Kindness, Happiness, & Ease

So setting yourself up in a position that feels comfortable.

Making any of those shifts,

Maybe from the inside outwards that allow you to just settle,

To be still.

Begin by really taking a moment now to scan the body,

Right from the crown of your head all the way down into the tips of your toes.

And just noting if there's any areas of obvious tension or tightness where they might feel a little tension or where there's some holding on,

Where perhaps you can naturally just begin to soften.

Becoming aware of any thoughts or feelings that you might be experiencing and acknowledging how things really are for you right now.

Beginning to bring that awareness right into your body as you feel through the feet,

The legs,

The hips,

The lower part of the body,

The upper part,

Through the arms,

The shoulders,

The neck and the hips.

Becoming aware now of the movement of your breath,

The actual sensations of breathing,

Reminding yourself that you are here,

Alive and whole.

If it feels okay,

You might now start to bring to mind the image of a person who you know or that you have in mind.

And if you feel that you are here,

You might start to feel that you are alive and whole.

And if you feel that you are alive and whole,

You might think of a person who you know or that you have known in your life to be loving,

To be kind.

Someone who easily evokes feeling of warmth.

And that might be a spouse or a partner,

A parent or a family member,

Even a mentor or a close friend.

Someone that in some way has been good to you,

Who helps you feel safe and whole,

And who's caring easily emanates from them to you.

And if that feels challenging for some reason,

If a person,

Whether past or present,

Doesn't quite come to mind,

Maybe for you today it's just someone who that you know to be inspirational,

Or someone who you look up to.

Someone for whom it's easy to imagine sending wishes of wellbeing to.

And if it feels right now,

As you imagine them silently saying to them,

May you be healthy and whole.

May you be happy or content when happiness just maybe isn't an option.

May you have love,

Warmth and affection in your life.

May you be protected from harm and free from fear.

May you experience inner peace and ease.

Now if those words maybe don't feel so right,

You might have your own words or ways to express these wishes for them,

So feel free to use those.

As you take now just a few minutes to really feel how it is to simply wish these things for them.

Letting yourself have a sense of these wishes of wellbeing emanating from you to them,

Connecting you to them.

Notice how it feels inside of you as you share with this person that you love or that you care about.

As you remain connected,

Seeing if you can now imagine this person or figure as they too now wish these very same things for you.

Knowing that they simply have your wellbeing in their heart.

May you imagine them as saying to you,

May you be healthy and whole.

May you be happy or no contentment when happiness maybe isn't just an option.

May you be protected from harm and free from fear.

May you have love,

Warmth and affection in your life.

May you know inner peace and ease.

Just beginning now to let those feelings wash over you.

As you feel their unconditional love and caring for you,

Letting the wishes of love and safety grow within you.

Just knowing that there's nothing that you have to do to deserve this.

These wishes,

These feelings,

They're given freely without condition.

Seeing if you can really connect to the meaning of these phrases.

Even if right now you're not feeling all of the safety or all of the warmth.

Just simply knowing that this is their wish for you.

Now seeing if you can perhaps extend these same wishes for yourself.

Even if it feels a little challenging,

A little difficult.

Perhaps if it feels okay,

You might hear yourself now as you silently speak to yourself.

May I feel healthy and loved.

May I know happiness and contentment if happiness maybe isn't an option.

May I be safe and protected.

May I know inner peace and ease.

Now beginning to extend these wishes a little more broadly maybe to loved ones.

For whom it's also easy to have these wishes for.

Maybe it's a child or a family member or a dear friend.

Even a loved pet.

And if it feels right saying to them in your own way and with your own words.

May you be healthy and loved in your life.

May you know happiness or contentment if happiness isn't an option.

May you be safe and protected and not suffer.

May you have inner peace and ease.

Maybe seeing now if there are others in your life that you can extend these wishes to.

A friend,

Maybe a coworker or a neighbour.

As you silently now say from yourself to them.

May you be healthy and loved in your life.

May you know happiness or contentment if happiness isn't an option.

May you be safe and protected and free from harm.

May you too know inner peace and ease.

It might be possible now to expand even more broadly to acquaintances or people that you know of but maybe don't have such a personal relationship with.

The people that you see around town,

Your neighbours,

Even maybe people that you don't have such a strong feeling about.

As you now say to these people.

May you feel healthy and loved.

May you know happiness or contentment in your life when happiness isn't an option.

May you feel safe and protected and free from suffering.

May you know inner peace and ease.

And even if these wishes aren't infused with that same level of warmth or love as maybe they were with a loved one.

And even if you can just extend the wish without any expectation that it should make you or them feel in any particular way.

Just connecting instead with what these wishes represent.

And keep these people in your awareness as you send and share these good wishes.

Wishing for them to be healthy and whole.

Wishing for them to have aliveness and love in their lives.

Just as they are.

If you're feeling strong and secure and only if you're comfortable with this you might now try and extend these wishes to include someone in your life who's maybe a little difficult for you right now.

Not necessarily the most challenging person but just someone for whom there's been some sort of frustration or misunderstanding.

And in doing this it may just help to remember that just like you they want to be loved.

And just like you they want peace in their lives.

You might even say to yourself just like me they want to feel happy and joyful.

And just like me they want peace and ease.

And they want to be loved and to know that their loved ones are safe and healthy.

And just like me they're doing the best that they can with what inner and outer resources they have.

And if it feels possible now silently saying to them may you feel peace and ease.

May you have love and warmth in your life.

May you be healthy and whole,

Happy or content if happiness just isn't an option.

And if this feels difficult there's real value in noticing what it's like just to extend the wish.

Recognizing that in doing so that you're not condoning their actions but instead just seeing them as a human being.

With just some of the same needs as you.

To be loved,

To be safe,

To be at peace.

And if it's possible remembering now that the circle that began with yourself and the person that you love the most.

Your family,

Your friends.

And seeing if you can broaden this circle now to include all the very many people that you maybe don't know.

Those who might live far away in other countries or cultures.

Saying now to them may you be healthy and loved.

May you know happiness or contentment if happiness just isn't an option.

May you know peace and ease.

May you have love and warmth in your life.

May we all be happy,

Healthy and loved.

May we all be safe and protected.

May we all live together with peace,

With ease,

With freedom.

Just as we are.

And as this practice now begins to come to an end.

Just taking some time to really appreciate and feel what's been generated through this practice.

Even if there have been difficult or challenging parts just knowing that the practice alone it has such potential to increase your sense of aliveness,

Of connection,

Of belonging.

And just beginning to allow yourself now feel again into this physical presence,

The sensations of your body.

Your feet,

Your seat,

Your upper torso,

Neck and head.

Beginning to notice the movement of your own breath.

The liveness and nourishment to your body as a whole just as these wishes of good will bring aliveness and nourishment to all of those around you.

Beginning to find some movement in your body.

Stretch if it feels good.

Slowly now begin to take your time as you open your eyes and find your way back.