Hello,
This is Addie DeHilster.
Today we'll be practicing together a joy meditation,
And the practice is one of consciously taking in that which is good or beautiful that can benefit us,
That can help make us more resilient.
So start by coming into a posture that will be supportive for the next few minutes.
You can sit in a chair,
You could sit on a cushion,
Arranging the body so that there is a sense of ease and presence.
I'll ring my bell and we'll begin.
So you could close your eyes if it helps you to connect to this experience of meditation,
Or you could allow your eyes to be open but just softly gazing forward in a relaxed way.
Feeling a few breaths flow in and out,
Feeling the body here.
And in this present moment,
Let's bring to mind an experience of joy or beauty,
Maybe a moment of creativity.
For me,
What often comes to mind is a beautiful place in nature that I'm grateful to visit,
Or a gathering with friends and family that feels warm and fuzzy.
So take a moment,
Maybe you're choosing among different experiences,
And just connecting with one that lights you up,
Brings a feeling of smile.
And as you choose this experience to hold an awareness right now,
Notice what you feel,
What sensations are present.
Perhaps there's an inner warmth or a feeling of expansiveness.
Perhaps you're aware of a particular part of your body relaxing or opening.
Tuning into this visceral effect of bringing this good experience to mind.
And then as you're picturing this experience,
What do you see in your mind's eye?
Where are you?
What shapes and colors and objects are around you?
And as you're inhabiting the scene,
What would you be hearing?
What sounds would be there in the environment?
Letting them be as real as possible,
Imagining these sounds.
Perhaps there's a certain smell,
An aroma of the place or something that's present in the environment.
Is there something there that you would be touching or where there would be a physical contact that has a sensation or a texture to it?
And the scene,
Is there anyone there with you?
Just noticing who's there and what their presence is like,
How you see them or perhaps you hear their voice.
So we're allowing this scene of joy or beauty or goodness to just become a little more vivid,
To be recalled in this present moment.
As you feel into the goodness of this scene,
This experience,
As you feel it resonating in your body,
You might reflect,
Is there a part of me that this has not yet touched,
That this joy has not yet touched?
Maybe that's a part of your body or an element of your identity or a wound,
A fear,
A memory.
What has this joy not yet been able to touch?
And could we begin to allow this joy,
This goodness,
This beauty to seep into that place or to seep into that story?
Perhaps the energy of this joy has a light to it or a color to it and you could imagine that color that glow starting to penetrate into a part of you that it hasn't reached before.
Letting it seep in,
Opening to this new energy.
What is that like?
Can you stay with this for a few breaths?
Whatever shape or form this energy of joy is taking,
We're simply allowing it to move through to touch us in new ways,
To bring a little bit of light and uplift to places that haven't experienced that in this way.
And then as you're ready to release this memory or image or joyful scene,
You can do that with a few exhales.
Really returning to the immediate sensations of this body sitting here in this meditation.
And as you're returning,
As you're preparing to leave the meditation,
Take a moment noticing how you feel to reflect on what wisdom you can take with you from this experience.
What would you like to remember from this experience?
Thank you very much for your practice.
