Take a moment to welcome yourself to your cushion today.
Wishing your meditation posture sitting nice and tall upright.
Shoulders relaxed,
Jaw relaxed.
And eyes at ease.
Take a few big breaths in through your nose and out through your nose just to encourage relaxation.
Creating a little space between whatever you were doing before and right here,
Right now,
Meditation.
And sitting so that breath feels easy.
There's no discomfort in the body.
Using tension in the belly and the chest.
As we move through this practice of mudita or appreciative joy,
We first invite you to bring to mind a time in your life where you really felt pure,
Easy joy.
Holding that memory in your mind.
Notice how your body feels.
If there's a sense of lightness or expansion.
Noticing your eyes,
Your cheeks,
And your mouth as you remember that moment of pure,
Easy joy.
And the lighting in that free sensation.
By connecting to our innate ability to feel joy,
We can start to repeat these phrases of affirmation,
Aspiration for more joy,
Calling it in whenever it's available.
If my words don't quite hit the spot for you,
You're welcome to bring in your own phrases.
So long as they're sincere.
Holding in your heart that memory of a joyful experience.
Imagine yourself saying to yourself,
May your happiness continue to grow.
May your joy continue.
May more and more success come your way.
I am happy for you.
Your good fortune continue.
May your happiness grow and grow.
May you be successful in future endeavors.
I am happy for your happiness.
Utilizing our own innate ability to feel joy and wish for joy to continue.
We'll start to expand the practice,
Sending well wishes to a loved one.
Bringing someone you care about deeply to your mind.
And imagining a time that you saw them really freely joyful.
Seeing what that was like.
Remembering in your body how it felt to witness their happiness.
That felt sense in your body will send them those same phrases.
May your good fortune continue.
May your joy grow and grow.
May you be successful in all you undertake.
I am happy for you.
May your happiness continue to grow.
May your good fortune continue.
May you be successful in all of your endeavors.
I am happy for your happiness.
Expanding our circle outward.
Meaning to mind a neutral person that you have seen experience joy.
Perhaps walking through a park and seeing a child's birthday party.
Or hearing people celebrating.
Knowing a friend of a friend who just had something excellent come into their lives.
Even though we don't necessarily know these people,
We can use our own ability to feel joy and see that they,
Just like us,
Can revel in joy.
Wishing them similar phrases,
Wishing for their happiness to continue.
May your good fortune continue.
May your experience of joy grow and grow.
May you delight in each of your achievements.
I'm happy for you.
May your happiness continue to grow.
May you be successful in all of your endeavors.
May you delight in your own good fortune.
I'm happy for your happiness.
May your happiness continue to grow.
May your happiness continue to grow.
You're shifting away from particular people.
What are you wishing for and delighting in?
Happiness in the abstract.
As your mind wanders,
Notice thinking.
Bring your attention back to that felt sense,
That memory of joy.
Sending phrases out into the world,
Wishing for happiness of all beings.
May there be more joy in the world.
May the happiness and ease of all beings continue to grow.
May I nurture happiness wherever it arises.
May I be happy.
May I be happy.
May I delight in the good works of others.
May I be happy in the world's capacity for joy continue to grow.
May I be happy.
May I be happy.
May I be happy.
Very gently letting that aspiration practice flow away.
Turning your attention to your body,
Your felt sense of being right here.
Noticing your breath,
Tiny muscles in your face.
Feeling gravity very tenderly holding you to the planet.
Noticing if there is in any degree a little more spaciousness,
A little less judgment,
A little more room for joy,
Whether it is there or not.
As this meditation,
I invite you to set an intention for the rest of your day.
Being open to joy when it arises.
Engaging the happiness of others when you see it.
Here I'll ring the bell.
You're welcome to continue sitting for as long as you like.
