Cultivating A Gentle, Kind Attention

This practice calls on the image and felt sense of a smile as we scan through the body; and invites a full opening and resting in receptive and caring presence, as we bring our attention to the changing flow of life.

Transcript

The following meditation is led by Tara Brach,

Meditation teacher,

Psychologist and author.

In meditation practice we awaken mindfulness of what's here in the moment and we also become aware of how we're relating to our experience.

So we begin by sensing the possibility of regarding whatever arises with kindness and we can help to bring our bodies into alignment in a kind and open way with the image of a smile.

You might begin by imagining a great open blue sky and visualize that sky wide open,

Filled with the curve of a smile,

The brightness and receptivity of a smile.

And just imagine that your mind can merge with that open sky of awareness as your mind is filled with the warmth and receptivity of a smile.

You might soften the eyes,

Let the sensations in the area of the eyes just float in that open sky of awareness,

And let the outer corners of the eyes lift a bit as if you could smile into the eyes and let the brow be smooth.

The eyes are smiling and bringing a very slight but real smile to the lips.

Sense the inside of your mouth smiling and let that spread through the face allowing all the micro-muscles of the face to soften and relax.

You might feel it tingling or vibrating.

You might imagine and sense that your throat can fill your neck and visualize and sense the curve of a smile in the throat area,

Softening and opening there.

So you can feel the face,

The scalp,

The skull,

Throat all filled with the ease and receptivity of a smile.

And smiling into the heart,

Visualizing and sensing the felt experience of a smile spreading through the heart and the chest.

You might imagine widening ripples of ease spreading out through the chest,

Freeing up the shoulder some so they can relax back and down,

Feeling the energy moving up and down the arms.

Let the hands rest in an easy,

Effortless way.

The eyes are soft and smiling,

The mouth a slight smile,

The throat soft,

Open,

Receptive,

And the heart.

Smiling into the heart,

Not to cover over but really to make room for the life that's here.

Feeling some ease spreading through the shoulders,

The arms,

Right down into the hands,

The hands soft,

Relaxed,

So that if you feel from the inside out,

Feel your thumbs,

Other fingers,

The space between the palms and the backs of the hands,

Perhaps you can sense the tingling and the vibrating and the aliveness in the hands.

And let there be an openness to the chest.

And then sense that this next breath can be received in a softening belly.

This breath.

Now this one.

And again.

Awakening awareness deep in the belly,

The torso,

Visualizing and sensing the curve of a smile spreading through the belly,

Further awakening a presence from the inside out.

Becoming aware of the aliveness deep in the pelvic region,

Aware of the legs,

The length,

The volume of your legs.

And feeling the energy in the feet from the inside out.

And explore what happens when you widen the lens and feel this whole body all at once,

This whole dance of aliveness,

A field of sensation,

The whole field lit up with the warmth of a smile,

Including the appearing,

Disappearing of sounds,

Sensing the space that sounds are happening in,

The space that includes the most distant sounds.

A vast sky of awareness filled with the receptivity of a smile,

Including the sounds and the sensations,

Feelings,

Changing river of experience moving through.

And resting in that wakeful openness.

You might let the breath be in the foreground,

Nothing to do,

Just a receptive presence with,

A resting in awareness of the breath.

Still aware of the sounds and other sensations,

That background space of awareness that everything is happening in.

And when the mind drifts into thoughts,

The future,

The past,

It's quite natural when there is an awareness of that to gently relax back into this presence.

If something strong calls your attention,

Something very pleasant or unpleasant,

Could be a sensation in the body or a feeling,

Mood,

Then let that be in the foreground,

Allowing whatever arises to be just as it is,

Regarding with a relaxed,

Interested,

Friendly attentiveness,

Noticing how it changes.

Our freedom comes not from what's happening but from how we are relating to it.

See if you can relate with this spirit of yes,

Allowing whatever arises to be here.

And if it feels difficult,

Painful,

Then bringing some real kindness,

A yes with gentleness and kindness.

Notice what happens when there is kindness.

A key part of meditation practice is the pathway back from thoughts to presence.

The quality or the attitude that you bring to that will seed what arises next.

So if you notice your thinking and you judge yourself,

That's the seed you plant.

But if you notice that you've been lost in thought and the response is to sense,

Oh,

Okay,

Relax,

Open again,

Re-relax the body,

Shoulders,

Soften the hands,

Relax the heart,

And slight smile at the mouth,

The intention to bring a kind and gentle presence to this next breath,

A kind and gentle presence to the life that's arising moment to moment.

And as a way of closing the meditation,

Feeling the breath at the heart again and sensing whatever prayer or message of care you'd like to offer to your own being.

And then feeling that heart-space that includes all of us,

All beings everywhere,

Taking a moment to sense your prayer for our world.

Namaste and blessings.

Reviews

Very peaceful. Thanks Tara for sharing your wisdom with us. Namaste 🙏🏽

Loved the shift that this meditation allows once you place a smile on your face and open your heart.❤️

So nourishing, soothing and opening

Starting my day with the intention of meeting myself without judgement and with gentle kind awareness and an open heart. Thank you Tara, Namaste 🙏

Excellent. Makes me feel connected to the smile of the Buddha and the intelligent creative universe with the power of the inner Smile that pervades everything 😊

Bringing a kind and gentle presence to this day. Looking forward to today’s retreat.
🙏🏼💕

Thank you :)

Another wonderful experience. Thank you

One of my favourite Meditations, thank you so much!

Lovely. Thank you. It helped me begin my day with self compassion

Deeply relaxing...arriving in a state of deep lnner peace... immensely greateful!

Always so good…opening doors to deeper levels of calmth..which i need!
Thank you always, Tara& best wishes🎀🙏☮️

Of the hundred or so I’ve listened to, this has Best quality of content, voice, pace, instructions.

Thankful that such a great teacher is available through insight timer.

Wonderful! Deeply healing to me, a person who has had challenges with PTSD lately.

Visualising a smile not to cover over, but to make space for the life that's here ❤️🌱🙏

I love everyone one of her beautiful meditations 🙏💕🌸

Bless you Tara!! My meditation would be much more challenging without your beautiful words and feelings. Thankyou 💜🙏🏽💜

Tara Brach is such a solid voice in the world of meditation teachers. This is a meditation that is easy to follow and promotes kindness towards oneself and others. So grateful for her! 🙏🏽

Gentle indeed and focused on the present. The smile image is surprising in its simplicity and helpfulness, and I look forward to pondering it more in the context of openness and welcome.

Beautiful! Peaceful :)