Contentment meditation may also help us let go of the uneasiness we sometimes feel once we sit all the way down to practice. We are reminded that nothing, outside of simply being, must be done. When in a state of contentment, there’s nothing about this moment that needs changing. We can allow ourselves to be here, present with all the pieces as is.
How can we access contentment? One approach to hook up with contentment is thru gratitude. As we sense into gratitude for this breath, this body, and this moment, we glimpse the reality that at this moment, all the pieces is ideal just as is. We may not prefer it, but we’re exactly where we should be to learn the teachings that can help us grow.
Some traditions seek advice from contentment as the very best state of happiness. When content, we crave nothing, nor can we push anything away. This invites a whole presence, allowing for profound insight into the true nature of this moment.
Here’s a Sample of the “Enhance Presence With This Contentment Meditation” Guided Meditation Script:
Take a snug seat in a quiet place where you’ll be able to be free from distractions
Sit up tall, keep your chin level, and release your shoulders
Soften your belly, and soften your thighs
Let you hips rest heavily in your seat
Close your eyes, or gaze softly at the bottom ahead of you
With your mouth closed, but your jaw relaxed,
Breathe out and in through your nose
Find a breath that’s patient, gentle, and regular
Let each breath out be just so long as each breath in
As you focus in on the breath,
turn the corners of your mouth upwards right into a slight smile
And generate a deep sense of contentment for the breath
Breathe out and in with a loving awareness
Grateful for every life-giving inhale, and every precious exhale
Let this sense of gratitude permeate your whole body
You could perhaps visualize it as a warm feeling, or a light-weight
Still aware of the breath, but with a full body gratitude for breath
Grateful for breath because it moves out and in through your nose
Grateful for breath as you are feeling your chest expanding, and your belly releasing
Grateful for breath as you sense the entire body riding the wave of every breath
(pause for 3 breaths)
Let this whole body gratitude help hold your focus, your attention on the breath
Cherishing each patient breath in
Present with each miraculous breath out
Watch the breath because it’s probably the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen
(pause for 3 breaths)
And if the mind becomes distracted, which it can
Anytime you notice you’ve wandered out of your deal with breath,
The intention of this contentment meditation script is to sense contentment within the body. This practice is well suited to make use of in your personal use or as a tool to enable you to guide others. Read this meditation script word for word, or make minor edits as you see fit.
Contentment can appear to be an abstract concept. As you guide, you’ll notice the script invites practitioners to connect with gratitude, presence and patience. Consider how these sensations may relate to a felt sense of contentment, and the way they might differ. Sometimes, the character of contentment is revealed once we bring mindfulness to our restlessness or our discontentment.
Cultivating a felt sense of contentment may also help us rest more patiently in the current moment, letting go of our desire to vary it. Familiarizing ourselves with contentment in meditation makes it more likely we’ll experience contentment in on a regular basis life. To give you the chance to rest in the current moment, without being pushed or pulled by craving or aversion, is a marker of total freedom.
