Guided Meditation 14.
1.
Meditation to Support Joy.
It is very hard to fully occupy social engagement if no one else is relaxed,
And it is hard to celebrate our accomplishments and achievements on our own.
This meditation supports accompaniment for moments of celebration when we might otherwise be alone.
Before you begin,
Choose something that you have done or experienced lately that you are proud of,
Some small satisfaction,
A moment of pleasure,
Or a breath of awe that you have not been able to share.
And begin by breathing.
As you feel your breath moving in your body,
Notice how far down in your lungs the air reaches.
Spend a few moments riding your breath in as far down as it easily goes,
And out your lungs and out of your nose or your mouth,
Letting your attention follow your breath.
Your attention may wander as attention does.
Gently and with warmth,
Bring your attention back to the sensation of the movement of your breath.
Now bring your gentle and resonant attention to your satisfying moment.
What are the body sensations of this celebration?
Are there crinkles around your eyes?
Do you get a slightly deeper breath?
Do your ribs expand?
Or is there a little pain or contraction in your chest?
When celebration has not been held with others,
It can lodge in our bodies like a small cramp and prevent relaxation and expansion.
Bring your attention to your heart.
Is your heart proud of you?
Is it gently or brilliantly happy that you have had this success?
Is it a pleasure to remember your contribution?
As you acknowledge your heart's experience,
You may have a physical sensation of a glow of happiness radiating in all directions from your chest.
And now bring your attention lower down to see what is happening with your stomach and your abdomen.
Are your abdominal muscles tight,
Trying to support you as you celebrate this accomplishment on your own?
Are they not sure you are safe to really spend a few moments in enjoyment?
If so,
Offer them a little acknowledgement that it might feel odd to celebrate things on your own.
See if they would like to take a little hidden satisfaction,
Maybe a sensation like champagne bubbles moving from abdomen to chest.
As you acknowledge these muscles and their careful holding of you,
Do they relax at all?
And if you want to,
You can explore something more intense,
Maybe a wild jolt of joy that is sharp and sudden like lightning in your torso,
Neck or head,
Or perhaps a grin that escapes and lights up your whole face.
Do your mouth and throat want to burst out with a shout of fun excitement?
Are your feet wiggling?
Do your cells want to jump up and down in a happy dance?
Are you a little amazed by what you've done?
Are you surprised to find yourself at the finish line?
Is there a mix of settling into relief and lifting into expressions of delight?
If you want to explore A-A,
Does the experience of being in the presence of something that moves you so deeply open your body up almost as if you didn't even have a body anymore?
Are you carried beyond the edges of self into communion with what is?
Now,
Whenever you'd like to,
Let yourself return to your breathing.
Is it any different now that you have made this journey of positive acknowledgement?
Let your attention ride your breath down into your lungs.
How far down do you go?
What happens at the lower end of your breath?
And follow your breath out again,
Bringing your attention back to the external world.
