So just begin to gather your attention and your energy and begin to draw it back into yourself almost like a turtle that comes back into its shell.
We are very complex human beings with many different aspects to us.
I think so much healing happens when we can allow all of those things to be there together.
The light and the dark.
So let us drop any seriousness or tension or heaviness that we may be holding and allow the breeze to just blow through our heart.
Just like a gentle breeze.
Feel free.
We are going to just do a really simple beautiful practice that I learned when I studied Qigong.
It's just called the inner smile.
And you are going to allow yourself to bring a little smile to your face.
It doesn't have to be anything even noticeable.
Just so subtle like Mona Lisa.
Just a really gentle smile.
You can imagine that you are looking at someone that you really love like a dog or a child or love.
Just smile with your eyes and you smile with your face.
Even just smiling is actually good for our physiology by itself.
Even if we don't feel happy.
So feel that smile.
And now you are going to direct that smile inwardly.
You are smiling inside.
Usually when we smile,
We smile outwardly.
We give that energy away.
And so right now,
We are going to smile inside.
Smile to this being.
Smile at your innocence and all the ways that you try to cover that innocence over.
Just smile at that.
Smile at your comparisons and your competitions,
Your so-called failures and mistakes,
Your successes and your triumphs and your longings.
Just smile inwardly at all of these things.
Smile at the inherent purity underneath all of that.
That wellspring or that source where the joy and happiness arise from deep inside your being.
And if you like,
You can smile to a particular part of yourself,
Maybe an organ in your body that needs love and attention.
You can just shine your light upon that by smiling inwardly towards it.
Smile to your liver.
Smile to your heart.
Smile to your stomach,
To your eyes,
To your brain.
Just smile like you're shining the sun,
The love through your eyes.
Any place that's hurting,
You can just smile gently at that.
Maybe it's even an emotion,
Something that's hurting you.
And as you smile,
You can imagine that you're just nourishing this part of you with this love and this lightness,
Like the rays of the sun.
See yourself through the eyes of love and smile inwardly as you offer yourself loving kindness metta.
Send that prayer everywhere that it's needed inside.
May I be happy.
May I be safe.
May I be free from suffering and all the causes of suffering.
May I forgive myself.
May I see myself through the eyes of love.
May the childlike innocence deep within me awaken and express itself fully.
So now just see yourself whole and just smile inwardly at this whole being like you're nourishing every part of yourself with your own smile.
Feel your worth.
Feel I am worthy of love and joy and happiness and freedom.
Those things are my birthright.
Just take a breath and when you exhale,
Just imagine you're bringing all this good energy within you just a little below your belly button and just bring that energy there to rest.
Breathe in and breathe out and anchor that energy in your belly.
