Contentment vs. Complacency

Let's start by finding a comfortable posture. This could be sitting, standing or lying down. If it feels okay to do so, you can close your eyes. And we'll start by taking a deep breath together. In through the nose.

And slowly out through the mouth. Inviting the jaw to relax. Letting the shoulders be at ease. And the hands and the belly. As the body settles in, the breath can settle into its natural rhythm.

So today we're going to focus on cultivating a quality of contentment within ourself. And since a lot of our perceived contentment is related to how we feel in the body, we'll do a body scan meditation. So you can begin by bringing your awareness to the sensations in your head. This can include the top of your head, your face, back of your head, the ears. Just notice what it's like to feel this part of your body.

And this kind of awareness that we're bringing to the body scan is a compassionate curiosity. There's no right experience. Sometimes there'll be intense sensation. Sometimes, no sensation. So we made it with softness and an attitude of, Oh, this is interesting.

As we slide down into the shoulders and the arms. Feeling the sensations in the hands. Jumping the awareness over to the chest region. Maybe even feeling the heart beating. As you slide down now, feeling the belly.

Noticing the breath and creating some movement in the belly region. Down to the pelvis. The thighs. And as you're doing this, you can notice what your relationship to your body is. And whatever is arising, you're meeting it with that compassionate curiosity.

The privilege of being able to have a body functioning in whatever capacity it is. Down through the knees. Shins and calves. And then the feet. And then zooming out, bringing your awareness to your body as a whole.

And just saying, this is what my body is right now and this is how it feels right now. Not forever, not necessarily in the next moment, but just right now. Let's take one more deep breath together. In through the nose. And slowly out through the mouth.

And when you're ready, you can reorient yourself back into this space. Inviting the eyes to open. And gave yourself a little pat on the back. Great job today. As you're going throughout your day today, and you notice yourself frustrated with something and you have a negative internal experience, you can first assess, is this something that I need to be frustrated about? And should I take action because of this emotion? And if not, if it's not something that requires the feeling in order to do something, and see if you can practice just accepting and being with whatever the experience is.

Breathing into it saying, this is okay. I can be with this. By doing this, we're not only developing emotional regulation. But we're developing an equanimity with many different experiences, including the more uncomfortable ones. And this over time will lead to a much deeper contentment as we live our lives.

So you're doing great. Thanks for your practice. And we'll talk to you soon. Until next time, take care.