Loving Kindness Meditation

Welcome to Meditation Monday and in honor of World Kindness Day I thought that we would do a loving kindness meditation.

It's a practice that orients our mind and our hearts towards kindness and what a great way to start the week.

Start by taking a deep breath in and out and turn your attention inward.

See if you can soften the forehead,

Release the jaw,

Relax the neck,

Let the shoulders drop.

See if you can release any tension in the stomach,

Just softening.

In this practice we repeat certain mantras to ourselves quietly.

We start by sending love and kindness to ourselves and to someone who's easy to love and then to all beings everywhere.

So just take in the mantras,

Let them wash over you and let's start with ourselves.

May I be happy.

May I be peaceful.

May I be free fear stress and suffering.

May I be happy.

May I be peaceful.

May I be free of all fear stress and suffering.

And just feel those mantras,

Feel the words.

May I be happy.

May I be peaceful.

May I be free of fear stress and suffering.

Let's extend these well wishes to someone very easy to love.

Maybe it's your best friend or your dog.

To someone or something really easy to love.

May they be happy.

May they be peaceful.

May they be free of fear stress and suffering.

May they be happy.

May they be peaceful.

May they be free of all fear stress and suffering.

Feel what it's like in your body to send well wishes.

What is it like in the body to send love and kindness?

Does it feel like to love?

And finally we're gonna extend these well wishes to all beings everywhere.

May all beings everywhere be happy.

May all beings everywhere be at peace.

May all beings everywhere be free of fear stress and suffering.

And just imagine these well wishes extending everywhere all over the globe.

May all beings everywhere be happy.

May all beings everywhere be peaceful.

May all beings everywhere be free of fear stress and suffering.

Take another moment to notice what it feels like in the body to send well wishes and to wish people free of fear stress and suffering.

What does that feel like?

And become aware of yourself in the room.

Move side to side.

And whenever you feel ready to leave this meditation you can open your eyes and bring this spirit of kindness with you throughout the day.