So,
As we're taking a bit of time to just get comfortable first of all,
We can begin the practice by bringing to mind our most meaningful motivation,
Our intention for the practice,
And then dropping our awareness down into the body,
Becoming aware of our tactile experience,
The rise and fall of the breath,
The sensations where you're in contact with your seat,
The ground,
The whole manner of tactile sensations arising and passing moment to moment,
And really setting the body at ease,
Especially with the out-breath just releasing any tension,
Any tightness,
Perhaps for a little while taking a few slower deep breaths,
Breathing deeply into the belly,
Into the chest,
And slowing down that exhale,
Really soothing the body with the exhale,
Inviting ourselves to soften and relax,
Then letting the breathing return to its natural rhythm,
Allowing the body to breathe how it wants to breathe,
Let us also give permission for the mind to settle and relax,
Permission to set aside hopes,
Fears,
Worries,
Concerns,
There's nothing we need to be thinking about,
So give yourself permission to be still,
To be at ease,
And then for a little while I'd invite you to turn your attention to the experience of the breath,
The rhythm of the breath,
The rise and fall,
And of course we do become distracted,
And that's okay,
When we notice we're distracted,
We simply invite ourselves to relax once again,
To release whatever is distracting us,
To guide our attention back to the experience of the breath,
And then we can let go of the breath as an object of attention,
And I'd invite you to bring to mind a time in which you recently experienced some happiness,
Happiness,
Joy,
Your sense of ease,
Delight,
It could be something small,
Just being with a friend,
Being out in nature,
Cozy evening in,
Maybe something bigger or more meaningful comes to mind,
Such as accomplishing something,
Celebrating something,
Or helping someone in need,
So just thinking about bringing to mind a recent moment of happiness or joy,
And when you've identified a particular moment,
And I invite you to really immerse yourself in it,
In the memory,
In the experience,
And feel the genuine happiness that it brought you,
Feeling glad and delighted that you were able to experience that moment,
And while keeping that memory in your mind,
We can offer a few phrases of mudita,
Empathetic joy,
May my happiness continue and grow,
May I be present for happiness and joy,
May I appreciate the joy in my life,
May all beings know such happiness,
May all beings too experience moments of joy like this,
And if the words joy or happiness don't fit there,
If your experience feels more like contentment or ease,
You can substitute the words for that,
Whenever resonates with you,
Simply delighting in your happiness,
Wishing that it may continue,
That you may be present for it when it appears in your life,
Appreciated,
And that others may also know that same happiness,
May my happiness continue and grow,
May I be present for happiness and joy in my life,
May I appreciate happiness and joy in my life,
May all beings know happiness such as this,
And so if you like,
As you recall the feeling of contentment or happiness from your memory,
You might repeat those phrases or just the intention of appreciating that happiness now bring to mind somebody else in your life,
Who experienced some happiness recently,
Whatever it may be,
Whether it's a loved one,
A friend,
A colleague someone in your life who you know experienced some happiness recently,
Some success,
Some joy,
Pleasant feeling,
And picture this person in your mind observing their joy,
And feeling so much delight,
Feeling happy for them,
Yes they experienced this,
Happy for them,
Yes,
But also,
Let their joy become your own let their joy be infectious,
Rejoicing as much as possible in their happiness,
And we can offer these same phrases,
May your happiness continue,
May it grow may I be present for your joy,
May all beings know such happiness as this,
And so just really filling your whole being,
Your whole body and mind with this sense of appreciation,
Joy,
Rejoicing in their happiness,
Their good fortune,
Their positive experiences,
Wishing that their happiness may continue,
That it may grow,
That all beings may experience happiness like this feeling so glad that joy is present in our world
