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Get Yourself Centered
By Bess Gallanis
Inner Smile Meditation
By Bess Gallanis
From Chaos to Calm Teleconference Series
October 29, 2009
© Bess Gallanis Inc. 2009. All rights reserved.

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Your Golden Buddha Nature
It was the late 13th century, and the monks who were charged with maintaining a sacred shrine
that held a Golden Buddha covered the statue in mud to conceal its value from an invading army.
The monks were killed in the war, the Golden Buddha was forgoFen and the clay‐covered statue
sat untouched for nearly 900 years in the city that we know today as Bangkok, Thailand.
It was the late 1950s, and an ancient clay Buddha statue needed to be moved from its shrine to
make way for urban development in Bangkok. The huge statue was much heavier than the
engineers expected, and as it was liKed from its resLng block, the statue began to crack.
The workman set the Buddha down in the street to spend the night covered by a tarp, unLl they
could bring a crane the next day. A rainstorm developed and in the middle of the night, the head
monk got out of bed to check on the safety of the sacred temple statue.
With a flashlight, the monk carefully checked the Buddha for any damage. As he walked around the
huge clay figure shining his light on the cracks, something caught the monk’s aFenLon. He found a
chisel and a hammer and began carefully chipping away the clay to reveal a 10‐feet high statue,
five‐ton solid gold statue of Buddha.
Today, the graceful Golden Buddha sits in peaceful repose, radiaLng purity and power and inspiring
hundreds of daily visitors.
There is a Golden Buddha inside each of us. It sits in our core and keeps us centered. Keep the
image of the Golden Buddha in place and use the Inner Smile pracLce to access your core nature
throughout the day.
Bess Gallanis Inc. 2009. All rights reserved.

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Get in touch with your body
 Close your eyes, breathe
normally, and take some time to
completely relax.
 Place your hand, palm down, on
your abdomen, thumb on belly
button. Focus your attention on
your center.
 Breathe normally and surrender
to the feeling of calm.
 Note how your body feels: heavy
or light, stiff or supple, closed or
open.
Bess Gallanis Inc. 2009. All rights reserved.

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Get in touch with your inner smile
 Shift your attention to your
mouth and make a small smile.
 With each inhalation, feel the
smile spread across your jaw
and up your cheeks.
 Continue to breath and feel your
smile reach your eyes and your
forehead.
 Smile with your entire face.
 Note the peaceful expression you
have on your face.
Bess Gallanis Inc. 2009. All rights reserved.

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Get in touch with your Golden Buddha
 Allow your smile – the feeling of
your smile -- to spread down
your chest and into your heart
center. Stay here for a few
breaths, smiling from your heart.
 Allow your smile to expand to
your belly. Stay here for a few
breaths, smiling from your core.
 Note how your body feels as the
image stimulates your emotions.
You may physically feel warm
and relaxed.
Bess Gallanis Inc. 2009. All rights reserved.

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Imprint this positive mental state
 Study the feeling of this
smiling energy, commit to
memory the feeling calm,
peaceful, spacious and open.
 This is a mental state of mind
that is available to you on
demand, just like recalling a
memory.
 To trigger this state - smile.
Bess Gallanis Inc. 2009. All rights reserved.

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Summon your Golden Buddha
 Keep the image of the Golden
Buddha in your mind’s eye as
an anchor to your true nature.
 Radiate your Golden Buddha
nature by keeping a small
smile on your face as often as
possible.
 Use your inner smile to
summon or trigger the Golden
Buddha mental state, that
feeling of calm, relaxation and
peace.
Bess Gallanis Inc. 2009. All rights reserved.

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The power of the inner smile
 Create the conditions for a good day. Upon waking, smile.
Post a note on your alarm clock and on the bathroom mirror
until smiling first thing becomes habit. Starting the day with a
smile sets the stage for a positive attitude.
 Create the conditions for self regard. Be your own best friend
and smile to yourself. Smiling to yourself creates deep inner
harmony.
 Start a small revolution with a smile. You can influence other
with your smile. Projecting your own calm and centeredness
into your immediate environment is reassuring to others, who
will mirror you.
Bess Gallanis Inc. 2009. All rights reserved.

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About Get Yourself Centered
Bess Gallanis Inc.
Corporate Communications | Executive Communications and Leadership | Women and Communications
bess@bessgallanisinc.com
312.659.7572
LinkedIn
Speaking with Power and Persuasion
Bess Gallanis is an industry leading management consultant, communications and leadership development
coach, journalist and the owner of “Speaking with Power and Persuasion,” an executive communications
consulting firm.
She integrates a broad range of perspectives to generate new thinking and positive outcomes in high visibility,
high impact corporate communications initiatives and helps individual executives increase their performance
and generate high personal impact through skillful personal communications.
Recognizing that wellness is a leadership issue, Bess created “Get Yourself Centered,” which looks to the
timeless wisdom of insight traditions for the tools and techniques that keep women balanced, centered and
energized at a high level of personal and professional performance.
The creator and the author of “Yoga Chick,” (Warner Books, 2006), Bess speaks to women and professional
groups on the topics of wellness and professional performance.
Bess Gallanis Inc. 2009. All rights reserved.