Hello my friend,
Welcome to this practice to reconnect you to joy and to the healing presence and wellbeing that follow the experience of joy.
So let's find a comfortable seat,
Sitting with your spine tall,
Close your eyes and relax.
So to begin let's first turn our attention to the breath.
Your breath is the bridge between the inner and the outer world.
So let's start here.
Begin to watch the flow of your breath flowing gently and naturally in and out effortlessly through the nose.
And for the next minute or so simply watch the rhythms of your breath,
Feeling the outer world gradually melting away as you settle more and more into your inner world.
Beautiful job.
Now we'll move into shaping the breath.
So in a moment I'll give you a rhythm to apply to your breath to help you prepare your body and your mind for this practice.
We'll be inhaling for a count of six,
Pausing gently with the breath held in for two and then exhaling for a count of six and repeating that for a minute or two.
So when you're ready,
Let's finish that next exhale that you're on,
Empty it out completely and then we'll begin.
Let's inhale now for a count of six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two and one.
Pause gently for two,
One and exhale six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two and one.
Again inhale six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Pause two,
One,
Exhale six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale six and then repeat.
So counting silently internally,
Pausing for two and gently exhaling for six and take yourself through a few more cycles yourself.
Allow the breath to be smooth and full but gentle.
And as you pause with the breath held in,
Rest your mind in the heart center and experience a presence there.
A few more rounds.
Please allow your breath to adjust back to its natural effortless rhythm.
And now I'll invite you to move your attention to your mouth and remember the feeling behind a smile.
So relax and tune to the memory of a smile.
So without changing your facial expression,
Simply become aware of the sense of lightness and buoyancy that is the spark behind a smile.
Notice that the more you relax,
The more effortlessly the smile arises.
Great job.
Now move your attention down to your physical heart and begin to sense that same light and healing presence of a smile there,
A smile in the heart.
Relax.
So the more effortless you can be,
The more naturally you'll experience the arising of this smile,
A smile in the heart.
Experience the lightness and the ease and the joy,
The heart smiling.
Now move that same feeling of a smile,
That joyous essence into both lungs.
It's them smiling.
Smile in both lungs.
Relax.
Sense that as you breathe in,
There is lightness and joy and healing,
Vibrant and alive in you.
And as you breathe out,
Sense the essence of the smile flooding outward,
Nourishing and healing every cell in your body and even cleansing all of the layers of the mind.
Allow the breath to fill and empty your lungs effortlessly as you experience the essence of that smile.
Good.
Now move your attention down into the abdominal organs and experience them smiling.
Relax.
So lightness,
Ease and joy and healing in the presence of that smile.
Now experience that smile moving down into the pelvis and down into both legs.
So the restorative presence of a smile.
Relax.
Allow this healing force to dissolve all destruction,
All thoughts,
All feelings,
Even memories.
And now move your attention to anywhere else in the physical body that you might experience pain or difficulty and allow the healing presence of this smile to override any disruption to the healing force.
Beautiful job my friend.
And now experience the whole body,
The space inside it and even around it,
Alive in the healing presence of a smile.
Relax into the understanding that the source of this feeling of lightness and ease is not coming from outside of you,
But in fact from within you.
It's your natural state.
Light,
Easeful and free.
Take a moment now to rest and soak deeply,
Present and alive in the essence of joy.
Gently return to your breath and take a deep inhale to bring you back to this moment.
Gently release that full exhale and then bring both hands up to your heart center either in prayer or one stacked over the other and bring to mind one thing,
Big or small,
That today you are grateful for.
Maybe a person or an experience or a privilege you have or a memory.
And with your next breath in,
Collect some of that joy from within you.
And with your exhale,
Send it out in gratitude for all of the blessings in your life.
Take a final moment now to affirm that joy which is innate in your heart and let it inspire the way that you move back into the world.
Gently begin to open your eyes.
Thank you for practicing my friend.
Have a beautiful day.
Namaste.
