As a healthcare provider,
Your days can be filled with appointments,
Some of which you know will go smoothly,
And some of which you already know are going to be hard.
Maybe your patient or client will be angry,
Inappropriate,
Or simply in a really hard situation that you can't do much about at all.
So let's take a moment to ground ourselves and cultivate compassion before we engage with our patients or clients.
I promise you it will make your day go smoother and even help your clients too.
So take a look at your schedule for today and feel free to pause this track if you need,
Coming back when you're ready.
Then find a comfortable seated position,
Allowing your spine to be upright and your hands resting gently on your lap.
Either settling your eyes closed or letting the eyelids come to a half-close,
Finding a spot on the floor a few feet in front of you to settle your soft gaze on.
Begin by bringing your awareness to your breath.
Take a few long and slow breaths in and out through the nose,
Scanning your body for any areas of tension or discomfort,
And with each breath out to the extent that you're able to today,
Melting away tension.
Feeling the support of the ground beneath you and the breath in the body inviting you into the present moment.
Now bringing to mind the list of patients or clients you're going to see today or tomorrow.
Visualize the first person in your mind's eye,
Holding them gently in your awareness,
Acknowledging any emotions or thoughts or physical sensations in the body that arise as you consider the challenges they may be facing.
As you continue to visualize them,
Imagine any suffering or discomfort they may be experiencing as a dark cloud around them.
With each inhale,
Breathe in this cloud of suffering,
Of struggle,
Allowing it to fill your lungs.
As you do so,
Remind yourself that you are not taking on their suffering to burden yourself,
But rather to transform it with compassion.
Now as you exhale,
Visualize sending out a stream of light and warmth from your heart.
This light represents comfort,
Healing,
And compassion.
With each breath out,
Offer this light to your patients,
Enveloping this first person in a sense of ease and support.
As you breathe in now,
You might attach the thing you wish to alleviate from them,
Imagining that dark cloud as physical or emotional pain,
Loneliness,
Stuckness,
Or anger.
And as you breathe out,
You might attach the qualities you wish to send them to that bright,
White,
Warm light.
Qualities like support,
Safety,
Success,
Or recovery.
Or of course,
You may just stick to the visualization.
Continue this practice of Dong Len,
Moving along to the next client or patient in your day.
Breathing in the wish to take away their struggle and pain.
Breathing out a sense of spaciousness and well-being,
Imagining this bright,
White light with these qualities you have attached.
Reaching this patient,
Being breathed in,
Received by your client.
And whenever needed,
Taking a break from this and offering Dong Len for yourself.
Breathing in that black substance representing your own suffering,
Your own struggle.
Be it an aversion to caring for others when you're already struggling yourself.
Or perhaps it's a doubt that you'll be able to help.
Or maybe it's a physical tightness that comes along with a long,
Busy,
Or overbooked day ahead.
With every breath out,
Transforming that dark sense of struggle into a spacious,
White light filling the space around you,
Representing a sense of ease,
Presence,
And peace.
Moving on to the next client or patient in your day.
Moving back and forth like this between the people you will see today and yourself in this Dong Len practice as often as you need.
Choosing now to bring your practice to a close with the sound of the bell.
Or if you'd like to continue with this practice,
Continuing on beyond the bell for as long as you need.
