This practice is to connect you to your heart,
To create a sense of gratefulness and kindness towards yourself and others.
I invite you to take a comfortable seat,
Either in a chair or on the floor,
Or you might even like to lie down,
Whatever is more comfortable.
If you're sitting,
I encourage you to have a straight spine with the back up straight but relaxed so the breath can flow easily through the body,
Allowing the hands to rest comfortably in whichever way feels right for you.
And let's begin by just welcoming in the breath,
Feeling the body breathing,
Allowing the breath to deepen and slow down,
Feeling yourself arrive,
And as the breath gently comes to its own natural rhythm,
Allowing it to be effortless and easy in the body,
Creating an openness,
Letting the body soften with each inhale and exhale,
Inviting in a sense of relaxation and calm,
And as best you can allowing the mind to settle,
Each breath creating a sense of receptivity within,
And taking a moment to check in and notice how you're feeling today.
If there's any areas of challenge or tension,
Can you bring your kindness and compassion?
You might even like to direct the breath here,
Inviting it to help dissolve and soften,
Smoothing out across the brow,
Relaxing the face,
Letting go of any tension you might be holding in the jaw,
The shoulders dropping down.
Can you allow yourself to let go of any holding,
Letting go just that little bit more into the safety of the seat below,
A sense that right now you are fully supported in this moment,
The breath creating space within the body,
A gentle opening and expansiveness,
A welcoming presence,
Settling into stillness,
And now I invite you to gradually bring the focus towards your heart space,
That area in the center of the chest,
Breathing into the heart,
Allowing it to expand,
Welcoming in an openness,
And a receptivity.
You might even like to imagine as if the heart were breathing in and out,
And as you breathe getting a sense of the heart's energy,
You might feel this is a warmth or perhaps a sensation,
Maybe you see it as a color,
Or perhaps it's just the feel of your own heartbeat.
If you would like you're also welcome to place your hand over the heart space,
If it helps you feel that connection,
Feeling into the heart,
Each breath feeling this energy expand within the heart space,
As you breathe I invite you to breathe in a sense of gratefulness and appreciation towards yourself for all you do,
It's not often we take a moment to acknowledge ourselves,
To offer ourselves some kindness and love,
Breathing this into the heart as you inhale and exhale,
Really feeling it in the body not just as a thought,
But a real felt sense of gratefulness and appreciation,
And beginning to allow that feeling to expand out from the heart throughout the entire body,
Filling every cell with this sense of love,
Of kindness,
Of gratitude,
You might even like to imagine this spread out even wider into the subtle body,
The energetic body,
The space that surrounds you,
The space that connects you to others,
Enabling you to share this loving and grateful energy,
And bringing to mind someone that you love and care about,
Someone that really matters,
You could be a family member,
A friend,
Or even a pet,
And extending this energy out to them,
Having a sense of what you appreciate about them,
Their innate goodness,
Offering them a smile,
A kind word,
A gratefulness for what they bring to your life,
And feeling this warmth of energy flow between the two of you,
You might even like to silently whisper thank you,
A deep appreciation for that connection,
And getting a feeling of the impact this might have on them to receive this kindness,
And now allowing the heart's energy to widen,
You might like to bring to mind images of other loved ones,
Other people that matter to you,
And as they come to mind one by one,
Taking a moment to appreciate them,
Offering them a smile,
A kind word,
A gratefulness,
A thank you,
Getting a sense of its impact for them to receive this kindness,
You might even like to extend this out further through your community,
The people you come into contact with on a daily basis,
Perhaps even ones you sometimes find a little challenging,
Offering them a smile,
A generous word as they come to mind,
Imagining the impact of this kindness,
Extending this energy out even wider now,
Trusting in the heart's infinite ability to expand,
Allowing it to travel out across lands,
Across seas,
Extending this warmth of your heart to all beings,
Knowing that just like you that they all want to be happy and to be loved,
Your heart fully expanded in love and appreciation,
Kindness for yourself and others,
Allowing yourself to sit in this feeling,
The connection of your heart to theirs,
And finally bringing yourself back into your own heart,
Allowing yourself just to sit in the heart space once more,
And in these last moments placing the hand over the heart and extending the wish to yourself and all beings,
May we be happy,
May we be healthy,
May we be peaceful,
May we live free from pain and worry and fear,
And may we walk through the world gently with ease and grace and an open heart.
Thank you.
