Today I'm offering you a guided meditation to help you enter the space of the heart with your partner. You can do this practice on your own before spending some time with your partner, or you can do it together at the beginning of your date. You'll see that it's a special space that allows you to connect with each other. It's part of the exploration booklet Venus Day, which, through the story of Naani Sapna, an Indian grandmother, offers you a different perspective on love and explorations for nourishing the connection in your relationship.
Ready? Here we go!
(In order to skip the intro and go straight to the practice, start at minute 0:55)
Transcript of the audio meditation:
Take the time to sit down in a place where you feel comfortable, you can also choose to lie down, put one hand on your belly and the other on your heart and connect with your breathing. Without changing it, observe your inhalation and then your exhalation, perhaps you can also notice the natural pause between the two. Observe again your inhalation and exhalation. Observe the dance of your breath, where it is located in your body, more in your belly? the top of your chest? observe without judging, starting to open a space of pure observation within you.
While keeping your focus on your breathing, begin to bring your attention to your coming date with your partner, observe whether you have any expectations about the moment, for example: "this evening must be fun", or "today we must really feel connected". Observe without judging, without entering into conversation with the expectation.
Pause
Well done! Now I'll give you a little exercise. Instead of formulating expectations, we're going to reformulate them as intentions. What does this mean, for example: If your expectation is that your partner will really be present this evening, take a moment to think about the word "presence" and what it means to you. Perhaps it's a state where you're close to your feelings, able to share them but also able to hear those of the other person. If that's the case, your intention could be, for example: "Tonight I intend to be open, curious and close to my feelings and those of my partner.” The interesting thing about an intention rather than an expectation is that it doesn't put pressure on anyone but simply opens up a possibility.
Now take the time to reformulate your expectations into personal intentions internally. Observe how you feel after reformulating your expectation into an intention, is there a little more space inside you?
Pause
Great! Now place both hands on your heart and invite the qualities of curiosity, kindness and non-judgement into you. You can do this by feeling them, by remembering a time when these qualities were present or by visualizing a person who you think embodies them.
Pause
Remember that what you are about to share with your partner will be done to honour and nourish your connection, but that it is only a container for this connection. It is not your connection itself. This moment doesn't have to be perfect, it's just about sharing a moment together, letting yourself be surprised, so be curious.
You can now take 3 deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. Then, open your eyes…you're ready, ready for your Venus Date. We wish you a beautiful moment of connection!