Hello,
My name is Hilary Lafon.
Thank you for joining me for today's morning meditation,
Cultivating Love.
Love is the universal drive.
We all need it.
We all want it.
Sometimes it just feels like there's never enough.
So how do we cultivate love?
How do we create a life filled with love?
Like most things,
It starts with intention,
An idea,
A thought.
So let's spend a few moments this morning before our day begins by creating the day that we want.
So when you're ready,
Close your eyes,
Sitting upright in your chair,
Feet flat on the floor,
Hands,
Palms up or face down.
Allow yourself to find a position of ease,
Allowing any tension to roll down your body out through your toes into the earth.
And take a moment to be aware of your breath.
Exhaling deeply through the nose,
Exhaling completely through the nose or the mouth,
Allowing each breath to relax your whole body,
Quiet your mind,
And bring you to a place of awareness to the here and the now.
If your mind is wandering,
That's okay.
That's what minds do.
Be kind to yourself.
Try not to judge the thoughts.
Just notice them and come back to the breath.
Exhaling all the breath out.
And together let's inhale deeply for the count of four,
Inhaling through the nose,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Exhaling through the nose or the mouth for five,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Two more times,
Inhale through the nose and exhale through the nose or the mouth.
One more time together,
Inhale and exhale.
Again,
If your mind has wandered,
Keep focusing on your deep breathing or you can pay attention to different body sensations.
So let's bring our awareness to our face and as we breathe,
Allow the muscles around the eyes to soften,
The cheeks and the jaw creating some space in the mouth.
Allow your tongue to be heavy and relaxed.
Allow your next breath to soften your shoulders,
Your spine,
And your back.
Breathing deeply,
Noticing any sensation in the hands or the feet.
Is there one area you can get 1% more comfortable?
Letting your belly hang loose,
Releasing the muscles in your legs and lower back.
Feeling peace and calm all around you as we begin our morning.
And now bring your awareness to your heart,
Noticing any vibration,
Swirling sensation.
Maybe you can even hear or feel your heartbeat.
And from this place,
Let's start our journey of finding love,
Letting love out,
Letting love in.
Feel free to put one hand on your chest or both.
This small act of love and kindness helps us come back to our own self and body because this is where love begins with ourselves.
Visualize the love you want to give out to the world.
Visualize the love you want the world to give back to you.
And if this exercise is hard,
As loving ourselves can often be,
Imagine a time when you felt love towards a pet,
Towards a human,
Towards a plant.
Visualize this time of love and feel your body fill up with warmth,
Peace,
Kindness.
If anything has tensed in your body,
Allow your breath to soften that area.
If your mind has wandered again,
Be kind.
What does love look like for you?
What does your life filled with love look like for you?
Just before we end our time together,
Repeat in your mind after me,
I deserve love.
I deserve to be loved.
I have so much love to offer.
I love myself.
I encourage you to use one of these phrases and use it as a mantra throughout the day today.
Whichever calls to you while you're driving,
Cooking a meal,
Taking a shower,
In the office,
Running errands with your family.
Saying these words in our mind can help us stay focused on what we truly want.
When you're ready,
Open your eyes,
Wiggle your fingers and your toes,
And be prepared for whatever love is going to come to you today just because of this small practice.
Thank you so much for allowing me the precious gift of your time.
Until next time.
