The Inward Smile

A real smile softens the whole face, and you can feel it from the inside. In this working you start that smile in the eyes and let it travel inward, greeting each part of the body as if it were a friend you were glad to see. It’s a body scan with warmth added.

The working

1. Sit upright and comfortable, close your eyes and take a few easy breaths.
2. Recall something that makes you smile: a person, a pet, a place. Let a small, real smile come to your lips and eyes.
3. Feel the smile gather in your eyes, then let it spread across your face and soften your jaw.
4. Let it flow down through your throat into your chest. Smile toward your heart and lungs, and notice any softening.
5. Carry it down into the belly. Smile toward your stomach, your liver on the right, your kidneys at the back. You don’t need to picture them exactly. Just send the warmth there.
6. Smile down the spine to the base of the body, then let the warmth spread to the whole body at once.

Closing

Gather the warmth into the belly, a little below the navel, and rest there for a few breaths. Then let the smile fade naturally and open your eyes.