Generosity
Cultivate an attitude of general openness by training your mind to be less judgmental and critical. You’ll feel the benefits and so will others.
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Hi and welcome to day one of the Generosity Pack. Now over the next 10 days, we're going to look at how you can cultivate a generous mind, a generous spirit. So we're not necessarily talking about generosity in the conventional sense of giving something material, it could be something physical, it might be something we say, but equally, it might be something we think. So how do we cultivate a generous mind, a mind which is perhaps a little less critical, judgmental towards ourselves and others, and a little more kind and generous instead? Now, for this particular Pack, we're going to use a visualization technique. So do make sure you check out the visualization video if you've not seen that before. But as always, I'll take you through it. So all you need to do to begin with is just make sure you're sitting comfortably. We're going to start in the usual way. So eyes open with a nice soft focus, just aware of the space around you. And with the body sitting up bright, not too tight, nice and relaxed through the shoulders. And when you're ready, just beginning with some big deep breaths. In through the nose and out through the mouth. And with the next out breath just closing the eyes, allowing the breath to return to its natural rhythm in and out through the nose and just feeling the weight of the body sinking down. Just noticing those points of contact between the body and the chair or the body and the floor and just taking a moment to notice all the different sounds around you. And now just shifting the attention to the body again. Just starting to notice how the body feels, where there's a sense of lightness or heaviness in the body. And starting off at the top of the head, just gently scanning down through the body. Noticing what feels comfortable, what feels uncomfortable. Just scanning down in a slow, even pace. And now just starting to notice the breath if you haven't done already, that rising and falling sensation. So you might feel it in the stomach, the chest, around the diaphragm. No need to breathe in any special way just following the natural rhythm and if you can't feel anything at all just gently placing your hand on your stomach so you can feel that movement. Just staying with that sensation. And having focused mind on the breath, now just starting to imagine that in the middle of the body, in the middle of the chest, there's just a little glimmer, a little speck of sunlight. It's as though it's already there, you don't even really need to imagine it. And that sunlight represents everything you've ever wanted to give to yourself. So it might be thoughts of kindness, it might be physical things, doesn't really matter. It's whatever will give you a sense of lasting contentment, fulfillment, happiness. And as you notice that little speck of sunlight,...
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About your teachers
- More about Andy
A former Buddhist monk, Andy has guided people in meditation and mindfulness for 20 years. In his mission to make these practices accessible to all, he co-created the Headspace app in 2010.
- More about Eve
Eve is a mindfulness teacher, overseeing Headspace’s meditation curriculum. She is passionate about sharing meditation to help others feel less stressed and experience more compassion in their lives.
- More about Dora
As a meditation teacher, Dora encourages others to live, breathe, and be with the fullness of their experiences. She loves meditation’s power to create community and bring clarity to people’s minds.
- More about Kessonga
Kessonga has been an acupuncturists, therapist, and meditation teacher, working to bring mindfulness to the diverse populations of the world.
- More about Rosie
Rosie Acosta has studied yoga and mindfulness for more than 20 years and taught for over a decade. Rosie’s mission is to help others overcome adversity and experience radical love.
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