The following meditation is led by Tara Brock.

To access more of my meditations or join my email list,

please visit tarabrock.com. You might let yourself imagine a wide open blue sky.

And sense the curve of a smile spreading through that sky.

Just imagine that, that receptivity and openness of a smile spreading through a great open sky. And let your mind merge with that sky.

So you can sense the curve and receptivity of a smile spreading through your awareness,

filling your awareness.

And you might directly sense the outer corners of your eyes lifting slightly in a smile. Let the eyes be soft and the brow smooth.

The eyes are smiling.

And bring a slight smile to the mouth.

And feel the inside of the mouth smiling.

Ticknatham Zen Master describes this as smile yoga because it helps our nervous system relax and open in a very benevolent way, feeling kindness.

Awareness filled with a smile. The eyes smiling in the mouth.

You might visualize and sense a smile spreading through the heart. And this isn't to cover over anything.

It's really to create the space, to let life be as it is, to say yes to the life that's

here, without resisting, without opposing.

The eyes are smiling, soft, the mouth, the heart.

You might imagine in widening circles spreading out from the heart that openness and ease of a smile, relaxing you, relaxing and opening, allowing the shoulders to fall away from the neck.

Sensing the space inside the shoulders, letting whatever tightness or tension is there, let it float in awareness.

Aware of the length and the weight and the volume of your arms.

Let your hands rest in a very easy, effortless way.

You might explore softening your hands as if that receptivity and sensitivity of a smile

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