Let's begin this meditation by getting into a comfortable posture.
Seated on your chair or the floor on a cushion.
Take a few deep breaths to help relax.
And you can do whatever is helpful for you to help you feel more present.
For some of us that's scanning our bodies.
For some of us that's listening to the sounds around us in the room or outside the room.
For some of us that's simply giving our minds a little time to settle.
If they're active,
Thinking about all sorts of things,
It's absolutely fine and normal.
From time to time,
You might notice your body,
Feeling it present.
And then ultimately,
As if you had a glass filled with mud or dirt,
That's all shook up.
You shake it and it's hard to see through because it's so muddy.
If you give it some time,
The mud will settle to the bottom and you'll be able to see through,
Through the water.
When you're ready at your own pace,
You can allow your attention to come to your breathing.
Finding your breath in the spot that's the clearest for you.
Abdomen,
Chest or nostrils.
And so we begin the practice that we've been doing for some time now.
Attending to our breath,
Our mind wanders off.
We notice it and then gently return to the breath.
Now,
Typically we say thinking or wandering when our mind wanders off.
And in that moment of noticing is a moment of mindfulness.
If you wish,
You can be more specific with what you notice as your mind wanders off.
Planning,
Remembering,
Imagining.
Sometimes that helps you to be specific in that way.
It allows you to be less identified with the thought that takes you from the present moment.
So our main practice is staying with our breathing.
But we also know that if other things in our experience call for our attention,
That we can let go of the breath and focus on them.
It may be sounds from the outside that grab your attention.
We listen to them,
Letting go of the breath,
Listening,
Noticing what happens to them.
And then come back to the breath when they stopped or no longer hold our attention.
The same with body sensations,
Very obvious sensations that pull you away.
Emotions may come through you.
And if they just pass through you or like anything,
We don't have to attend to it.
Just let them be in the background.
So when an emotion feels very obvious,
It's pulling you away.
Let your attention go to it and feel that emotion.
What do you experience in your body?
Tightness,
Pounding chest,
Clutching in the belly,
Tightness in the jaw.
So in this way,
We have a whole range of experience to be aware of.
And we practice this basic mindfulness practice to bring alertness and focus and also acceptance of whatever it is in the present moment.
So we'll go into silence for a bit.
And then I'll come in with more guided in a little while.
As you continue meditating,
Notice what it is you're experiencing right now.
Really notice how you're feeling,
Maybe what's happening in the area of your chest.
So we'll continue on today with the loving kindness practices.
And let's start by bringing to mind someone whom you were generous with this week.
We practice generosity.
So let your mind recall a person you were generous to or with this week.
Have a sense of them in front of you,
See them,
Feel them,
And see if you can remember what it felt like to have them receive your generosity or what the act of giving felt like.
And notice if in that recollection,
It invokes some loving kindness.
And begin to use phrases to wish this person well.
May you be safe and protected from danger.
May you be happy and peaceful.
May you be healthy and strong.
May you be at ease.
May you know how much I care about you.
May you feel loved.
So you can use my phrases,
Your own phrases,
Letting whatever creativity happens inside you.
Having a sense that this kindness is reaching out to this loved one or this person whom you experienced sending or acting generously to this week.
And if there was more than one person,
Let them come to mind.
You can think of all the people you were generous with.
You might imagine them in front of you or just have a sense or a feeling of their presence.
And continue wishing them well.
Continue bringing the loving kindness phrases to these people.
May you be safe and protected.
May you be joyful and at ease.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
And if you're feeling the loving kindness as you remember these people,
As you recall this,
Really let that be here.
Let it be in your body.
Is it in your body?
And if it's not present,
Remember we're planting seeds.
It takes time.
You can bring some mindfulness to what is here.
What does that feel like?
And you can always say for whatever it is I'm feeling,
May I hold this too with kindness and breathe.
Did you send kindness or act generously to someone you don't know so well?
If so,
You can bring them to mind.
A stranger,
A person you did some kind of generous act that you might not know them.
You can wish the stranger well.
May you be safe and protected.
May you be happy and peaceful.
May you be at ease.
If you didn't send generosity in this way or act generously this week,
Pick a stranger right now.
Put them in your mind.
Maybe someone you saw today driving their car or someone in your neighborhood.
Or just let a stranger come to mind and offer the kindness.
May you be safe and protected from all danger.
May you be happy and peaceful.
May you be healthy and strong.
May you be at ease.
Notice the impact on yourself,
What's happening inside you as you do this.
And then as an experiment,
Let yourself bring to mind a person you're challenged by,
A difficult person in your life.
Sense them,
See them,
Feel them in front of you.
And really in the spirit of investigation,
Let's see what it's like to send it to them.
Remembering that everyone wants to be happy.
Even if you don't agree with the ways they go about becoming happy,
Deep down this person wants to be happy and you can wish that for them.
And maybe if they were happier,
They wouldn't act in ways that were harmful.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be happy and peaceful.
May you be healthy and strong.
May you be at ease.
And notice what happens as you do this,
Because this can be challenging.
Letting whatever arises arise.
It's absolutely fine.
And breathe for whatever it is I'm feeling.
May I hold this with kindness.
May I hold this with kindness.
And now come back to yourself in this moment and really offer yourself some kindness,
Some care.
May I be happy.
May I be at ease.
May I be at peace.
May everyone everywhere be happy,
At ease,
And at peace.
