Joy Meditation

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Audio Transcript:

Sit or lay down somewhere comfortable.
Move or stretch to release any extra energy, settling into your seat or space.
Take a few deep breaths, inhaling through the nose, letting your lungs expand as far as they can go, and gently exhaling out the mouth soft and slow, using your belly muscles to push out all the air.
Do this a few more times until you feel settled in your body.
When you're ready, gently close your eyes and turn your attention inward.
Start to scan your body from the top of your head down all the way to your toes, noticing what it feels like to inhabit this body, in this moment.
Noticing areas of tension or tightness, noticing what feels open, flowing.
If you notice any discomfort, gently let yourself move or stretch or breathe in whatever way you can to see if you can ease that discomfort.
Now draw your attention to the edges of your physical body, noticing the parts of you that are touching the floor or your seat or the surface that you're supported by.
Noticing the air flowing around the parts of you not touching anything solid, and gently start to extend your awareness out from your physical edges.
Finding your energetic edges a place where the energy of your body meets that of your surroundings.
Then extend that awareness, that energy out to the energy of the earth, meeting the earth where it rises up to meet where you are.
You might visualize yourself gently sending roots down into the earth, connecting you energetically to the nourishing life giving energy of the earth and the ecosystem that it creates for all of life around us.
Letting your roots extend down into the earth and merge with the roots of the grass and the trees and flowers and all the plants around you.
Connecting with the mycelial network that connects all of the roots and all of the plant life growing all around you, and the ecosystem they create for the insects, the way the insects feed the birds, the way the birds connect to the trees and the energy of the air around us.
Notice how when you connect with this energy of the earth you can connect into that web of life all around you, that you are not separate from nature but a part of it. That you belong here.
From this grounded, connected place, you can choose to let in some of that earth energy. Letting your energy mingle with it, the energy of the earth; letting it extend up your roots and up into your body in whatever way feels comfortable to you.
Letting that life giving energy of the earth nourish you. Support you, maybe even soften any tension or tightness you might be holding, bringing with it that nourishing sense of acceptance and compassion.
Bringing with it that sense of belonging; you belong here in this space in this body in this time.
From this supportive, connected space, I invite you now to draw your attention inward into your heart space, maybe even placing your hand on your heart.
Tuning into that feeling of your heartbeat or the rhythm of your breathing as your chest rises and falls with the movement of your lungs breathing in the air.
Connect into that essence of your heart space and now think of something that brings you joy.
It could be something from your recent past, something from this morning or yesterday or this last week; it might be something from further away. It might be something you just imagine. Just anything that brings you that heart melty feeling of joy, experience of pleasure; it could be a really good cup of coffee, or a delicious meal or dessert; it could be a good hug from a close friend or family member.
Whatever that feeling of joy is, I invite you now to focus your energy on the feeling that brings you in your heart space and in your body.
For the next few breaths cycles, let each inhale bring in that energy of joy, that warmth, that feeling of pleasure, passion, of happiness. Let each molecule of air that you breathe in, bring that energy and that feeling into your lungs and into your heart space.
And then with each exhale, let that feeling extend out through the rest of your body, moving from your heart and your lungs, out through the rest of your chest, down into your belly, let it come up into your shoulders and your neck, down into your arms; let it extend from the base of your belly down into your pelvis and your hips, down into your legs and your feet.
And use your breath now, use that inhale to bring in that feeling of joy, and use that exhale to send that feeling of joy throughout your whole body.
Let it fill your body, until your whole being is bursting with the feeling of joy. You might even imagine it in your mind's eye as having a particular color to it or a texture to it.
Continue to breathe in and out letting that joy surround your entire being.
When you're ready, gently bringing your awareness back into your heart space, maybe placing that hand on your heart again, placing a hand on your belly, noticing the rhythm of your heartbeat with the rise and fall of your chest and belly as you breathe.
Returning your attention now to your physical body and doing another scan from head to toe, just noticing what it feels like to inhabit this body in this moment.
Noticing areas of tension or tightness, noticing areas that flow and openness, noticing what might have changed since you first sat down to meditate today.
Returning to that heart space and that feeling of joy, remembering if it had a color or texture to it, remembering that sensation, that warm heart-melty feeling you get when you think about something joyful.
Set your intention now to carry this feeling with you as you move about your day knowing that at any moment, you can always just place your hand on your heart or tune into the rhythm of your breathing, take a few deep breaths, and remember joy. Remember in your body, let your body inhabit joy with your whole being.
Stay here as long as you feel comfortable, as long as you are able.
When you're ready gently open your eyes and go about your day.

Background Music:

Relaxing Chill Music | ARNOR by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/
Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/
Creative Commons CC BY 3.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/