Good morning.
This is my meditation.
Safety,
Satisfaction,
And connection with others are fundamental to our happiness.
When these essential needs are not met,
We react rather than respond to life's challenges.
The goal of this meditation is to help you respond to life's challenges.
To achieve peace,
Contentment,
And love in your day.
Get into a comfortable position,
Either sitting or lying.
Start by letting thoughts and sense perceptions be.
Let them come and let them go.
Shift your attention to the breath.
Without trying to influence it,
Notice that it flows in and then it flows out.
Become aware of the brief pause between each inhale and each exhale.
Now let the breath shift into the background of your awareness.
Take note of any needless sense of being threatened and see if you can let it go.
Notice if you are worrying or planning.
You can do these later.
Recognize some of the ways in which you are safe and protected.
You are getting calmer,
More relaxed.
You're allowing a sense of peace to sink in.
Now let the sense of peace move into the background.
Bring into the foreground something that gives you pleasure,
Delight,
Or joy.
Allow yourself to feel thankful,
Appreciative,
Grateful.
Be kind to yourself about losses while accepting the reality of them.
Feel a growing sense of contentment.
Be aware of the things you've achieved,
The goals you've met.
You're not chasing after anything inside the mind or out in the world.
Let go of disappointments,
Frustrations,
And dissatisfactions.
You're allowing a sense of contentment to sink in.
Now let the sense of contentment move into the background of your mind.
Bring into the foreground something that helps you feel loved.
Open to and find a sense of emotional connection with another being,
Perhaps a person,
A pet,
Or a group of people.
Let rejections and resentment,
And past sorrows and relationships all fall away.
Think of someone who is warm or friendly toward you and help this become a feeling of being cared about.
Let feeling cared about fill you,
Softening your face and throat and eyes,
Easing and warming your heart.
Know what it's like to feel loved.
Bring to mind someone you like,
Someone who matters to you,
Someone you love.
Find compassion for someone,
The wish that living beings not suffer.
Perhaps a friend in difficulty,
A child in pain,
Or impoverished people far away or close to home.
Find kindness,
The wish that all beings be happy.
Be glad about the good fortunes of others,
Feel more and more connected to all life,
Even to the whole planet and beyond.
Love flowing in and love flowing out.
You are allowing,
Uncovering a sense of love.
Now,
Get a sense of peace,
Contentment,
And love all present together in your mind,
Supporting one another,
A sense of wholeness,
Your natural state.
There is an integrated sense of balance and well-being as you rest in the responsive mode of your brain.
There may be challenges to face or pain in your body,
Or concerns in your mind.
These do not disturb the core of you.
There is no need for craving,
For drivenness of any kind.
You are experiencing that your core needs for safety,
Satisfaction,
And connection are basically being met in this moment.
Being home.
Our brains have been trained over millions of years to react for our survival when we face challenges.
As you build up inner peace,
Contentment,
And love,
You won't need to chase after pleasant events or struggle with unpleasant ones.
You'll increasingly enjoy a sense of wellness,
One that is not dependent upon external conditions.
This was a mindful reading from Rick Hansen's book,
Hardwiring Happiness.
This book saved my life,
And now I want to send the love outwards to all of you.
Thank you.
