We always start with what's going on for ourselves right now.
What are we bringing in?
Do we have a calmer mind,
A more agitated mind?
Are we worried about something?
What's going on in our body,
Our breath?
And when we're attuning to ourselves in the moment,
We're noticing a bunch of different levels or areas.
We notice our physical body,
The energy,
Sensations,
Sense perceptions.
We notice thoughts in our mind.
It would be quite common to have a response to those words,
Warm-hearted,
Warm-hearted with ourselves,
Warm-hearted with others.
What do those words mean?
What are the associations we have?
So it's helpful to take a moment as we start to notice what's coming up around that for you right now,
Warm-heartedness with myself and others.
Be aware of the whole of your body,
Head to toes,
Everything that's happening in that space that your body is occupying.
Notice your forehead and eyebrows.
Let your forehead soften.
Lift your eyebrows up and then let them settle.
Relax the corners of your eyes,
The deep muscles of your eyes.
We could notice the sensation of air in our nose down into our throat,
The rhythm and pace of the breath.
And notice if you breathe in deeply and then have a long,
Slow exhale a few times.
That often helps us to soften,
Relax the tension in the neck and shoulders.
Bring your attention into your mouth and jaw.
Relax the hinges of your jaw.
Let your tongue rest on the floor of your mouth.
Bring that stillness down into your neck and shoulders,
Your upper back,
From your shoulders down through your arms,
From the throat through the chest,
Down through your stomach area,
Lower back,
Through your legs,
Back of your legs,
Lower legs,
The soles of your feet,
Tips of your toes,
From your fingertips and palms up through your arms back to the shoulders and neck.
And be aware again of your whole body from head to toes.
Let your body be resting.
And one way to do that,
Of course,
Is to soften different parts of the body.
Bring your attention there and let them soften.
Another way is to focus on your breath.
Really settle into observing the rhythm of your breath at your belly.
Stay grounded and connected with your body.
Generally,
When we soften the belly,
It indicates to our body that we're safe.
It allows the breath to become smooth,
Even,
Flowing continuously.
Any time we find we're getting a bit distracted,
We could come back to this.
Notice the whole body.
Notice your breath.
The movement of your stomach and belly with your breath.
And then bring your attention up a little bit into your heart center.
The heart and lungs are protected by the ribcage,
By the muscle.
And in the center of that area is the heart center.
Sometimes we do a practice of,
What does the heart know?
Come to that for a moment.
You could put your hand on your heart if you like.
Or just bring your attention into your heart center.
What is your experience right now from your heart center?
I'm warm-hearted.
And as I say different words,
Just observe what it is that's happening in terms of a response.
Is it words?
Images?
Is it sensations in your body?
Our mind will often argue with us.
And during an inquiry,
We're really just looking,
What is it that's coming forward?
We see the associations that we have,
The thoughts we have about it.
And by really maintaining connection with our body and with our breath,
We're not getting lost in the thinking mind.
We're staying connected in our heart center,
In our gut.
I'm warm-hearted with myself.
I am able to be kind and present and patient.
And sometimes I harden up.
And then when I notice that,
I'm able to slow down,
Take a few deep breaths,
And remember my intention is to be warm-hearted and kind.
