So,
Yeah,
Let's just move the body a little bit to get the energy flowing and then gradually adopt a comfortable stationary position,
One that works for our body with its needs and limitations.
And then bringing our awareness into the field of tactile sensations.
And that in itself is a shift in perception because instead of thinking of the body with its very specific shape,
Its very specific boundaries and so forth,
We're starting to perceive it as a field of energy.
And that energy is simply tactile sensations,
Nothing mystical.
But we attend to those sensations and especially to the sensations associated with the qualities of stillness,
Stability and firmness.
So this time we'll do a reverse body scan,
Starting with our crown,
Bringing our awareness there,
Releasing tension if there's any tension to be found,
And then coming down to the face,
The facial muscles,
Then down into our neck,
Down into the shoulders,
Our arms,
Forearms,
Hands and fingers,
And then the chest,
The abdominal area,
Our pelvic floor,
And then our legs and feet,
Allowing the breath to move naturally,
Washing away all the different types of tension and unnecessary activity.
And with our mind revisiting a vast and positive aspiration for our own psychological flourishing.
And with that as the foundation for our practice,
Returning to the tender awareness of ourselves,
Of this person practicing here.
Warmth,
Caring,
Affection.
Breathing naturally but allowing this tender awareness to wash over us again and again.
Not as an emotional wave,
But in terms of simply being warm-hearted,
Gentle,
And then out of that generating the wish,
May I be happy and have the causes of happiness.
And not holding our breath when that happens,
But rather allowing the breath to continue moving and strengthening this aspiration as it flows forth from the depths of our beings,
From what sometimes is referred to as our basic goodness.
And tenderness is one of the facets of that.
So right now we're allowing that tenderness to crystallize into loving kindness,
And we're resting with the aspiration.
If we wish,
We can even try to project the same wish,
The same aspiration,
Through our very hands resting on our body,
As if just that experience of touching our knee or our thigh was meant to convey the wish,
May you be happy,
To send that wish into the depths of our being,
Where it originally came from anyway.
So it's a self-reinforcing positive loop,
Circulation of the energy of love or loving kindness.
And then the next step is to think of our beloved benefactor,
A mentor,
A grandparent,
Someone who is ideally alive,
Active in the world,
And therefore able to experience greater flourishing in the same body,
With the same name,
With the same mind.
Imagining them in the space in front of us,
And first resting in the tender awareness of them as a bundle of energy.
Still breathing naturally,
And allowing that tenderness to crystallize into loving kindness,
May you be happy and have the causes of happiness.
One way to do this is to think that we're sending these wishes from our side,
As if each wish was a little valentine card that we're sending them.
And that's a valid approach.
But another approach to experiment with is to think that each time we generate that wish,
It's as if that wish is coming up from the depths of their being.
Through some deep synchronicity we're activating that deep within them.
Or we're noticing that beating deep within them.
May you be happy and have the causes of happiness.
Then,
Turning our attention towards a friend in the conventional sense of the word.
That can be simply a friend,
Even our best friend potentially,
If we have one.
Or it can be a romantic partner,
Or a beloved relative,
A sibling,
A mother,
A child,
Someone we're quite close to.
Imagining this person in front of us and once again recognizing their own wish to be happy.
And resting in tender awareness of them.
Appreciative,
Open warmth.
Still breathing naturally,
And allowing this warmth to crystallize into loving kindness.
May you have happiness and the causes of happiness.
When our mind gets distracted,
We come back to the aspiration,
To the object,
Meaning the person.
And with the corner of our mind we're also seeing if this wish is indeed becoming quite conditional.
If there are demands and expectations coming up in the space of our mind.
Or if we're able to wish them happiness and well-being,
Even if we were no longer in the picture ourselves.
And not in a dramatic way,
But simply because they deserve to be happy no matter what.
So strengthening that with each exhalation.
And then as a bookend for this practice and for today's session,
Just spending a few moments with all beings as the object.
As if all beings were placed into our hands for care and warmth.
May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness.
And that also becomes the final aspiration and the final dedication for today's session.
Through our practice together,
May all beings have happiness and its causes.
But to conclude properly,
We then bring our awareness back to the body,
Exploring the sensations there.
And when we feel ready,
We introduce some movement to the body.
Then we bring our awareness back to the space around us.
And then we conclude.
