The Inner Smile Meditation is a mindfulness practice designed to cultivate feelings of love, joy, and happiness from within. It involves focusing your awareness on your physical body, imagining a warm and radiant light spreading throughout, and smiling inwardly to create a feeling of joy and peace. This meditation can help to reduce stress, increase feelings of well-being, and improve overall health and happiness. Whether you’re new to meditation or an experienced practitioner, the Inner Smile Meditation can be a simple and effective tool for fostering inner peace and happiness.
The Inner Smile Meditation
The Meditation on our Inner Smile
Find a quiet and comfortable place to sit or lie down. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths to relax.
Start by bringing your awareness to your physical body. Scan from your toes to the top of your head, noticing any areas of tension or discomfort.
As you inhale, imagine a warm and radiant light entering your body through your nose. Visualise this light spreading throughout your body, warming and soothing every muscle, organ, and cell.
Now, bring your attention to your face. Imagine yourself smiling from the inside out. Let the smile spread across your face and into your eyes, filling your whole being with a warm and loving energy.
Hold this inner smile for a few moments, feeling the joy and happiness that it brings. Let it permeate your whole body, dissolving any tension or stress that you may be carrying.
Imagine this inner smile radiating out from your body, touching all those around you. Visualise everyone you meet being impacted positively by your smile, and feel the joy of spreading happiness to others.
Take a few more deep breaths and when you are ready, slowly open your eyes. Take a moment to bask in the feeling of inner joy and peace that you have cultivated.
Repeat this meditation as often as you like to cultivate the sense of inner peace and happiness. This mindfulness exercise will always bring a smile to your heart.
*Dhamma Tāpasā is a trained former Buddhist Monk and the spiritual name given to Andrew Hallas. Now a Life Changing and inspirational Positive Coach, a certified NLP Practitioner, Mindfulness Trainer, a Motivational Speaker and a Published Author.
Creator of the highly acclaimed “The Four Trees” a story of learning how we can all live a more fulfilled and content lifestyle.
By using his unique approach of storytelling, mixed with some ancient Buddhist Monk Secrets, 3 Simple Life Principles and all combined with 21st century scientifically proven NLP techniques, Dhamma Tāpasā is able to capture your imaginations whilst teaching you valuable Life Skills that will change every aspect of your life.
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Managing Emotional Storms can sometimes seem an impossible task. What follows is a well known Acceptance and Commitment Technique (ACT) developed to help us deal with that unwanted inner chatter. Or to deal with those emotional storms that we all sometimes face. Having the right tools available will help us prepare for any internal disruptions we may be experiencing, now or in the future.
HOW MANAGE LIFE’S EMOTIONAL STORMS
Dropping Anchor Through Life’s Emotional Storms
This Technique, usually referred to as Dropping Anchor, was designed to help people ground themselves by staying in the present moment rather than being swept along by strong and challenging emotions you ay be facing. Now imagine you’r in a boat out at sea, when out of seemingly nowhere, a wild storm starts to build. The natural solution would likely be to drop anchor. Your boat would then hold steady and not be swept away allowing your to ride out the storm. That’s why this exercises is called ‘Dropping Anchor’
To drop an Anchor, in the sense of emotional challenges such as anger, panic, pain or sadness, we anchor onto anything that can ground us in the present moment. One of our five senses off Touch, Sight, Sound, Taste, Smell, are used to focus our attention into that present moment. Following our breath, body sensations or body posture we begin becoming grounded within ourselves and emotions.
Now Lets Get Started
Step One
First find yourself somewhere you won’t be disturbed and somewhere to sit with your back straight and your shoes off.
Step Two
Gently acknowledge whatever is happening inside you. The thoughts, feelings, memories, worries, sensations or urges. just simple acknowledge whatever is happening. (Pause 10 seconds)
Now come back into and connect with your physical body. Push your feet firmly into the ground. Notice the sensations as you press the souls of your feet into the ground below. (Pause 10 seconds)
Press your hands into your thighs. Stretch the fingers out as wide as you can go, griping your thighs as firmly as your can. Feel that sense of contact between your hands and fingers. (Pause 10 seconds)
Slowly stretch your hands out wide. Roll your shoulders around in an arc from your back to your front. Repeat this as many times feels good. (Pause 10 seconds)
Now take 3 Deep, Slow Intentional breaths. Breathing in, Breathing Out.
Now acknowledge again those painful thoughts and feelings that may be present. (Pause 10 seconds)
As you do this, notice that there is a body around this thoughts and feelings. A body that you can move and can control. Notice your whole body as you press your feet firmly into the ground, grip your thighs or roll your shoulders.
Step Three
Now get a sense of where you are and refocus your attention on what you are doing. Look around and notice five things that you can See. (Pause 10 seconds)
Notice Four things that you can Hear. (Pause 10 seconds)
Notice Three things you can touch or Feel. (Pause 10 seconds)
Notice any painful thought, memories, and feelings you may have arise at this point. Observe how these thoughts, memories and feelings are inside of a body you can move and control. A body that is bigger than just these thoughts, feelings, memories it houses. (Pause 10 seconds)
Reflection
Now you have completed this exercise, I would like you to explore the questions below and answer them as honestly as you can.
What thoughts did you notice during this exercise?
What were you feeling? What emotions were present?
How do you feel now? Do you feel less caught up in the emotional storm you were experiencing?
How could you incorporate this exercise into your daily life?
Congratulations
You have now finished this exercise and technique in grounding. This is an invaluable tool in fighting any of life’s emotional storms. The more you practice this exercise the more it will become ingrained into your behavioural patterns. Don’t just wait until the overwhelming problems accord, practice on the lower intensity emotions as well.
Further Help & Advice
It is recommended to practice first with medium intensity thoughts and feelings, rather than high intensity emotional experiences. At first build the skills set necessary to complete this task and over time you will fill fully equipped in dealing with any of life’s Emotional Storms
Remember that all emotional difficulties will pass. We don’t know if the storm will pass quickly or they mass pass slowly, dropping an anchor will help find solid ground without getting swept away.
This is not a distraction technique and is intentionally designed to focus in the body and/or the breath. dropping anchor is designed to be grounding in nature bringing us back into the present moment. Try this Body Scan Exercise to further your Positive Tool Kit
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*Dhamma Tāpasā is a trained former Buddhist Monk and the spiritual name given to Andrew Hallas. Now a Life Changing and inspirational Positive Coach, a certified NLP Practitioner, Mindfulness Trainer, a Motivational Speaker and a Published Author.
Creator of the highly acclaimed “The Four Trees” a story of learning how we can all live a more fulfilled and content lifestyle.
By using his unique approach of storytelling, mixed with some ancient Buddhist Monk Secrets, 3 Simple Life Principles and all combined with 21st century scientifically proven NLP techniques, Dhamma Tāpasā is able to capture your imaginations whilst teaching you valuable Life Skills that will change every aspect of your life.
If I asked you what does making life amazing mean to you, what would your response be?
Perhaps to make life amazing for you, means your close family and loved ones. Maybe making life amazing could be simply feeling happy and content within yourself.
Over the years I’ve been asking lots of people, just like you, what makes our life so amazing. The answers I’ve received have been as wide and varied as that of our imaginations. However after many years of asking this question, a pattern started to emerge as to what really makes our life truly amazing. And I would like to share some of those insights with you today.
Over time I came to recognise similarities between answers, and these similarities could be categorised into seven groups. These seven groups I like to call The 7 Wonders in our Lives. And these 7 wonders truly make your life amazing.
Finding Your 7 wonders in your life and Make your Life truly Amazing
Loved Ones, Family & Friends & Pets
I’m sure it comes as no surprise to most of you, that the loved ones we have in our life is top of our list. Be it your mother, father, wife, daughter, old friends, new friends or good friends. Friends are indeed a magical asset to have and they really do make our lives feel complete.
Everyone has someone they can love in their life. Some of us are more fortunate than others and have a larger than average family, but this sometimes is not always a blessing. What are you best moments with friends, family or loved ones? The loved ones, your family, your partner, old friends, good friends and best friends can all bring out the best in you and those are the moments to be cherished.
Some of us have beloved pets and my very own Marley moo, my adopted stray dog, makes me smile every single day. Maybe one of your seven wonders could be sharing a glass of wine with your girl friends, or chatting over a coffee with your best mate.
Maybe Sunday lunch with mum is a favourite time, or taking dad out to watch soccer. How about playing fetch with your dog, or having your cat snuggled and purring in your lap. There are so many things to choose.
What makes you happy within this category?
Nature & Countryside
The world of nature is full of wonders and secrets.
Nature has been an inspiration for mankind since time immemorial. Nature is so beautiful that even the smallest of its details can be an inspiration for many. We see nature everywhere we go. She is our best friend and best teacher. Her beauty and bounty have always remained a source of joy and happiness, strength and vision
Nature is soothing, it’s healing, and it’s nourishing to the soul. Nature is where we find peace within ourselves because it makes us feel more in touch with the world around us. When we take time out of our day to appreciate nature, it’s almost as if we’re giving ourselves permission not only escape from reality but also reconnect with what really matters most: life itself!
Creativity
Creativity is a vital part of life. It can help you change your reality from negative to a positive emotion within a short period. You learn more about yourself, and will even change how you view the world.
Creativity allows you to express yourself, whether it’s through art, music, writing, or any other form of expression. It also allows you to make new connections and see the world in a different light.
Being creative allows you to see the world in your own unique way. Instead of seeing things as they are, you can imagine what they could be. This helps you become more open-minded and broadens your horizons.
Freedom
Freedoms is an interesting category and something most of us overlook as even being there. Coronavirus has possibly taught us all a valuable lesson in our freedoms and maybe now we might not take them for granted. Just the freedom to be able to go outside, express your opinion with friends.
What about the freedom to travel and explore new places. Maybe one of your seven wonders could be spending a night in a hotel in an exciting place. One of the most important freedoms most of us over look is the freedom of our thoughts and attitudes.
We have the freedom to choose how we feel at any given moment we can either choose to be negative or positive, optimistic or pessimistic.
Most of us have the freedom of choice, this sometimes is a curse as well as a blessing and is a freedom that our ancestors never had.
So what freedoms do you value and do they make one of your seven wonders?
Sports & Exercise
Think about the exhilaration of running free on a bright summer’s day. The fresh air is all around you and the sun shines down on your face. Even if you are not an exercise enthusiast, there is something about being outdoors with the ability to move that makes you feel great.
You may feel exhausted at the end of your run, but that feeling of achievement is wonderful and it’s a good way to keep fit. It also clears your head and helps you think positively. If you can get into a routine with exercise, then your body will crave it and you will soon be able to feel the difference in your health and fitness.
Exercise doesn’t have to be boring or strenuous either; it could be as simple as going for a walk to work instead of taking the bus or taking up a new sport such as badminton or tennis. By pushing yourself further, your body becomes stronger and more flexible.
The joy of sports and exercise is often a hidden one, only fully appreciated in the moment of victory or achievement. But when you find the most effective ways of getting fit, the real prospects for a long and healthy life are unlocked – and that’s something we can all look forward to.
It’s not just about how you look; when you exercise regularly, it sends your body into overdrive. Your heart pumps faster, oxygen levels increase and your muscles get stronger. It’s like your body is on fire! When this happens regularly, it can lower your risk of, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes to name just a few.
Relaxation
Now we come to relaxation, something everyone of us enjoys immensely, although some of us struggle to find the time to relax in our all too busy lives. What makes you feel relaxed? What does it take for you to unwind after a stressful day at work? It could be that first cup of coffee in the morning, what about meditating in the shade of a tree. Maybe playing a musical instrument makes you feel relaxed and content, yoga can make us feel incredibly relaxed, as does a massage, maybe it’s just soaking up the sunshine at home or a spot of gardening, maybe sitting watching the weekends sports on television is your ideal way to relax.
What makes you relax after a long days work?
Sensations
Sensations are a brilliant wonder to have because they can almost instantly bring us joy and happiness. This is a large category but take your time to explore the many and wonderful sensations that there are. These will be very useful in using as a mood booster when needing to shift a negative mind set towards a more positive and optimistic outlook.
Maybe it’s the smell of the first cup of coffee in the morning, freshly baked bread, freshly cut grass, cuddling up with your partner or even pet, driving your sports car, the feeling of completing the crossword puzzle, the love for your children or grandchildren, maybe the feeling you get from making someone smile, or helping and doing a good deed, the hug you receive from you partner, the sensation of running or playing sports, the energy from watching live music, or excitement going to the cinema, maybe cuddling up on the sofa watching a movie or sitting reading by an open fire, how about the feeling you get from being romantic or dressing smart. How about eating your favourite food, or the feeling of the wind in your hair or the sun on your skin. There are so many wonderful sensations that we can use as our seven wonders. It just takes a moment like today for you to realise yourself how wonderful your life truly is.
So what are those favourite sensations in your life?
So what Makes Your Life Truly Amazing?
Now it’s your turn. Grab a pen and paper and write down Your personal 7 wonders in your life. Using the categories above, what makes your life truly amazing?
If your brave enough leave a comment below as to your 7 wonders. Not only will it help others see that their own life is truly blessed, it also makes for fascinating reading.
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*Dhamma Tāpasā is a trained former Buddhist Monk and the spiritual name given to Andrew Hallas. Now a Life Changing and inspirational Positive Coach, a certified NLP Practitioner, Mindfulness Trainer, a Motivational Speaker and a Published Author.
Creator of the highly acclaimed “The Four Trees” a story of learning how we can all live a more fulfilled and content lifestyle.
By using his unique approach of storytelling, mixed with some ancient Buddhist Monk Secrets, 3 Simple Life Principles and all combined with 21st century scientifically proven NLP techniques, Dhamma Tāpasā is able to capture your imaginations whilst teaching you valuable Life Skills that will change every aspect of your life.
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The origins of The Empty Golden Box are unknown but could easily originate from China or even India. The story below has been slightly adapted form the original text to become more relevant to us today.
The Empty Golden Box
A very long time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper.
The family was poor, money was very tight and the father became infuriated by the wasted Gold wrapping when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree.
Nevertheless, the little girl, full of unconditional love, proudly brought the carefully wrapped golden box to her father the next morning and said,
“This is for you, Daddy.”
The Father was embarrassed by his earlier outburst, but his anger flared up again when he found the golden box was completely empty.
With his voice raised in anger he yelled at his daughter,
“Don’t you know that when you give someone a present, there’s supposed to be something inside it?”
The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said,
“Oh, Daddy, it is not empty. I blew hundreds of kisses into the box. All for you, Daddy.”
The father felt crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged her for his forgiveness.
The father kept that Empty Golden Box by his bed side for years. And whenever he was feeling sad or discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of his special daughter who had put it there.
Moral of the story:
In a very real sense, each of us as humans have been given out very own Golden box filled with unconditional love.
If you want to find and understand what yours could be then try this little exercise Your Seven Wonders of Life and fill your Empty Box with Love, Joy and Happiness.
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*Dhamma Tāpasā is a trained former Buddhist Monk and the spiritual name given to Andrew Hallas. Now a Life Changing and inspirational Positive Coach, a certified NLP Practitioner, Mindfulness Trainer, a Motivational Speaker and a Published Author.
Creator of the highly acclaimed “The Four Trees” a story of learning how we can all live a more fulfilled and content lifestyle.
By using his unique approach of storytelling, mixed with some ancient Buddhist Monk Secrets, 3 Simple Life Principles and all combined with 21st century scientifically proven NLP techniques, Dhamma Tāpasā is able to capture your imaginations whilst teaching you valuable Life Skills that will change every aspect of your life.
The Inner Smile Meditation is a mindfulness practice designed to cultivate feelings of love, joy, and happiness from within. It involves focusing your awareness on your physical body, imagining a warm and radiant light spreading throughout, and smiling inwardly to create a feeling of joy and peace. This meditation can help to reduce stress, increase…
Managing Emotional Storms can sometimes seem an impossible task. What follows is a well known Acceptance and Commitment Technique (ACT) developed to help us deal with that unwanted inner chatter. Or to deal with those emotional storms that we all sometimes face. Having the right tools available will help us prepare for any internal disruptions…
An Inspirational & Motivational Moral Story Analogies and Metaphors and the art of storytelling help us retain the information faster. The Analogy of the Pencil is one of those metaphors that once read we just simple can’t forget. Enjoy. The Pencil Analogy The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside and just before putting him into…
What on earth is the Elastic Band Effect? Let alone how to overcome it
The Elastic Band Effect is an Analogy of mind and goes something like this
Imagine you have an elastic band around your wrist.
You grab the elastic band and pull it away from your wrist a few inches
Then you let go!
What Happens?
The Elastic Band snaps back into your wrist right?
Correct
It snaps backs to its default setting, that of being wrapped around your wrist.
The Stretching process took it to a point, but then SNAP its back to where it original began, to where it was on your wrist.
Now the important bit, Listen carefully to what I’m about too say because this is a real game changer…..
The vast majority of personal development techniques, dieting programs and exercises is just like The Elastic Band Effect.
For a while they work……
Then SNAP, you’re back to where you started, back to your normal default setting.
You start your training or dieting program with great determination and positivity (Elastic Band Stretching away from your wrist)
Then SNAP… you fall off the wagon and go back to your normal eating habits, back to your default setting.
So Why When we stitch ourselves do we often SNAP back to some kind of default position?
Kinda like a Comfort Zone….
In fact it goes deeper than that…..
It’s because of your identity, the way you see yourself.
We behave in ways that are consistent with how we see ourselves.
If your see yourself as a procrastinator…
You’ll procrastinate.
If you see yourself as someone who gives up on diet programs.
You’ll give up.
See yourself as bad with money
Chances are you’ll be bad at saving
Your identity (the picture we have within our heads of who we think we are, what we can do and what you can’t do) this is your default setting.
And the majority of people who try personal development training, dieting programs, starting a business or try to increase their money are all trying to either force the issue or using techniques that cover up the way a person really feels about themselves.
For example…
The person that is trying to loose weight usually tries willpower (force) to stop eating fatty and sugary foods
But buried deep within their minds they see themselves as someone who LOVES fatty and sugary treats and will stuff their face the second the program is over or they feel a little upset.
But there is a way to overcome this default setting
Self image and Your identity will always dictate your behaviour. It’s become very clear to me as a personal development coach that the biggest shift needs to occur inside our minds. The ones most likely to succeed with loosing weight, the new exercise program or self development training are the ones that change the way they see themselves, the ones that change their default setting.
Now Answer me this….
How do You see yourself now?
Are you someone that believes they deserve to be happy?
Do you actually believe you can loose weight and get into shape?
Or do you see yourself as a procrastinator, a failure, someone who doesn’t deserve to be successful or happy.
But what if I could teach you the techniques so you WONT SNAP BACK to your default setting (like the elastic band)
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If you want to learn the simple but extremely powerful techniques I use to transform the way you see your self so that any dream you may have will stick START HERE.
Or keep reading this blog for information on how you can do just that.
*Dhamma Tāpasā is a trained former Buddhist Monk and the spiritual name given to Andrew Hallas. Now a Life Changing and inspirational Positive Coach, a certified NLP Practitioner, Mindfulness Trainer, a Motivational Speaker and a Published Author.
Creator of the highly acclaimed “The Four Trees” a story of learning how we can all live a more fulfilled and content lifestyle.
By using his unique approach of storytelling, mixed with some ancient Buddhist Monk Secrets, 3 Simple Life Principles and all combined with 21st century scientifically proven NLP techniques, Dhamma Tāpasā is able to capture your imaginations whilst teaching you valuable Life Skills that will change every aspect of your life.
The art of positive thinking is about truly understanding how our human minds work to allow for permanent change within our own thinking and subsequently becoming more positive in your own life.
Optimism 4 Beginners is now available as a Free ebook to help us through these troubling times. With Russia invading Ukraine, Covid-19 and inflation starting to make its presence felt, Optimism 4 Beginners uses original metaphors and heartwarming stories to enhance strategies and techniques to keep a positive frame of mind.
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As humans we all create glass ceilings within our minds. These can be like prisons within ourselves or limiting beliefs. These two short stories illustrate the point beautifully and can give us an enlightenment moment
