10% Happier with Dan Harris This Quick Practice Will Make You Feel Lighter | Jay Michaelson
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Feb 8, 2026 
Jay Michaelson, meditation teacher and author, leads a concise loving-kindness practice that swaps phrases for a heart-centered visualization. He describes settling into a warm golden light, expanding it from loved ones to neutral and difficult people, then broadening to community and all beings. The practice ends by inviting you to receive the same light you share.
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Lineage Behind The Practice
- Jay Michaelson learned this visualization from his teacher's teacher, Venerable Ayakima, a German-born nun in a Sri Lankan lineage.
- The lineage passed from Ayakima to Lee Brasington and then to Jay.
Use Visualization Over Phrases
- Close your eyes and ground in the body, feeling weight and the breath to access the heart center for this practice.
- Imagine a warm golden light in your heart and use that visualization instead of repeating loving-kindness phrases.
Fake It Until You Feel It
- If the visualization or warmth feels fake or awkward, allow yourself to 'fake it till you make it.'
- Let thoughts about how to visualize pass and focus on the felt experience instead.