?
To smile with your feet?
And from your hands and feet,
Let the smiles expand into your limbs,
Moving ever so gently to eventually fill every cell of your being.
And pause to feel the smile within.
Allowing your mind to rest within the smile.
Taking this moment to notice the quality of your breath,
Its movement within and without.
When your breath is smiling in this moment.
And for this moment only,
Allow your whole being to embody fully this smile,
Continuing to breathe without forcing anything.
If your mind's wonder invited back to this smile.
I will now offer you a few meta phrases that you can either repeat silently or simply receive as a gift from beyond.
Just for today,
May I be well.
May I live this day with ease and in peace.
Just for today,
May I remember the smile of my heart.
Just for today,
May I radiate well-being.
Just for today,
May I be well.
May I live this day with ease and in peace.
Just for today,
May I remember the smile of my heart.
Just for today,
May I radiate well-being.
Just for today,
May I be well.
May I live this day with ease and in peace.
Just for today,
May I remember the smile of my heart.
Just for today,
May I radiate well-being.
And gently allowing those well wishes to rest in this moment in your heart,
In your mind.
Maybe you would like to plant a seed of an intention for this day or this evening.
And coming back to your breath,
Breathing in.
I know I am breathing in.
Breathing out.
I am aware I am breathing out.
Allowing the breath to deepen gently.
And with each deeper breath bringing gentle movement in the body.
I be wiggling the fingers,
Allowing the head to fall down on the chest.
And when you are ready allowing the eyes to blink open,
Reconnecting with the light and the colors surrounding you.
And welcome back.
May the rest of your day be filled with ease.
Until we meet again,
Please take care.
