In-Depth Practice for Self-Compassion

Today's heart meditation will be another version of compassion practice, what I've come to call the reign of compassion. And I think probably the most beautiful way I know to begin is to simply sense your own intention, to experience this heart in its full capacity, to experience the awakened heart of compassion.

As a way of leading in, we'll begin with what is called in the Taoist and Buddhist traditions a smile down, is to create the maximum receptivity and openness in a very physical cellular way. And that starts with actually imagining the sky, sensing a great openness extending in all directions and sensing the curve and spirit of a smile filling the sky.

As much as possible to visualize that and then sense that openness of sky filling the mind and that that curve of a smile spreading through the mind.

Connecting with openness, availability, possibility, letting the curve of a smile spread through the eyes. You can sense the corners of the eyes uplifted a bit, the outer corners. Softening the eyes allowing the brow to be smooth. Relaxing the jaw, sensing a slight smile at the mouth.

See if you can sense the inside of the mouth smiling. The eyes are smiling. The mouth. You might feel the throat and feel the throat as you breathe in and out and again sense right there that same curve and openness of a smile.

And then imagining that you can smile into the heart, sensing the curve a smile spreading through the heart and chest area. Sensing it emerging, the smile emerging from inside out, a natural openness in space, that doesn't cover over what's happening for you right now but rather makes room.

Eyes are smiling and the mouth, throat, the heart. And see if you can loosen the belly and feel the breath receive deep in the torso. Imagine and sense the same smile spreading through the belly and of openness at the Dantian, that area right beneath the belly.

Sensing an openness and ease down through the hips and the legs right into the feet. Up through the chest. Sensing space open up in a way that you can allow whatever might be tense or tight in the body to loosen and let go some.