Welcome to this guided meditation for cultivating joy.
Safety first,
Please do not listen to this meditation while driving or operating heavy machinery.
So let's begin.
Sit comfortably in a quiet place with your spine up tall.
Relax your shoulders,
Your belly and your thighs.
Shift back slightly so your head and your shoulders sit directly over your hips.
Close your eyes and feel into the connection between your hips or your legs and the earth.
As you breathe gently in and out through your nose.
Allow yourself to get further settled in.
With this rooting down,
Notice the energy you receive back from the earth.
Feel how your connection to the support underneath you helps you feel tall,
Awake and alive.
Remain connected to the body and the breath,
Aware of body and breath.
Feel how the body seemingly breathes itself.
Notice into the wonder of the rise and fall of your chest.
The wonder of the continual movement of breath.
Soften into a deep feeling of gratitude for the body itself and for your breath.
Sense your heart opening to the miracle that is your body.
Recognize all the wonderful ways in which it functions.
And all the amazing ways in which it allows you to connect with your world.
Feel your heart open to the miracle that is your breath.
Cultivate a heartfelt gratitude as you delve into the present moment awareness.
Recognize how precious and how extraordinary your breath and your body are.
Feel your body softening and opening into this awareness.
Feel all tension release from your forehead,
Your shoulders,
Your belly and your thighs.
And then intentionally ever so slightly turn up the corners of your mouth.
Notice how the body reacts to this subtle smile and turn toward that sensation.
Label that sensation as happiness,
As joy or as bliss.
And sit with it.
Hold your subtle inner smile and explore.
Notice what arises.
Notice too that this sensation of joy is available to you.
Right here,
Right now.
Doing something as simple as sitting still,
Watching and noticing.
Right here and right now.
The more you can be present,
The more you can free yourself from thinking about what comes next.
The more you can free yourself from ruminating on what has already happened.
The more you are available to notice this joy.
Notice that joy doesn't so much arise,
But joy is revealed.
Joy is most available to you when you are available to be nowhere other than right here,
Right now.
Rest your whole body in this state of joy.
And identify with this bliss as who you really are.
This happiness,
This joy,
This bliss is what remains when you drop all of your superficial thinking and doing.
It's what remains when you're nowhere other than present,
Right here.
This joy is you.
It is your natural state.
Recall this sensation and remember that this joy,
As you,
Is available to you at any time.
Anytime you'd like to come back to this feeling.
All you need to do is stop what you're doing and notice.
So right here,
Acknowledge the ease,
The spaciousness.
Acknowledge the gratitude and awe.
Acknowledge your inner smile and the sensation of joy.
Get to know joy in this moment.
And make a promise to remember joy.
To turn towards joy and to notice who it is that you truly are.
Even as you return to your day.
When you are ready,
Gently and slowly bring yourself back,
Back into your body,
Back into your surroundings.
Gently opening your eyes whenever you are ready.
Bringing with you this feeling of joy that you have cultivated through this meditation.
Bringing it with you into your day and week ahead.
