Hi,
I'm Amy and welcome to this Inner Smile meditation.
Settle yourself in a comfortable position.
Could be on the floor,
On a cushion,
In a chair.
Drop your gaze or close your eyes.
And begin breathing deeply all the way into the belly.
Visualize that airflow coming in through the nose,
Down into the body,
All the way into the center of your being,
About three finger widths below the navel.
That center of your body is known as the Dantian,
The source of all of our internal energy.
Continue breathing slowly,
Deeply and fully,
All the way to the Dantian.
Fix your forehead,
Create some space between your eyebrows.
Lift the corner of your lips,
Creating a soft and gentle smile on your face.
And imagine listening for a far off sound.
These three simple actions bring tranquility and can be practiced anytime,
Anywhere.
But they create a lovely foundation for this Inner Smile meditation.
Imagine that there's a smiling face in front of you.
It could be your own face or the face of a loved one.
And draw that smile and the joyful energy it portrays into your forehead.
Let your forehead relax.
Let your body relax.
Let that joyous and warm essence from this smile begin to cascade through your entire body.
Imagine this warm,
Smiling energy spreading throughout your entire body.
It touches and comforts each of your internal organs.
Imagine that smiling warmth bathing your brain in calm kindness,
Settling your thoughts.
Imagine that warm smile and its essence of joy surrounding your heart,
Soothing away any sorrow or fear it may have,
Bringing a sense of inner contentment to your heart.
Bringing the essence of that smile to your lungs to help them breathe deeply and fully without constriction.
Bringing that warm,
Smiling energy to your stomach,
Which in turn helps you digest the food you eat with ease and comfort.
Bringing the essence of that inner smile to your kidneys and your liver,
Helping those organs process the waste of daily life,
Helping you detoxify your body,
Helping to make you strong and whole.
Bringing that warm,
Smiling essence to your intestines,
Helping them stay relaxed and yet strong,
Digesting and moving the food through your body in a healthy,
Functional way.
Imagine that essence of that warm smile flowing out to other organs,
To other body parts,
Feeling the soothing warmth of that smiling energy.
And take a moment now to notice the sensations in your body.
Do you feel a sense of warmth and ease and comfort?
If there's any place in your body that still feels a little bit anxious or stiff or discontent,
Bring that smiling energy back to that place for a moment.
Let it flow over and through all of your organs,
All of your soft tissue and joints.
Anchor this feeling of peace and contentment into your body by placing your hands over your heart.
Take a few more deep breaths all the way down to the Dantene.
Release any visualizations or thoughts and simply be present to the sensations in your body and with your breath.
And as we close this meditation,
Throughout the day,
Return that gentle smile to your face and bring that smiling essence into your body.
