Hello,
Friends who are fellow animal lovers.
This meditation is for you to share with a pet that you love deeply.
Your loved animal might need some healing or caring for,
But this meditation is also for you to bring more love and compassion into your heart so you can share it with everyone.
You can sit,
Lie back,
Or snuggle with your animal friend,
Or perhaps you might try to envision an animal you care about in your mind.
Your animal friend is just like you.
They want to be loved,
Heard,
And validated just like any human being does.
It's just that animals have a different way of communicating their feelings and how they experience the world.
While your animal friend may not understand all the words of this meditation,
Their nervous systems will match the state of your nervous system.
So if you're relaxed,
Your animal friend will sense that and also become relaxed.
We call this co-regulation.
So let's get ourselves into a peaceful,
Loving mode first.
Close your eyes and place a hand over your belly.
Notice the gentle rise and fall of your breath.
And do this for a few seconds.
Take some nice,
Slow breaths,
Perhaps through the nose,
And sigh those breaths out through the mouth.
We're going to grow our loving-kindness within ourselves.
So now we'll return to our regular breath,
And we're going to pretend that a blanket made of love and kindness has been draped over you.
And your pet.
What does your loving-kindness blanket look like?
Is it heavy?
Maybe it's super soft?
Make the temperature of that blanket perfect for soothing you and your animal together.
And under this blanket,
Your bodies and minds will only feel love,
So much love,
That you can see it as perhaps a light shining from your heart.
Next,
Make your lips so that you are smiling just a little.
Not a huge smile,
Just a relaxed one.
One where your eyes are gentle and smiling too.
And now,
Under this perfect blanket of loving-kindness,
Repeat these words that you hear.
May I be happy.
May I be safe.
May I accept myself just as I am.
May I be calm.
And may I be loved.
And now we're going to spread this loving-kindness wish to your animal friend.
If your animal friend is with you,
Let them feel your loving-kindness radiating.
Maybe they like their head rubbed.
Or they simply enjoy feeling the warmth of your body next to them.
Just being calm and by their side communicates to their nervous system that it's okay to listen to these words.
Now repeat these words softly to your animal friend.
May you be happy.
May you be safe.
May you accept yourself just as you are.
May you be calm.
And may you feel loved.
Your animal friend probably understands.
They understood more than we will ever know.
And sharing your calm words and loving-kindness with them will make your relationship with them even stronger.
Next,
Have you and your pet think of someone that cares for you both.
This could be a parent,
A grandparent,
Or guardian that you think could use some loving-kindness sent their way to.
Keep this person in your mind and wish them these same loving-kindness words.
May you be happy.
May you be safe.
May you accept yourself just as you are.
May you be calm.
And may you feel loved.
So hopefully you are feeling the warmth of love and kindness radiating beneath your blanket with your pet right now.
And while you are feeling this love surround you,
Send it to someone who might not be your favorite person.
Maybe it's someone from school that you don't see eye-to-eye with.
Maybe it's someone who just doesn't get you.
Don't judge them.
Just picture them.
And know that they're just like you.
Just like your animal friend.
And just like the person who takes care of you.
And this person also,
Like you,
Wants to be loved,
Heard,
And validated.
Maybe this person doesn't experience the world the same as you.
Or maybe they communicate differently how they feel.
But loving-kindness is a language that everyone can understand.
So let's send this person some.
Picture them and repeat these words again.
May you be happy.
May you be safe.
May you accept yourself just as you are.
May you be calm.
And may you feel loved.
And now,
Let's extend this loving-kindness full circle right back to yourself.
Feel how calming it is to feel unconditional love to everyone.
And know that you can always come back under this loving-kindness blanket meditation with your animal friend.
And cultivate more love and kindness to other animals and other humans.
In both your lives.
Slowly open your eyes now.
And may you share kindness and compassion for others.
No matter who they are.
Namaste,
My animal-loving friends.
