Breathing From The Heart - A Compassion Meditation

Hi,

This is Danielle.

I'm so glad you're here with me today.

We are going to be working through a compassion exercise.

This compassion exercise is meant to help us connect to that warm tenderness that we experience when we are in compassion.

This activity is inspired by the work of Kelly McGonigal.

You can start with taking a dignified,

Alert posture.

If it's comfortable for you,

You can either close your eyes or take a soft gaze in front of you.

Just settling in to this moment,

Letting everything that came before and everything that is still to come,

Letting it just sit to the side for right now.

And help just notice the sensations of gravity,

Feeling your body rooted in place.

And when you're ready,

You can bring your attention to the breath.

You can begin by noticing that you are already breathing.

There's no need to change or control it in any way.

And notice the feeling of physical expansion and contraction around your heart and lungs,

Watching as your body breathes in and breathes out.

Seeing this as a sort of warm-up for your heart space.

You can imagine breathing in and out through your physical heart,

Feeling the clear air enter through your heart,

Move throughout your body,

And letting your exhale bring warmth through your heart.

If it feels good for you,

You can put a hand or two on your chest,

Noticing the warmth and pressure.

You can bring to mind now someone or something that you care very deeply about.

Choosing someone who feels uncomplicated and easy for you to love.

And seeing them in your mind's eye,

And let your breath give energy to your love for them.

And let your breath awaken your compassion.

And see if you can spend the next minute or so noticing the sensation,

Tenderness toward them,

Knowing that you can always return.

Always come back to practicing,

To becoming more familiar with this warm,

Tender compassion.

When you're ready,

You can return your focus to your breath.

Returning back into this moment,

You can wiggle your fingers and toes and gently open your eyes.

Thank you for being here with me today.

I hope you enjoyed this little moment of compassion.