Hi,
I'm Nami and welcome to this guided meditation,
Which we're gonna explore how not to take ourselves and life too seriously.
Now,
There's a lot going on for all of us and sometimes we can get bogged down in the seriousness,
In the doing,
In all of the demands,
In the endless news cycle and it's all very serious.
Sometimes we forget to laugh.
Sometimes we don't know when the last time we laughed was.
Sometimes we don't really smile enough and we don't invite enough ease and joy and lightness into our day.
And it is part of taking care of ourselves.
It's part of opening up to life,
To seeing the bigger picture,
To lifting our heads above the parapet and to our commitment to really take care of ourselves and really make the most of this brief earthly existence.
So,
I'm inviting you here with a smile on my face and you are very welcome.
Please make yourself comfortable.
It doesn't matter what position you're in.
You can stand up,
Sit down,
Lie down.
I don't mind,
As long as you're comfortable.
Now,
One of the wonderful things about taking time out to pause and meditate is that it creates space in the mind.
It creates space in the mind and around us but it also facilitates a connection with our inner selves,
Our inner knowing.
It facilitates the connection with the universe,
With the seasons,
With all life everywhere and supports the spirit in an attitude of openness and lightness by creating a distance between us and everyday demands,
The seriousness of life.
So,
Let's start by imagining you're in a wide open space.
You look up and you see a wide open sky.
And as you breathe,
You feel a sense of space,
Of possibility and openness.
In a moment,
While we're in this wide open space,
We'll take three deep spacious breaths into your abdomen and then you'll slowly breathe out.
So,
Breathing in space,
Possibility,
Openness and breathing out,
Letting go.
So,
Let's start.
Deep breath into the abdomen,
Allowing your tummy to soften as the air comes in and then breathe out slowly,
Taking your time.
Do that two more times.
Breathing in,
Breathing out slowly.
Breathing in,
Breathing out slowly.
Now,
Allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm.
There's no effort required,
The body knows how to breathe.
And I want you to slowly sense the shape and curve of a smile.
You might want to imagine the image of a loved one smiling at you.
Stay with the feeling of your loved one's smile.
Allow a smile to form in your own eyes,
Softening the eyes.
Now,
Allow a slight smile to form at your mouth,
Inside the mouth,
The edges of the mouth.
And allow the image of a smile to settle in your heart area.
Let's stay here for a while,
Allowing the shape and curve of a smile to open us up to the present.
The smile isn't covering over anything,
It's just making space for what is.
Allowing us to feel what's happening in our bodies right now.
Let's settle into your living,
Breathing,
Energy body with the shape of a smile at the eyes,
At the mouth,
And at the heart.
Coming back to presence whenever you feel your mind wander,
And it will wander.
You might use the shape of the smile at your mouth to come back to presence.
Or you might use the rise and fall of the breath.
Just stay in the spirit of lightness,
Of openness.
When your mind wanders,
Just gently call it back.
No stress,
No drama,
No judgement.
Just come on,
Come back to the smile.
How does your body feel right now?
Just sense what's there.
Just notice if there are areas of tightness or tension.
Can you allow them to soften with every breath?
Can you send a bit of that smile energy into the area?
Is there coolness,
Warmth,
Tingling or numbness?
Again,
When you feel yourself moving away towards your thoughts,
Just gently come back with a smile.
It's perfectly normal,
No worries at all.
Just gently come back and notice.
Now let's take a few moments to think about how you might invite more lightness into your day.
I want you to think about what makes you laugh,
What makes you feel open and unburdened,
What makes you feel playful and joyful.
Take a few moments now to think about what you could include in your day,
Ideally on a regular basis,
But certainly today,
To invite openness,
Lightness and laughter.
Now,
As we come towards the end of the practice,
You might like to place a gentle hand on your heart and let these words move through you.
May you be blessed.
May you smile often and may you live with ease.
May you be blessed.
May you smile often and may you live with ease.
May you be blessed.
May you smile often and may you live with ease.
Thank you so much for joining me today.
You can return to this practice any time you feel like the shape and curve of a smile and reflecting on lightness and openness might be useful.
It's just a reminder,
Let's not take ourselves too seriously.
Let's not allow life seriousness to dominate our experience because lightness,
Joy and laughter are so important for that healthy,
Restorative balance.
But we need to be conscious and we need to be aware and intentional about inviting them into our lives sometimes.
So please come back whenever you feel you need to.
And go with a smile.
