Welcome to this guided meditation on joy and happiness.
In this meditation,
We will be consciously cultivating our capacity for joy by directly experiencing the aliveness of joy and well being in our body,
Mind and heart.
Exhaling with what brings us delight and appreciation and letting ourselves soak and relax into these moments.
So go ahead and settle into a comfortable position where you feel grounded and supported by the earth beneath you.
You're welcome to close your eyes or keep them slightly open in front of you.
You might begin by sweeping your awareness through your body,
Inviting any areas of tension to soften.
With each exhale,
Softening the forehead,
The eyes and jaw.
Softening down through your neck,
Your shoulders,
Your arms.
And with each subsequent exhale,
Softening the chest and the belly down through your hips and continuing down your legs,
Your thighs,
Your knees,
Your ankles,
Feet and toes.
Letting your breath flow through your body and allowing your body to relax and be more at ease.
Taking a deep breath in,
Following the breath as it enters through your nose.
And as you exhale,
Letting go of any residual tension in your body.
And you might take a couple more of these deep breaths before returning the breath to its natural rhythm with no need to control it or make anything happen.
Simply relaxing and receiving the breath as it moves through you.
Now bringing to mind something that brings you joy,
Something that brings you a feeling of contentment and well-being.
Perhaps it's being out in nature,
In a forest or by a lake,
Or maybe it's dancing or being with a loved one or a pet.
Seeing if you can recall a time when it brought you a sense of joy and well-being.
And without trying to make anything happen,
Just relaxing and enjoying this memory.
Noticing how it feels in your body as you recall this experience.
Noticing how it feels in the space where your heart is.
And then letting yourself rest in this feeling of well-being.
There's no place to go,
No place to be.
Just resting right here.
Now bringing to mind something or someone you're grateful for.
And as you think of this,
Perhaps recalling an image of that person or that particular circumstance.
You might mentally whisper the words,
Thank you.
Generating feelings of gratitude and joy and letting them slowly circulate through your heart and mind.
Letting yourself rest in this feeling of well-being.
Bringing another deep breath and bringing to mind something else you're grateful for.
And once again bringing an image to mind of this person or this particular circumstance.
And whispering a silent thank you from your heart.
Intentionally pausing and letting yourself soak in these feelings of gratitude and joy and savoring them as they circulate through your body.
And now opening to the fact that you are alive.
Relaxing into life as it moves through you without any conscious effort needed.
Just being aware of this breath that is sustaining you and keeping you alive.
The blood that's pumping throughout your body,
Nourishing every cell.
And appreciating the full capacity of your five senses,
Taking in the colors,
Sounds,
Fragrances and tastes and making sense of the world.
Becoming aware of all the miraculous processes of the body that are keeping you alive right now.
Letting yourself simply enjoy the fact that you are alive in this moment,
In this space.
And if it's helpful you may put a hand on your heart and send these words of loving kindness to yourself.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy and strong.
May I be safe and protected from harm.
May I be at peace.
Now slowly bringing your attention back to the room.
Whenever you're ready gradually open your eyes.
