Loving Kindness Meditation - Relationships (30 Mins) 4.24.23

Hello and welcome.

Thank you so much for joining me here today.

My name is Abby and I'm a yogi,

Salesforce engineer and creator of Consider Volunteering,

My personal brand of community empowerment.

And it is Monday and I'm back with another session of loving kindness meditation.

This has been my Monday start of the week practice where I'm sharing this kind of loving kindness meditation with the world because I believe each and every time we sit down at our mats,

We make the world a better place by doing this kind of meditation.

As this meditation is focused on combating the negative thoughts that I know ran too rampant in my own mind,

And maybe just maybe do that for you.

So during this practice over the next 30 minutes,

We will complete a loving kindness meditation from start to finish,

No prior experience necessary.

The first step is to find our way into a comfortable seat.

So we will be sitting in this same position for 30 minutes.

So whatever position you pick,

Be sure you can sustain it for that amount of time.

I choose my meditation cushion here in my yoga office room,

But do feel free to select whatever posture feels best for you today.

Nothing should hurt.

We are just doing a meditation.

Nothing physically stressful,

Hopefully.

But we will go on a mental journey over the next 30 minutes as our meditation consists of two parts.

First will be our set of phrases.

So a loving kindness meditation is a meditation in which we repeat a set of phrases silently to ourselves.

So within my head,

I'm going to be saying these phrases.

And we definitely could say them out loud,

But somebody might look at you funny,

As I do like to take this practice off the mat.

And so the phrases I will be using today are,

May you be happy,

May you be healthy,

May you be safe,

May you live with ease.

Please do feel free to select your own phrases.

These are not set in stone,

But just the ones I will be using as our example today.

I promise the rhythm comes in time.

Now I can say these without a second thought.

So our first part of our practice is the set of phrases in which we will use to set our intention or in theory,

Rewire our brains with more positive,

Compassionate thoughts by sending these phrases to five different groups of people.

So five different groups will receive our phrases today.

First,

Starting with the self.

So we will first bring ourselves to mind as we send our phrases.

Then we move to a loving relationship.

A loving relationship is second,

Hopefully something we can really remember when times are tough.

Then we move to a neutral relationship.

I often describe this as a member of the public,

Somebody we interact with regularly,

But we don't really know well.

So third,

We send our phrases to a neutral relationship,

Hopefully contemplating our relationship with our community.

Fourth is a difficult relationship.

Our loving kindness practice is a real journey as we shift from loving,

A neutral,

And then fourth,

A difficult relationship.

Definitely does not have to be the most difficult relationship.

My teacher always says that it's wise not to.

Shannon Salzberg always recommends maybe not your most stickler of a relationship.

But I say if that's what's the only thing that's coming up,

If you cannot get past it,

You know,

We may not tackle this most difficult relationship with one session.

But I believe slowly but surely we do will change our perspective,

Even if it really does feel like a big mountain.

Finally,

We round out our practice by sending our phrases to all beings everywhere.

So we send our phrases finally to all beings everywhere.

Fifth and final,

Rounding out our 30 minutes of loving kindness practice today.

And so I greatly appreciate you taking the time to get here.

Like showing up is the hardest part,

But I believe our small effort and connecting with this moment,

Ourselves,

Community,

Really does make the world a better place.

And I think we can all hopefully agree that our world could do some bettering.

And so those are all the instructions I have for you.

I hope you found your way to your comfortable seat as it is time to shift into our practice for today.

Right,

Our first group will be the self.

We bring ourselves to our hearts.

I often like to imagine my current self sitting on my larger future self's lap,

And then holding my childhood self,

You know,

Kind of thinking how I've supported myself and grown over these many years with these many practices,

And hopefully,

I'm just getting better,

More at peace.

So may I be happy.

May I be healthy.

May I be safe.

May I live with ease.

May I be happy.

May I be healthy.

May I be safe.

May I live with ease.

May I be happy.

May I be healthy.

May I be safe.

May I live with ease.

And continue on your own.

There is no regular breath or specific breath that comes along with this particular meditation practice,

Just one in which you can sustain your phrases.

Our breath reminds us we're alive,

That we're in this present moment,

That we will continue on.

It has unrelenting faith that it will continue,

Our breath always.

And so all we need is this one small pause,

This one split second in order to remember,

Feel.

Man,

If we all had that pause in order to truly choose what we wanted to go forward instead of reacting,

Man,

Wouldn't the world be a kinder place?

May I be happy.

May I be healthy.

May I be safe.

May I live with ease.

May I be happy.

May I be healthy.

May I be safe.

May I live with ease.

And so with that,

Dear friends,

It is time to transition away from the self,

Taking one last pause to notice how you feel after these five minutes of phrases towards the self.

Maybe just maybe we'll remember how it's different next time.

As we shift into our loving relationship for this week,

What loving relationship would you like to spend these five minutes cherishing?

Even if it's a strange loving relationship,

It is a loving relationship in this lifetime,

We should fully commit to our love.

If only we have a chance to express it just one more time.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you live with ease.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you live with ease.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you live with ease.

Today I'm contemplating those truly touching moments in life.

How so many of them have just slipped me past.

When I'm in the moment,

Always biting my tongue because I feel like I don't have a place to go.

And so isn't it so precious we get this short five minutes to think about the truly touching moment or relationship in our lives so that we might have the opportunity to recognize the ones in the future.

So we do have that opportunity to say what we mean,

We mean what we hope to all interactions being more authentic in that way.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you live with ease.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you live with ease.

Now that dear friends,

It is time to take one last notice of how you feel after our section on our loving relationship.

As we shift into our neutral relationship for this week,

Our member of the community,

The public,

Somebody we don't know well but see regularly.

How these interactions and community,

I'm thinking the grocery store,

Can bring a smile to somebody's face,

Can make somebody's day or have your day made.

Wouldn't it be nice to have all the worry just drop away in one small interaction?

How beautiful is life?

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you live with ease.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you live with ease.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you live with ease.

If you don't think there's a community out there for you,

Right,

Not this local community in the grocery store,

But a community with like-minded individuals about things in which you love.

I just went to a live D&D performance.

How unique it was to stumble across a group of like-minded individuals in my local area.

Just how unique on this very niche topic.

But I was able to go and sit in a room with people who love and laugh at the weird nerdy things,

All things sci-fi.

I hope.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you live with ease.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you live with ease.

And with that,

Dear friends,

It is time to set down our neutral relationship for this week.

Maybe taking one last notice of how you've shifted from the last section as we move into our difficult relationship for this week.

At least favorite part of the practice,

But we must find balance as we go on this lifelong journey.

Finding balance takes a long time through all seven chakras,

Through our whole life,

Through the peaks and the valleys.

And so we must persist on,

Or together we practice in hopes that we can move on in a more positive,

More fulfilling direction.

Even if it's just these short 30 minutes of loving kindness practice.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you live with ease.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you live with ease.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you live with ease.

I'd like to think these 30 minutes of loving kindness practice are the thoughts in our head that tell us our imposter syndrome is irrational.

That right,

These negative thoughts that we think about the self,

That we believe about the self.

This practice negates those as we are enough.

We have persevered through so much,

Shifted through so many mountains.

The proof is in the pudding.

We are here today practicing again.

Do not discount your efforts as I believe them to be masterful.

I hope you feel that now when we work through these uncomfortable feelings.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you live with ease.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you live with ease.

With that,

Dear friends,

We can set down our difficult relationship for this week.

Maybe we skip noticing today or maybe you can take it as you are strong and we transition and let go into all and do all beings everywhere.

Celebrating the many possibilities in this life.

A new life is just one decision,

One moment away.

Maybe just maybe with these loving kindness phrases,

That decision and moment can be a more peaceful,

Light,

Whatever descriptor you'd like for your future.

I hope you're able to achieve it.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you live with ease.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you live with ease.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you live with ease.

It takes great strength to persevere and find the courage to live your truth.

But I believe there is no greater power,

No power that drives us all,

The light that shines within each and every one of us,

This life force that gives us purpose.

May I get out of my own way and let it shine through as brilliant as the sun,

As powerful as its rays.

Could you feel its warmth within you?

May we feel it always when we need it.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you live with ease.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you live with ease.

And with that,

My dear friends,

Our practice is done for today.

I hope this last check-in is leaving you feeling lighter and more at peace.

Those are the themes in which I hope for in my life.

And if only I could go about without this heaviness in my chest,

This hate towards the self,

Right?

I'm going to flip that on its head and find more peace and compassion.

And I greatly appreciate you taking the time to practice with me today.

I'm honored that you chose me to connect with.

I'm so grateful to have you part of my journey as well.

And until next time,

With love,

Namaste.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you live with ease.