One of my Christmas presents last year was Judith Orloff’s book, Postitive Energy. In it she describes a short meditation to open your heart and make changes now. She suggests this centering for people who need quick tune-ups to help counteract negative energy. I thought it was something that many of us could use right now with all of the news we’re faced with daily in addition to our own life’s challenges.

1. Settle down in a peaceful place. Separate yourself from any possible interruptions–phones, beepers, people. Then get comfortable. For example, prop yourself up in a comfy chair, warmed by the sun in your garden. My heaven is being submerged in a hot bath with candles all around. Make it as sensual as you like. Get very quiet. Relax your body. Slowly inhale. Then exhale. Allow your breath to bring you back to center.
2. Gently rest your palm over your heart chakra. Concentrate on a person, place, song, or memory you cherish. You may want to start with nature. Visualize a sublime dawn. Or picture a puppy napping in your lap. If you prefer, focus on your higher power, whatever your definition. The purpose is to feel love in a general sense, then specifically as a localized energy in your midchest.
3. Visualize any thoughts as clouds drifting in the sky. As always during this practice, try to detach from thoughts; just let them float by as they pass in and out of your awareness. Keep returning to the breath to center yourself.
4. Observe the sensations in your heart center, dramatic or subtle. Heat. Coolness. Tingling. Vibration. Expansion. Bliss. Pressure releasing. Compassion. Let it happen. Don’t hold back. With time, you’ll feel a vortex of positive energy growing in your heart that spontaneously flows out into your body.

From Judith Orloff’s book, Positive Energy, 2005.