Cultivating Peace And Joy

In this guided mindfulness meditation, you'll use the power of the mind to go to your "happy place", where you feel safe, happy, and at peace. You'll connect to your senses in this place and cultivate joy in an intentional and focused way. This is a great practice to bring some playfulness and curiosity.

Transcript

Welcome to this meditation practice for cultivating peace and joy. Come into a comfortable position, Sitting in a quiet place with your spine as tall as possible. Allow the eyes to slowly blink closed as you settle in. Begin to notice your breath. Breathe gently in and out through your nose as you settle in. Notice how the body is resting on the surface beneath you. And with each breath out, See if you can relax the muscles in your face, Your neck, Your chest and shoulders, Your belly, And your legs. Keeping your eyes closed, Bring to mind a time and place where you felt truly happy. A time where you felt calm, Relaxed, And at peace. This is your happy place. This can be anywhere that evokes a feeling of joy for you. Whether it's a beach, The forest, Your childhood home, Or even a place that you've read about in a book or saw in a movie. There's no right or wrong place to imagine. Slowly begin to visualize this space in your mind. What can you see here in your happy place? What colors do you notice? Are there other people there? Or perhaps maybe any animals there? Again there's no right or wrong place to imagine. Just bring the details to mind, As many details as possible. Next, Begin to notice what you can hear in your happy place. Is there water nearby? If you're at the beach, Can you hear the waves rolling onto the shore? Are you near trees? Can you hear the rustling of the leaves in the breeze? Or if you're at home, Can you hear other people talking? Or perhaps the TV or music playing in the background? Or is it totally quiet here in your happy place? Now I want you to begin to notice what it smells like in your happy place. Again, If you're at the beach, Can you smell the sun-tan lotion or the salty ocean air? Or if you're in a forest or garden, Can you smell the flowers or even the dirt? If you're in your childhood home, Can you smell your favorite meal being prepared? Simply noticing the scents in your happy place. Next, Notice if there's anything you can taste. It may be the last thing that you ate, Or you might not taste anything at all, And that's perfectly okay. Lastly, Notice how you feel in your happy place. Is the temperature warm or cool? What can you feel under your feet? Perhaps you can sense warm sand if you're at the beach. Do you feel a soft breeze, The warm sun, Or perhaps a loved one's embrace? Do you feel safe and happy? We're going to take a few moments here to really connect with what it feels like to Now while you're connecting with this feeling in your happy place, Begin to intentionally turn up the corners of your mouth into a smile. Notice how the body reacts to the subtle smile and turn toward that sensation, Knowing that you can come back to this happy place anytime you wish. You can access peace and cultivate joy by tapping into the power of your own mind. And as we come to the end of this practice, Begin to bring your awareness back to your body seated here, Noticing the points of contact between your body and the surface beneath you. Begin to wiggle your fingers and toes or roll your shoulders. And when you're ready, You can open your eyes. Thank you for joining me in this practice today. I hope your day is filled with joy.