Go ahead and close your eyes and find yourself in a comfortable meditation posture,
Doing your best to keep your spine straight and your body relaxed.
Let's start by getting very grounded.
Imagine that with every breath you could breathe deeply into the soles of your feet,
Breathing all the way down your body,
Feeling the gravity of earth pulling you down.
And just notice all of the different parts of your body that are making contact with the surface that you're sitting upon or lying upon.
And let yourself melt even deeper into that surface,
Enjoying the feeling of being supported.
Take a moment now to notice all of the different things vying for your attention at this moment.
The thoughts filtering through your mind,
Any worries that come up,
Plans you're making perhaps for the rest of your day,
Things you may be remembering or rehashing,
Even the sounds and the other happenings in your environment.
Without judgment,
Just bring your focus to all of these different things that are calling out for your attention.
And now remind yourself that you are the one who gets to choose where your attention goes.
Just for these next few minutes,
Even with these other things calling out for your attention,
Can you choose the heart as the main object of your awareness?
Can you make conscious choices to bring your focus back to your heart space,
Especially if it drifts to the busyness of your mind?
So go ahead and shift that focus now to your heart.
And I'm going to suggest now several practices that might keep you here in your heart space for the next few minutes.
And I invite you to try each one and then continue with the practice that most anchors you in your heart.
We'll start with the practice of gratitude.
Staying in your heart space,
Recall one thing that happened to you recently for which you feel very grateful.
A chance encounter with a friend,
Something that made you laugh,
A meal that felt healthy and wholesome,
Quality time with a loved one.
Just allow that feeling of gratitude to be there in your heart space as you savor that wonderful moment and feel gladness for that gift.
Bringing that memory back with the full force of your imagination and allowing your heart to light up with gratitude.
Now let's move into another heart-centered practice,
Loving kindness.
Keeping your focus on your heart space.
Bring to mind an image of someone you love very much.
This could be a child,
A pet,
A dear friend or family member.
Someone you have an easy relationship with.
It's very easy and natural for you to feel love for.
And allow that person's image to be there fully in your heart space as you begin to wish them well.
You might try repeating the following phrases just silently within your heart directed at this person.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be safe and healthy.
May you find great joy as you go about your day today.
Just allow these feelings of well-wishing to this loved one in your heart space and notice what's going on in the area of your heart.
And then see what happens as you imagine your loved one wishing those same things for you.
In the silence of your heart space,
Imagine them saying to you,
May you be well.
May you be happy and healthy.
May you be safe.
And may you find joy as you go about your day.
And just see if you can take that in,
Those messages of well-wishing from your loved one.
And even wish yourself well along with them.
These are two different practices that can keep you anchored in your heart space.
The practice of gratitude,
Feeling thankful for small moments,
Blessings,
Gifts that come into your life.
Imagine loving kindness,
The practice of wishing others well or wishing yourself well.
Choose one of these practices now,
Perhaps the practice that felt most natural to you,
Either gratitude or loving kindness.
And continue to allow that practice to draw you back into your heart space over and over again.
No matter what else is vying for your attention,
Perhaps a thought comes up,
A momentary distraction.
And then remember that you have this heart-centered practice that will allow you to keep choosing your heart over and over again for the next few moments.
Let's practice that now in silence for a few minutes,
Either gratitude or loving kindness,
Or maybe moving back and forth between the two.
Having a heart-centered practice to keep your focus in your heart space just for the next few minutes.
Perhaps by now another worry has come up or you're flashing forward to the rest of your day.
Just notice what's going on in your mind and keep choosing your heart over and over again,
Using gratitude or loving kindness to bring you back to your loving center.
And as you allow your focus again and again to be drawn back to your heart space,
You're bringing energy into your heart,
Aliveness,
And a reminder of who you really are.
The loving,
Compassionate being that you are at your core.
Take a minute now to check in with yourself and notice how you are feeling after continuously choosing the heart for the past few moments.
How do you feel in your body?
How does your mind feel?
And how do you feel in your heart space?
And if you like,
You can set an intention to lead with your heart for the rest of your day today,
Returning to the practice of gratitude or loving kindness whenever you feel the need to move from your head back into your heart.
Now take one more deep,
Cleansing breath.
And as you're ready,
Go ahead and open your eyes and step back into your day.
And as you're ready,
Go ahead and open your eyes and step back into your day.
