Meditation for Loving Kindness In this meditation we are going to send out ripples of well wishes to ourselves,
To others around us,
And to the world at large.
When we intentionally practice loving kindness,
We are investing in our own well-being.
We are ensuring that our storehouse of love is full,
So that we easily spread it to others and infuse our own days with beauty and meaning.
Let's begin by quieting our thoughts and preparing ourselves for inner transformation.
We are going to do this by attending to sound,
Using the sounds in our environment to anchor us in the present moment.
Close your eyes and pay close attention to everything you hear right now.
It could be cars on the street outside,
People chatting,
Birds singing,
Maybe even the sounds of construction.
Rather than forming an opinion about these sounds,
Just let them wash over you like ocean waves.
Just relax and lose yourself in the stillness of sound.
And now I'd like you to call before your mind's eye someone for whom you naturally feel affection.
Try to think of someone who really just makes your heart sing.
It could be a child you adore,
Your own,
Or a niece or a nephew,
Or a life partner,
Your best friend from childhood,
Your pet.
See if you can evoke this being right now.
Picture them before you.
Maybe you can feel their energy swirling around you.
Or maybe you can smell them.
What is their scent like?
Whatever you can do to really feel that you're in this person's presence right now.
And once you do that,
I'm going to give you some phrases to repeat.
If you feel comfortable,
You might even try saying them out loud,
Really infusing them with gusto as you send them out into this person's heart.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
May only good things come into your space today.
May light descend upon you and peace reside within you.
May you be healthy.
May you be prosperous.
And may you find genuine happiness,
Remaining blissful and calm in the face of what is good and bad.
You could even make up your own things to say or simply picture that person just lighting up with all of the loving kindness that you're sending them.
Just reach deep inside you and find your own best method for transmitting loving kindness to this person.
Now let that image fade away and just go back to center for a moment.
Go back to sound.
And call before your mind's eye a clear and vivid image of yourself.
And you might say to yourself,
May I awaken to my own inner happiness?
May I find peace,
Calm,
And awareness as I go about my day today.
May I rest in mindfulness.
May I be alive with joy.
And may I find genuine happiness,
Remaining blissful and calm in the face of what is good and bad.
Once you feel infused with your own wishes for loving kindness,
Go back to center.
Go back to sound.
And we are now going to shine that loving kindness on someone you met in passing recently.
Perhaps this was someone who rang up your cup of coffee or a bus driver,
The person who delivers your mail.
It doesn't need to be someone you had a particularly memorable exchange with.
Just see if you can call them to mind.
And when they're there in front of you,
You might say to them,
I wish you happiness.
I wish you well.
I wish you all good things on your journey today.
May love and light surround you.
May peace descend upon you.
And may you find genuine happiness.
May you remain blissful and calm in the face of everything that is good or bad.
And gently let that person's image fade and find your center.
Once again,
Paying attention to sound.
And feel all of that warmth just swirling around your heart center,
All of that loving kindness that you just generated.
Feel it gaining momentum as it circulates.
And then take a deep breath and send it out to your neighborhood.
And watch it as it flows through your city or town.
And now see it spread over your whole country and flooding the globe.
Touching clusters of people on every continent,
Just blanketing the whole universe,
Transcending space and time.
Feel yourself to well in love and happiness.
Recognize yourself as the source of that love.
And if you're open to it,
I invite you to pose a question to yourself.
How much heart energy can I generate today?
Visualize yourself going through your day with an expanded heart,
Big enough to unfold and transform every person you meet.
Hold that image of yourself,
Your most loving yourself,
Gently in your mind's eye.
And just breathe naturally.
Now,
Once again,
Anchor yourself back in the present moment by taking a mental stock of any sounds filtering in.
Just relaxing into the flow of sound.
Now open your eyes and be well.
