Smiling From Within

This practice will focus on cultivating a sense of calm and relaxation through a gentle half-smile.
This practice is a combination of mindful meditation and journaling. You will be guided through this mindful meditation and then invited to journal, immersing your mind and body as one through the words you put on paper. Here is your gift and permission to smile. Enjoy this practice.
Background music from Paz Sounds

Transcript

Hello and welcome to this meditation practice.

This meditation practice is a combination of mindful meditation followed by some journaling.

I will guide you through the mindful meditation and breath work.

And then as we draw the practice to a close,

I will guide you through questions for journaling and writing,

Allowing yourself to further immerse your mind and body as one through the words and the thoughts that you put on paper.

If you prefer of course to simply answer the guided questions in your mind,

Please feel free to do that as well.

After all,

This is your practice and your time.

Your practice for today will focus on cultivating a sense of calm and relaxation through a gentle half smile.

If you are not familiar with the half smile or the half smile meditation,

Can you bring to mind a picture of the Buddha?

Can you visualize him holding a gentle upward and easy smile?

The half smile meditation relaxes your face,

Your jaw,

Your head,

Your neck and shoulder muscles and has been shown to induce subtle changes in your cognitive and your emotional perceptions and interpretations.

The half smile is a beautiful connection from the brain to the body telling you that everything is okay and that you are feeling good.

Even if you do not feel like smiling,

Studies have proven that the feelings and emotions in your body actually mimic your facial expression.

So you could bring to mind your beautiful half smile and still attract that beautiful peace and calm and happiness from smiling.

So with that perfect and beautiful idea,

Let's get smiling.

Allowing yourself to come into your meditation position,

Whether that's lying down or sitting in a chair.

Comfort is what you are looking for.

Allow yourself to move into that position.

You might like to bring some gentle movement to your body,

Allowing any final movements before settling into this beautiful practice.

You might shift your shoulders up and down,

Back and forward.

You might like to move your head and neck around.

As you start to bring your awareness into your still body,

Start to connect with your feet on the floor.

Can you feel the sensations of your feet resting on the floor?

Perhaps you can feel your body if you are lying down on the floor or in your bed,

Connecting to all of the points that are touching the surface that you lie on.

Allowing now your breathing to settle into its natural rhythm.

So not changing your breath,

Just feeling into the natural inhalation and exhalation.

Can you feel into the rise and fall of your chest on each inhalation and exhalation?

Through our busy days and through our busy minds,

We very rarely connect to the natural rhythm of our breath.

We very rarely connect to the subtle sensations in the body,

Pushing that beautiful life force in and out of our body.

Give yourself this time to be at one with your body,

To be at one with this moment.

I invite you to start to deepen your breath and think about really breathing through your centre and the best way to do that is through our belly and breathing diaphragmatically.

As you breathe in,

I want you to breathe in through your nose and as you breathe in,

Think about expanding your belly,

Much like you would blow up a balloon.

Really expanding that belly,

Filling that belly with your beautiful breath.

Then as you breathe in,

Can you gently turn the corners of your mouth upwards,

Bringing it into a gentle half smile.

And then as you breathe out and through your nose if you can,

Feel into the sensation of your half smile,

Maintaining that smile on your face,

But this time cultivating the feelings and sensations in your body from smiling.

Starting those beautiful rounds of deepening breath,

Breathing from your centre,

Expanding that belly and gently smiling.

And then on your out breath,

Breathing out through your nose,

Letting your belly really fall to empty that breath,

Feeling into the sensation of your beautiful half smile.

This is your time to be at one with your body and your breath and of course your smile for this practice.

This isn't a time for self judgement or self criticism if you can't bring those sensations to awareness.

Just keep smiling and breathing.

As you're smiling and connecting to yourself,

Images of people,

Places,

Things might start to come to mind.

Just go with what comes in your vision,

Go with what comes to mind.

These are obviously all of the beautiful things that make you smile.

On your next in breath and whilst you maintain this half smile,

I want you to picture your breath moving up a channel through your centre from your belly,

Rising up through your chest,

Through your throat,

Up into your mind.

And as you breathe out,

Allowing your breath to wash over your entire body,

Over your head,

Over your face,

Your neck,

Your shoulders,

Down your torso,

Over your legs and out over your toes.

Following that breath one more time,

Expanding that belly on your in breath,

Following that breath come up your centre,

Maintaining that half smile and as you exhale this time out through the mouth with an audible sigh,

Following that breath coming back down,

Washing over your beautiful body,

Allowing your breath and this beautiful half smile to envelop your entire body.

I'll invite you now to allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm.

And if you feel cold,

Keeping that half smile,

The corners of your mouth gently turned upwards,

Through this mindful meditation practice you have attracted a sense of peacefulness and calm and you should take great comfort in knowing that you have done all of this yourself through the power of your gentle easy half smile.

And there's great beauty,

Realising that you have this tool,

This practice right at your disposal at any time that you need it.

Starting to bring your attention back to your body now,

Maybe giving your toes a gentle wiggle,

Wriggling your fingers,

Maybe moving the shoulders once more.

When you're ready,

You can open your eyes,

Bringing your attention back to the room.

Now keeping that sense of peace and calm,

We'll move into the extension of our practice through the power of writing.

And if you choose not to write and you choose to simply be at one with your thoughts whilst I guide you,

You may close your eyes,

But if you are ready to write,

Have your pen and paper ready to go.

Now with that same half smile,

What things in your personal life make you smile?

And if you feel called to pause this practice after each prompt,

Feel free to do that.

Maintaining that beautiful half smile on your face,

What things in your work make you smile?

What is it about your career?

What is it about the people you work with?

The company that employs you?

What are the things that make you smile when you show up to work each day?

What are the things about yourself that makes you smile?

I'll remind you that this isn't about self-criticism or judging yourself if you can't bring to mind the things that make you smile.

Instead I'd invite you to look at the small things,

The subtle things in your life that create such happiness and goodness and joy that make you smile.

What do you enjoy doing that makes you smile?

These might be things that you do already.

These might be things that you haven't done in a long time but you know make you feel good.

Well,

This might be something that you would love to do.

What are your hobbies,

Your passions,

Your pastimes that make you smile?

And finally,

Where can you smile more?

What area of your life could you smile more to?

Who can you smile more to?

Where could you show up more in your life with that beautiful smile?

And if you haven't quite finished the journaling part of this practice,

Feel free to go back to any of your questions.

But before we close off this practice,

I'll invite you to close your eyes one more time and bring that beautiful smile to your face and take in another moment to connect to that smile,

To connect to the feelings it generates in your body.

Perhaps you notice that smiling now compared to the start of this practice is a little easier.

Maybe you start to acknowledge that you can smile more.

So with that thought,

Can you set yourself that intention of smiling and calling upon your beautiful half smile at any time you need it,

At any time that you need that peacefulness and that calm.

Thank you for giving me your time.

Thank you for smiling with me.

Namaste.

Reviews

Nice practice…I wish the meditation was longer, but I enjoyed it and I am still smiling and will remember to do so more often. Thank you…