Encoding The Good Meditation

A practice for inclining the mind toward what nourishes — happiness, gratitude, joy — and letting it sink in. Based on the work of neuropsychologist Rick Hanson, this meditation works with the brain's tendency to hold onto difficulty and release what’s beneficial too quickly. By lingering with a moment of goodness, we begin to change what the mind habitually reaches for.

Transcript

I first learned this meditation from neuropsychologist Rick Hansen. This is a practice for inclining our minds toward beneficial emotions such as happiness, Gratitude, Loving-kindness, And joy. This isn't about ignoring what's hard but about making room for the things that nourish us. So find a posture that works for you. That could be sitting, Standing, Or lying down. You want to feel supported but also able to let go a little bit. You can keep your eyes open or closed. If you choose to keep them open, You might rest your gaze softly about a foot in front of you on the floor. So let's begin by taking a slow deep breath in and letting it out just as slowly, Letting your body settle into your seat or your posture, Letting it become easy, Maybe letting it stretch or move if that feels like it would help before coming into stillness. Now we're going to practice with a moment of happiness for you. So you might bring to mind a moment in your life where you felt happy. This could be a big moment like birth, Wedding, Or birthday, But it could also be one of those tiny moments that just pops in and surprises us with delight. This isn't a test so choose whatever comes into your mind first. It's probably the right thing. We're just finding something to work with for the next few minutes. So when you have your moment, Bring it in close. And if you don't have your moment, You can feel free to pause this until you do. You might look at it, This moment, Like it's a movie scene. Where were you? Were you indoors or outside? What was the weather like? What was the temperature that day? Was it sunny or rainy? Was it day or night? Were you with people? Were words being spoken? Or just putting you back in that moment? So where do you feel this moment in your body? You might check your chest, Your heart space. Maybe it's your whole body. How does your body feel as you remember this happiness? Is there an expansion or spaciousness? Is there an emotion to it? For some, It can help to place your hand on your heart to help strengthen this. And now, Staying with this moment of happiness, What might be here that you're noticing for the first time? Look a little closer. What haven't you seen before? Noticing this helps train our minds because our minds are interested in novelty. And now, What does this moment hold for you? Why is it important for you? And then the final step in this is really letting this happiness sink into your body. You might welcome it like a warm light growing inside of you, Spreading out from your heart and into your chest, Growing through your arms, Neck, And head. And now, What through your stomach and into your legs, All the way through your toes. Let yourself receive this happiness into your body. See if you can give yourself over to it just a little bit more. What's enjoyable about this? What feels rewarding about letting yourself receive happiness? And we'll begin to close shortly, But let's not leave this space too quickly. Let this feeling reverberate. You might step back and imagine witnessing yourself remembering this happiness, Becoming a loving witness as you receive this and know it. And now, I will ring the bell to close the session, But you can remain here in this space for as long as you like.