Find a comfortable seat,
Allowing the hips to be a little bit higher than the knees,
Feeling the spine softly elongating,
Shoulders softly relaxing.
Your eyes can close or the gaze can remain open,
Soft and unfocused.
Feel your whole body present and aware.
Begin to notice if you're holding tension in any part of your body.
And gently allow that tension to release,
Feeling your body both relaxed and yet gently alert.
Begin to connect to your breath,
Noticing the ebb and the flow of your breath,
Feeling into the sensation of breathing.
And there's no particular way that you need to breathe through this practice,
But begin to find a breath that for you feels comfortable and maybe even comforting in your body.
Wearing of that gentle sensation of expansion and contraction with each breath that you take.
Gently allow your awareness to begin to come to your heart.
Begin to just notice how your heart is feeling today,
Welcoming whatever is present.
And even if you notice that your heart is feeling guarded or armored or protected,
Just honoring that.
Maybe begin to plant the seed to allow a sense of softening to come to the heart.
Not trying to force anything to happen in this practice.
Simply allowing the heart to begin to unfold and open in whatever way feels easiest and most natural.
Begin to imagine that you are breathing in and out through your heart.
Each breath allowing you to connect to the energy of your heart center,
The qualities of the heart.
These include love,
Compassion,
Empathy,
Kindness,
Acceptance.
Notice if there is a quality that feels like it's resonating most deeply in your heart right now.
Begin to also feel into your own worthiness to love and be loved.
And allow yourself to bring to mind a moment in your life recently in which you felt like you acted from one of these qualities from your heart when you were kind or loving or accepting when you did something that made your heart happy.
And a moment here to connect to that place of essential goodness within you.
And then begin to offer yourself these phrases.
And as you offer them to yourself,
Perhaps begin to sense the meaning of these words and allow them to arise from sincerity of your own heart.
You may want to gently bring a hand to your heart center,
Reinforcing this offering.
May I be happy.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
May I be free from suffering.
May I be filled with loving kindness.
May I be happy.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
May I be free from suffering.
May I be filled with loving kindness.
May I be happy.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
May I be free from suffering.
May I be filled with loving kindness.
May I be happy.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
May I be free from suffering.
May I be filled with loving kindness.
May I be happy.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
May I be free from suffering.
May I be filled with loving kindness.
Continue to offer these phrases to yourself or any other phrases that have emerged from your own heart and mind.
And gently release these words and come back to your heart,
Noticing how your heart feels and notice any shifts or changes to your heart.
Then feel your breath.
Once again,
Feeling your breath moving through your body.
Feel your body noticing the places your body is receiving support from the earth,
Feeling its presence in time and space.
Gently bringing both hands together in prayer position in front of the heart,
Lifting the heart and bowing the head,
Honoring this practice and yourself.
And as you are ready,
Gently releasing your hands and moving into the rest of your day.
Thank you.
