The following meditation is led by Tara Brock.

To access more of my meditations or join my email list, please visit tarabrock.com.

Take some moments to find a comfortable posture where you're awake and alert, and that usually

means sitting upright, but also at ease, sensing whatever parts of you that can relax, letting them relax.

Closing your eyes and taking some moments to settle in this way.

Become aware of this body breathing, and extending the breath, taking a nice deep long in breath,

and a slow out breath that allows you to release, to relax with the letting go.

And again, a nice full deep in breath, and a slow, even out breath, releasing, letting go, letting go.

And once more, inhaling deep full breath.

And with that slow out breath, you might sense you could soften down the length of your body, letting go, letting go.

And then as you allow the breath to come back to its normal rhythm, you might feel whatever presence has emerged just through these few moments.

And from that presence, sense your intention for this meditation.

Perhaps for being here awake, kind, meeting whatever arises with presence we care.

We begin as we sometimes do with the image and felt sense of a smile.

You might feel the region of your eyes and let that smile spread through the eyes.

But the eyes can soften. The brow becomes smooth.

Bringing a slight smile to the lips.

And imagine and sense the experience of a smile filling the mouth.

See if you can relax the tongue letting the tongue fill the lower palate.

I'm relaxing right down to the root of the tongue.

Becoming aware of the sensation, the tongue, the tongue's teeth, lips.

And letting that sensitivity to a liveliness spread through the face, bringing some ease to all the micro muscles used to maintain an expression, just relaxing.

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