Connecting to the earth connecting to your cell connecting to everyone else,
To all beings and then just to familiarize the mind and heart with this quality of sympathetic joy a call to mind someone for whom it's really easy for you to be happy so could be a child,
A pet,
A grandparent,
A spiritual figure some being who when they're happy it's really easy for you to be happy for them and to wish that their happiness will increase and just let that sense of sympathetic joy kind of rumble around in the body and then call to mind someone who you would not naturally feel in sympathetic joy for perhaps the person you called to mind earlier and just notice what happens when you call this person to mind what changes if anything changes in your own heart in your body what's going on see if there's tightness or if there's heat or if there's a catch there's shakiness something going on in the body that maybe has you wanting to turn away from the person not consider them worthy and see if you can see them in a little bit different light see if you can see this person as someone who has their own trials and tribulations and who is moving through their own life through the the 10,
000 joys and 10,
000 sorrows just like you are and who has had some success some joy in their life and see if you can almost physically soften your gaze even if it's an inner gaze see if you can soften your gaze as you as you look at them having called them up not in the sense of abandoning yourself in any way of course you know so if what's needed right here is self-compassion that's perfect turn towards that you know if nothing is opening when you see this person in your mind's eye if nothing in your own heart is opening then shift to self-compassion this is a difficult moment difficulty is just part of being human may I be at ease and if there is a little bit of an opening for this person then just see if you can say to them may you be happy and may your happiness increase I see your joy may your joy and the things that are causing that joy may all of that increase and see whether this is something that you want to practice with for a little while maybe today maybe this week just playing with it no judgment no problem if it's not there just maybe tuck it in your back pocket as a possibility and then letting go of this practice and getting back in touch with your connection to the earth to yourself and to your mind and to your mind and to your mind and to your mind and to your mind and to your mind and to your mind and to your body to your soul to your soul to your body to your soul you
