Affectionate Breath & Finding Joy Meditation

The Affectionate Breath & Finding Joy Meditation is a part of our mindfulness in relationships series. The aim is to offer support and nurturance to ourselves.

Transcript

Let's begin to gather this meditation practice,

Which includes affectionate breath and also the experience of cultivating joy in our hearts,

Recalling a joyful moment.

The purpose of this meditation is to offer support,

Nurturance,

And upliftment to ourselves.

First find a sitting position that allows an upright and balanced posture,

One that supports the spine.

You may choose to sit toward the front of a chair,

Your feet resting firmly on the ground in front of you,

Or on a cushion,

Knees slightly lower than the hips,

And resting your hands lightly on your lap.

Letting your eyes gently close or gaze slightly downward,

Allow your shoulders to melt toward the floor and softly back,

Opening and lifting the front of the chest.

Just observe what this feels like to sit in such a posture of quiet dignity and alertness.

As you scan the rest of your body,

You can begin to release places that may be holding tension,

Noticing the sensation of your seat or legs on the cushion or chair,

The feeling of your feet connecting to the floor,

To the earth.

You may begin to sense the movement of air around your face and the rest of the space around your body.

You might even invite a tiny smile to your lips.

As we begin to move into meditation,

The habit of thinking and doing tugs at our attention.

For right now,

We'll set lists and responsibilities gently aside,

Continuing to bring yourself into this moment right here.

Now directing your attention to the breath,

Observing the easy flow of air in and out,

Noticing where you experience the breath most naturally.

This may be in your nostrils or the rising and falling of your chest and ribs,

Or the belly as it expands and contracts with each breath.

Just noticing,

Bringing yourself into deep relationship to your own body.

You may consider as you breathe how this breath has been a lifelong and faithful companion.

Every day and every moment,

It ushers into our body the air we need to live.

If it's comfortable for you,

You might include the practice of adding a gesture of kindness or nurturance toward yourself by placing one or both hands on your chest,

In the center of your heart,

Or on your abdomen,

Or your shoulders,

Or maybe even cupping your own face as you might hold the face of a small child in your hands.

Noticing that even in grown-up bodies,

We still long for and need tender touch.

Imagine your awareness of the breath moving in and out like the tide of the ocean.

This brings your awareness to your chest,

Back and forth.

One one.

One two.

No need to contrive a certain rhythm,

But allowing your own natural inhale and exhale.

No need to contrive a certain rhythm,

But allowing your own natural inhale and exhale.

Sometimes as we enter meditation,

Especially if we find ourselves deprived of the rest our body is needed.

This slowing down of the normal speed of life is so relaxing.

We find ourselves drifting into a dreamlike state.

If you notice your head bobbing forward or realize that you are entering into a dream,

Simply realign your posture,

Sitting a little more upright,

Taking one or two deep inhalations to bring yourself back into a more alert and awake state of mind and continue following your breath.

Feeling the breath flowing in and out,

Resting into the ease of this natural and intimate relationship with self.

As you continue breathing,

Thoughts may float into your mind.

Notice them as you would someone passing by your window.

You don't have to follow them.

They have their own journey.

Let them go on their way.

No need to attend right now.

For this moment,

You're here with no particular destination in mind.

If it's helpful,

You can label thoughts,

Thinking,

Planning,

Judging,

And then return your attention to the breath,

Letting it breathe and hold you as it does every moment.

This moment,

You're breathing with in your awareness.

And for the next few moments,

Allow your awareness of the breath to continue,

But place it in the the background.

As you begin to call up from your experience a moment in life that brought joy to you.

The moment may be one you shared with another person,

A group,

Or something you experienced while alone.

If nothing comes to mind right away just continue with the breath.

There's no need to search for a grand or life-changing event.

Joy often appears in the very simple and ordinary moments of life.

When you do recall the moment,

Recreate it with as much detail as you can.

Picture or sense the smells,

Feelings,

Perhaps the sounds or visual details in the environment at the time of this experience.

And bring those to the present moment as if you are experiencing it right now.

Breathe this in to your whole being.

If other memories or stories begin to appear on the stage of your thoughts,

Bring your attention back to the purity of the joy you are experiencing right now.

Allow yourself to be in the joy of this moment of this experience.

As you touch this feeling of joy observe how it feels in your body,

How it feels in your emotions,

And in your mind.

You may sense joy as an increase of energy,

Lightness,

Warmth,

Maybe a tingling sensation or fullness in your heart.

You may feel joy manifest as a sense of calm or mental clarity or inner peace.

Now imagine this joy flowing like a substance from the crown of your head through your face,

Your eyes,

Nose,

Ears,

And mouth,

Allowing the joy to flow through your neck and shoulders,

Arms,

All the way to your fingertips.

Joy,

Just pure joy in whatever way you sense it flowing down through your torso,

Letting it travel through your whole body like a light,

Perhaps a flowing sense of warmth down through your hips,

Your legs,

Ankles,

Feet,

And toes,

Until you sense yourself full and radiating this joy.

Experiences of joy in life can bring great healing and upliftment to our heart.

When we re-experience joy as if it's happening right now,

Inside our mind and our brain,

It is happening right now.

And we receive the benefits of that moment again,

Bringing the breath again into the foreground of your awareness,

Receiving the gift and the joy of breathing and being in this time,

This moment.

Reviews

Thank you for helping me to access joy!

Many thanks for this clear and inspiring guidance 😌

Really sweet meditation, well-paced and rewarding

Very relaxing and affirming

I truly feel JOY! I am aware of the blessings each breath holds! And I am grateful!

I really enjoyed this meditation, I could really feel that joyful moment as if I were back there 😊! Namaste 🙏🏾

The flow of joy. Thank you.

I literally could feel joyful. Love this meditation. Thank you.

Nice voice, easy to follow. Thank you,🙏🏻

Wonderful pace of guidance and silence.

Beautifully led, just enough and very well paced guidance.

I really liked this meditation. Clear, just enough time to practice and reflect and easy enough for me to be able to practice on my own, with less guidance. Thanks you!

I enjoyed the moments of silence that allowed me to relax into the breath. As well as the visualization.

I very much enjoyed the tone of your voice - clear, soothing, direct and not irritatingly demanding.

Just perfect, effective and easy to follow

Very soothing and relaxing.