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October 12, 2025 14 mins

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We guide a gentle morning meditation that uses breath, a soft smile, and memory to cultivate contentment, then expand it with appreciative joy for others. We close with simple ways to spot micro‑joys during the day and carry calm into action.

• settling the body and softening judgment
• breathing with awareness and smiling through a body scan
• reframing meditation as access to joy in the present
• recalling a personal moment of happiness with sensory detail
• repeating clear affirmations for worthiness and agency
• practicing mudita by celebrating others’ happiness
• returning to breath and smile to anchor calm
• spotting micro‑joys in daily life and reinforcing attention
• gentle reentry with stretch, yawn, and a closing blessing


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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Good morning.
This meditation is meant to helpyou open up into a beautiful,
beautiful day.
So, congratulations for beinghere.
You're already ahead of the gamefor setting yourself up with

(00:23):
beautiful intention to build alife of happiness and
appreciation.
Find somewhere comfortable tosit or lie down, whatever makes
you feel best.
And when you're ready, allowyour eyes to gently close.

(00:48):
Our bodies feel a littledifferent in the morning, so no
judgment.
Just meet yourself where youare, and when you're ready, go
ahead and connect with yourbreathing.

(01:10):
Your breath is your life forceenergy.
As you breathe in and out withawareness this morning, feel the
corners of your mouth raise alittle bit.
Feel your chest expanding, yourbelly feeling.

(01:36):
And smile.
Allow the warmth of your breathand the smile to wash over you,
to fill you with a sense ofcontentment and joy.
Completely unattached to havingdone anything other than being

(01:58):
just right here with me in thismoment.
Congratulations, you've justcreated a sense of contentment
and joy.
As you continue to breathe andsmile, feel it travel from your

(02:20):
face down your neck, your chest,your ribs and your belly to your
hips and pelvis, your legs, yourfeet, and your toes, all being

(02:43):
washed with this beautiful smileand breath.
Being with your breath is sobeautiful.

(03:04):
Many seek this state of peace orenlightenment through their
meditation practice.
But what if each time youmeditate, you take one step
closer to joy, bliss, andhappiness, unattached to the

(03:27):
past, untethered to the future,simply living in this moment,
breathing into it, and settingan intention to enjoy the
journey and process.

(03:56):
Yet we can live a life of joy,happiness, and contentment right
now, if we wish to.

(04:56):
Again, bring your awareness backto that beautiful smile.
And breathe into the smile andnotice how you feel as though
you breathe with thisexpression.
Visualize a moment where youfelt truly happy or joyful or

(05:21):
content.
We're going to connect with thatsensation in your body right
now.
Feel what it felt like.
Where were you?
Who were you with?

(05:43):
What were you doing when youfelt truly happy, joyful or
content?
Give yourself permission totruly reflect back and engage
and relive that moment again.

(06:12):
Feel the sensations right intoyour body as you breathe them
in.
And as you do this, gentlyrepeat in your mind, I deserve
happiness and joy.

(06:38):
I can create happiness and joy.
Happiness is available to me.

(07:10):
As you continue breathing, bringto mind another moment of
happiness.
This time it's a momentexperienced by another.
For us to experience another'sjoy and happiness and delight is

(07:33):
known in Sanskrit and Buddhismas mudita, which means
appreciative joy.
Again, bringing to mind anothermoment of happiness, the moment

(07:56):
experienced by another.

(08:38):
So take a moment to see a friendor a loved one, a stranger or an
animal delighting in happiness.
How do they look?
Can you feel their happiness?
This form of happiness has thepotential to fill our hearts.

(09:05):
Feel your heart expanding andyour happiness increasing as you
visualize this.
Again, smiling, connecting, andrecognizing that happiness is
all around.
What we seek is also seeking us.

(09:31):
So with that awareness, allowhappiness to build in your own
life and in that of others.
Repeat after me, happiness is mynatural state.

(09:54):
I create my own happiness.
I delight in the happiness ofothers.
And as I connect to feelings ofhappiness, these develop and

(10:15):
grow.
Again, bringing your attentionback to your breath, feeling the
corners of your mouth raise.

(10:36):
As you smile, feel your chestexpand, and allow the warmth of
your breath and your smile towash over you, to fill you with
a sense of contentment and joythat's always available to you.

(10:58):
Feel it travel from your facedown your neck, your chest, your
ribs and your belly, your hipsand your pelvis, your legs, your
feet and your toes, all beingwashed with this smile and this
beautiful breath.

(11:26):
As you move through your day andthe days of your week, and the
weeks of your month, and indeedthe months of your years, I urge
you to remember that you haveaccess to happiness.

(11:48):
You can create happiness foryourself and for others.
I encourage you to view thehappiness all around you, to
notice the cat that gentlypurrs, or the baby that giggles,
the children laughing andplaying in the playground, or

(12:10):
maybe just a gentle smile from astranger, or the friend that
delights in the compliment yougave them, or the smile or hug,
the joy that you feel as youwitness the sunrise, or noticing
something new that you hadn'tseen before.

(12:30):
For when we pay attention,happiness is all around us.
Take a moment to stretch yourarms way above your head.

(12:53):
Give yourself a great bigstretch.
And maybe you feel like having abig yawn.
Start to wiggle your nose andyour mouth and open your eyes
when you're ready.
Take a deep sigh.

(13:15):
And know that you are ready fora fabulous day, wishing you much
happiness from my heart toyours.
Namaste.
Have a great, great day.
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