Hello,
This meditation is called the Chalice of Joy and it's about finding those moments of joy in our lives.
Let's find ourselves comfortable chairs to sit in.
Stretch or wiggle a little before we settle down.
Our eyes can be closed if you're comfortable with that or relaxed and softened,
Gently unfocused to a spot in front of you.
Then sitting,
Make sure your sitting bones are connected with the chair.
Our spines are straight but not stiff,
Like pebbles stacked on top of one another.
Feel your feet flat on the floor,
Connected firmly to the ground or floor beneath you.
Relax your head on top of your spine.
Imagine a thread is keeping it upright and centred.
And now,
Relaxing our jaws,
We'll rest the tip of our tongues behind our top front teeth.
At our own pace,
We're going to take three deep,
Long,
Full breaths.
In and out.
In,
Right down into our bellies.
In and out at our own speed.
With every out breath,
We relax that little bit more.
Letting go of the thoughts and concerns of the day or any worries for the future.
In and out.
When you're ready,
Allow your breath to return to its normal rhythm.
We're here now,
Centred,
Relaxed,
Open,
Aware and curious.
Imagine or pretend you're in a place you know very well.
A place where you feel really safe and secure.
Think about what you see here.
What you can taste in the air.
What you can smell or touch.
Make yourself familiar and at home here.
And from this place of safety and familiarity,
When you're ready,
I'd like you to take yourself into a memory where you felt joy.
It can be any memory from any time in your life.
It may only be a small fragmentary moment or it may be a time and place that you felt joy in for a longer period.
It doesn't matter.
Release whatever happened before or after that moment of joy and focus on that place.
Allow yourself to be there.
To feel the freedom,
The euphoria of that moment.
Feel that joy is in your being now.
And at the heart centre of your body,
Imagine a chalice.
On every in-breath,
Fill that chalice up with your feeling of joy.
Breathing in that joyful moment.
Filling up your chalice right to the top until it overflows.
This joy now spills into the rest of your body.
Filling you up.
Down your arms.
Down into your legs and feet.
This joy like a golden light spreads.
Through your torso,
Your shoulders,
Your neck,
Your head.
Eventually this joy,
This golden light spreads out from your body and begins to fill the room.
This joyful feeling now spreading out into the world around you.
Across fields,
Towns,
Cities,
Mountains,
Lakes and oceans.
Your joy easing some of the troubles of the world.
And on the next in-breath,
Breathe a little deeper.
Breathe the joy back into yourself.
Closer and closer into your own body.
Into your own heart centre.
That chalice that holds the essence of the powerful joy you have experienced.
Keep that joy safe in you,
Knowing that it's part of your experience,
Even in the darkest of times.
And now we can imagine or pretend we're back in that place we know really well.
A place where we feel safe and secure.
Feel your body in that place.
Your feet rooting into the ground beneath you.
Breathe into your body with three deep,
Long full breaths.
In,
Right down into your belly.
In and out at your own pace.
And when you're ready,
Allow the breath to return to its normal rhythm again.
Connect again with your sitting bones on the chair beneath you.
Start to stretch or wriggle your fingers and toes.
And now gently cup your hands and bring them up tenderly over your eyes and opening your eyes into them.
Bring yourself back into the present moment and are here and now.
Thank you.
