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I'm Dakar Keltner, welcome to Happiness Break, where

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we take a short break in the day

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to try a practice shown to

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help us live happier and healthier lives. Today

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we're doing a short meditation where we

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turn inward, focusing in on

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our minds and our hearts, which do

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so much for us, and

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pausing to express gratitude for them. Just

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finding a moment of gratitude we know benefits

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the cardiovascular system, it is

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related to lower inflammation, it

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helps you with some of the challenges of the 21st

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century, like being less focused on

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how you compare well to others. And

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then what's interesting about that is once you

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cultivate kindness towards self,

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you're better at relating to other people,

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you feel more generous, you feel more

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cooperative, you have a greater ease in

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taking other people's perspective. So

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when we turn kindness and gratitude

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inward, we actually benefit

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in our relationship to the outer world. Guiding

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us is Jack Kornfield, a meditation

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teacher, author, and leader

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in translating Buddhism for the Western world.

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So find somewhere you feel comfortable. Here's

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Jack. Hi,

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Jack Kornfield here. Let's

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do a meditation together that

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uses the quality of mindfulness

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or mindful loving awareness, and

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also of gratitude. So

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let yourself settle in your body in

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whatever way is stable

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and easy. When

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you're ready, let your eyes close gently. Two

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long breaths. Let

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the eyes and face be soft, loosen

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the jaw. Let

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the shoulders relax and the arms and

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hands rest easily. Let

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the belly be soft and the breath natural.

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And let the heart be soft as

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well to receive whatever is

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experienced with kindness. Now

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notice the whole field of your

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body, the

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sensations, areas

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of relaxation,

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areas of tension without

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judgment, with a loving awareness. Just

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tune into your body, warm,

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cool, pleasant

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or painful, different areas. And

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as you feel the whole of your body, wrap

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it with kindness, this

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body that carries so much, with

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this kind attention, you

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can say thank you. Thank

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you for caring so much, for

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taking care of me. You

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can relax, I'm okay just now. You

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can rest. Notice

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the body come to ease, held

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in kind attention. Now

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bring your same loving awareness to

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your heart. And

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all the feelings and emotions it

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carries. Longing

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and love. Worry

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or fear. Excitement.

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Delight. Anger.

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Resentment. Hopefulness.

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Joy. Grief.

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Your heart holds so many things. And

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as you feel the sense

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of all the emotions and feelings held

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in this big heart, say

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thank you. Rapid

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in compassion and kindness, say thank

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you. Thank you dear heart

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for carrying so much. You

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can relax. I'm

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okay just now, just here.

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You can rest and

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notice the heart come to ease. Now

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bring the same loving awareness to the mind.

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The busy mind. The

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mind that's planning and remembering and imagining

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and creating, telling

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stories and showing pictures.

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The mind with all the ideas. and

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the repetitive thoughts that come, the

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mind is always working. And

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feel the whole energy of the mind tumbling

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around and wrapping

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the mind with kindness. Say

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thank you. Thank

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you for trying to protect me. Keep

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me safe. Thank

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you for trying to take care of me. I'm

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okay just now. You can relax. You

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can let go and be at

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ease and quiet. Thank

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you mind. I'm okay just

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here enough. And

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feel that relaxation and

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opening. Thank you. And

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finally sense yourself as awareness,

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as the consciousness itself. You

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are the consciousness that's been aware

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of your body, aware

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of your heart and feelings, aware

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of your mind and all of its thoughts. And

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you are the loving witness. You

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are the gracious space of

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awareness. Rest

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in it. Relax

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into a spacious and loving

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attention. Open

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and easy. You

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are the loving awareness that's witness to

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all. and all that's happening in Ravi's

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heart and mind. And

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you are spacious and peaceful, surrounding

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it all. And

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when you're ready, allow your eyes to

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open gently and

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renew your connection with the visible

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world, and

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move through it with the sense of loving

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awareness. Thank

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you. From

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BRX.