Week 6 Mindfulness For Parents & Carers - Nourishing Happiness

The Nourishing Happiness Practice is a way of getting in touch with the conditions of happiness that already exist in our lives. When we consider all the things, places, activities, people in our lives, that are responsible for our well-being, we begin to cultivate a practice of gratitude. Over time, this becomes a habit and increases our positive emotions.

Transcript

Nourishing happiness practice. Settling into a posture that feels comfortable and shifting the body until it feels stable and solid. So with the back fairly straight and the body relaxed. So just sensing into how the body is making contact with the floor or the chair and just allowing the body to come to rest. So really resting into a dignified posture. So relaxed and alert. So beginning by scanning the attention through the body and noticing how the body feels. Maybe touching into areas of tightness or holding or softness or points in the body that feel relaxed and at ease. Bringing awareness to the feet, The soles of the feet, The legs, The back, The arms and the hands right down to the fingertips. The shoulders, The chest. Bringing awareness to the stomach, The back of the neck and the head and the face. And just practicing the art of allowing. So whatever is present right now, Just letting it be as it is without trying to fix or change. Bringing awareness to the breathing. Perhaps breathing a little deeper for the next few in-breaths and out-breaths. Just noticing how is my breathing. Not trying to breathe in any particular way. Just letting the breath settle into its own natural rhythm. We've been breathing our whole lives so there's no need to force or change. Just allowing the body to breathe. Becoming sensitive to the movement of the breath, The speed of the breath and the texture of our breathing. So it may be fast or slow. There may be a smoothness to the breath or a shakiness or a clunkiness to the breathing. Maybe a tightness or an ease. So just bringing a curiosity. And maybe even having a sense of wonder or of gratitude or being able to breathe for being alive. We might use the words in and out just to support the breathing. Or counting one as we breathe in and out, Two as we breathe in and out and so on. And just seeing if we can keep our attention on the breath. So the mind may be pulled in many directions. We might notice that the mind is lost in thought. Planning may be caught in the past or the future. Just seeing if we can gently guide the mind back to the body and the breath so without judgement, Without harshness or disappointment. Just noticing there's thinking. And simply bringing your attention back to the breath and the body with gentleness but with a strong intention. Really awakening the intention to follow the in breath and the out breath. So noticing the slight uplift in the body as we breathe in. And a soft sinking of the body as we breathe out. And as the body breathes out we can learn to let go, Letting go of thoughts, Past and future so that we can really enter into this present moment. We can really become alive to this present moment. Enjoying the in breath. Enjoying the out breath. With each in breath perhaps having a sense of gratitude, Appreciation for relatively clean air that nourishes our body. Breathing in I am aware of the breath nourishing every cell in my body. Breathing out I feel alive, I feel joy. Breathing in I am aware of the breath. Breathing out I feel joy, I feel happiness. So we don't have to force a sense of enjoyment or gratitude. We can simply relax into whatever is present. Becoming aware of the whole body breathing. And allowing the body to rest with the movement of the breath. No need to struggle or strive. Just allowing the body to be nourished by the in breath. Letting go on the out breath. Imagining the whole body being filled with the energy of mindfulness. As we breathe in. And allowing for a quality of release of any tension, Any tightness as we breathe out. Nourishing on the in breath, Softening on the out breath. So there's nothing to do, There's nowhere to go. Just resting in the movement of the breath in the body. With this unfolding of life moment by moment. Really resting in the stillness of the body. The quietness of the skin. This place of being, This mode of being that we have entered is the foundation for nourishing joy and happiness. And we can approach this practice with a lightness, A playfulness and a curiosity. So we're not striving for any particular feeling or outcome or result. Just noticing, Just observing. Bringing attention to the eyes. And recognizing that we have healthy eyes that allow us to see many colours and shapes and forms. Patterns and places. People. We can look into the eyes of the people that we care for. We can see beauty in nature and beauty all around us because of our eyes. So we can practice with the phrase, Breathing in, I am aware of my eyes. And breathing out, I smile to my eyes. I feel happy. We might also connect with our lungs. With our lungs that can breathe. Our hearts that can beat. Our minds that can help us to learn, To communicate. Our ears that can hear. Our bodies that can move. Really connecting again with the body and the breath. Breathing in, I feel joyful. Breathing out, I feel happy. Exploring what it's like to practice in this way. Just seeing if we can touch into feelings of joy and gratitude. We may notice blocks of resistance. Some difficult emotions might arise as we are doing this practice. And if this happens we just practice the art of allowing. So just bringing some kindness and compassion to ourselves for whatever feelings are present. Very gently watering the seeds of gratitude. And now bringing awareness to conditions of happiness and wellbeing that exist outside the body. So breathing in I know that water, Clean water is available to me. Breathing out I smile. And you might bring awareness to the blue sky, To the fresh air. To the beauties in nature. And bringing to mind now conditions of happiness that exist in our own lives. So it might be something very simple in your environment. Something of comfort. Your home. Your person or a place. Just taking a moment to recognise and to really get in touch with this condition of happiness. And connecting with it. So breathing in I really recognise this condition of happiness in my life. And breathing out I smile to this condition of happiness. I feel happy. I feel joyful. And now coming back to the experience of breathing. Becoming aware again of the body and the breath sweeping through the body. A slight movement on the in breath and the out breath. There's nothing to do. There's nowhere to go. Just simply enjoying breathing in and enjoying breathing out. Refreshing the body with the breath. And resting in this present moment. Breathing in I know that I am alive. And breathing out I feel happy.