A Guided Meditation on Embodied Love | Happiness Break

The Science of Happiness

PRX and Greater Good Science Center

Science, Social Sciences

4.4 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 20 February 2025

⏱️ 7 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Experience the physical sensations of love through this guided meditation that nurtures connection, relaxation, and emotional awareness.

How To Do This Practice:

Sit or lie down in a relaxed posture. Close your eyes or soften your gaze. Take a deep breath in, then slowly exhale. Notice the weight of your body and release any tension in your shoulders, jaw, or hands.
Recall a time when you felt deeply loved and cared for—whether from a person, pet, or a meaningful experience.
Instead of focusing on the memory itself, notice where love manifests in your body—warmth in your chest, a tingling in your hands, a soft smile, or gentle relaxation.
With each inhale, visualize love spreading through your body like a warm light or soft energy, filling your heart, arms, and entire being.
Allow yourself to fully experience this embodied sense of love, knowing it is always within you.
When ready, bring awareness back to your surroundings, wiggle your fingers and toes, and take a final deep breath before opening your eyes. Set an intention to bring this felt sense of love into your interactions throughout the day.

This episode is part of our series The Science of Love, supported by a grant from The John Templeton Foundation on spreading love through the media.

Sign up for The Science of Happiness podcast's 7-Day Love Challenge to receive these science-backed practices delivered directly to your inbox: tinyurl.com/7daylovechallenge

Today’s Happiness Break Host:

Dacher Keltner is the host of The Science of Happiness podcast and is a co-instructor of the Greater Good Science Center’s popular online course of the same name. He’s also a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.

Related Happiness Break episodes:

A Meditation on Original Love: https://tinyurl.com/5u298cv4
Loving Kindness Meditation: https://tinyurl.com/2kr4fjz5
A Meditation for Burnout: https://tinyurl.com/485y3b4y

Related Science of Happiness episodes:

36 Questions to Spark Love and Connection: https://tinyurl.com/ktcpz78u
How 7 Days Can Transform Your Relationship: https://tinyurl.com/bdh2ezhr
How to Use Your Body to Relax Your Mind: https://tinyurl.com/yckyft6t
How To Tune Out The Noise: https://tinyurl.com/4hhekjuh
How To Breathe Away Anxiety: https://tinyurl.com/msmxtyes

We’d love to hear about your experience with this practice! Share your thoughts at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Help us share Happiness Break! Leave a 5-star review and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/3dmpfam6

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode was supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation on spreading love through the media.
0:09.0	Hi, I'm Dacker Keltner. Welcome to Happiness Break. Today we're continuing our series on the science of love with a guided meditation designed to help you feel and expand the experience of love in your body.
0:23.6	When we experience an emotion, our bodies respond with physical changes.
0:28.6	Our heart may race. We may feel warmth in our chest. Our breathing quickens.
0:33.6	Maybe we get the goosebumps or a tearing in the eyes.
0:43.6	Love in particular can activate oxytocin release and the parasympathetic autonomic nervous system,
0:50.5	the rest and digest system that supports things like lower heart rate, relaxation, and better digestion,
0:53.2	as well as being open and connecting to others. Paying attention to our body's
0:56.5	signals known as interception helps us manage stress, build emotional awareness and
1:02.6	understanding and connect more deeply with other people. So let's begin. Find a comfortable seat or lie down.
1:24.6	Close your eyes if that feels good to you or soften your gaze.
1:30.3	Take a deep breath in and slowly breathe out.
1:36.3	Allow yourself to settle into this moment.
1:51.0	Start by bringing your attention inward into your body's sensations.
2:00.0	Notice your breath, your heart beating, and any other physical sensations,
2:07.0	for example in your face, your chest, or your arms. Feel the weight of your body resting against the surface beneath you.
2:23.3	Let go of any tension, softening your shoulders, your jaw, and your hands.
2:31.3	Take a deep breath in and gently sigh it out. Allow yourself to arrive fully in
2:46.0	in the present. Now bring Now, bring to mind a moment when you felt deeply loved and cared for.
3:05.6	This could be from a partner, a friend, a family member, a mentor, or even a pet, or a place or moment in nature.
3:21.3	Perhaps it was a warm hug, a reassuring word, or simple act of kindness.
3:31.0	Instead of focusing on the story and the words, shift your awareness to the feeling of love,
	...

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