Welcome to your kindness meditation.
So as usual just finding a comfortable posture,
Sitting or lying down.
Making sure that you've got everything you need,
That your body is well supported wherever you are.
Just letting yourself arrive in your body first.
You might be listening to the sounds around you.
You might have a sense of the room.
Feeling the points of contact that your body is making with the surface that it's resting on.
Sensing the support of the floor,
The chair,
The bed.
You might be warmth there,
Slight pressure.
The feeling of the clothes on your skin.
Noticing the air flowing in and out.
Cool air coming in through your nostrils.
Warmer air flowing out.
Letting everything settle.
Thoughts,
The day or the night.
Like snow settles on the ground.
Softening the muscles around the eyes.
So if you're bringing a slight smile to the corners of the eyes,
Softening the jaw,
Hang a bit looser.
Letting your shoulders relax.
Ice to water.
Ice to water and water to vapor.
Today we're doing a kindness meditation.
We're going to focus today on sending kindness to someone we love and then sending it to ourselves.
I invite you to bring to your mind someone who you have a really uncomplicated relationship of care with.
Someone you love easily.
It could be a friend,
A child or even a pet.
Someone that when you bring them to mind there's an immediate feeling of ah,
Kindness,
Affection,
Care,
Warmth.
Bringing that person to mind.
Imagine that you're sitting opposite this person.
You have them in front of you.
You can see their face,
Their smile or if it's a pet you can just see them in your favorite expression of them.
Notice what's happening in your body.
You're sensing a softening around the heart,
A smile maybe on your face,
Some warmth.
Notice them breathing same time as you are.
And recognize like just like you they are a creature whether human or animal that wants to be loved,
That wants to be accepted,
Wants to be seen,
Understood.
You're simply going to send them kindness.
So the way we do this is either by using some phrases such as may you be happy,
May you be healthy,
May you be kind to yourself,
May you accept yourself exactly as you are,
May you feel loved.
You can use other phrases if you simply want to be talking to them,
Wishing them well in your own way.
May you be well,
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
May you be kind to yourself,
May you accept yourself just as you are.
Dropping those phrases and imagining that they're enveloping this person or this animal.
So in a sense they are the focus on your meditation right now,
The gentle focus.
You're keeping them firmly in mind.
If the phrases don't work really well for you,
You can also imagine that there's a warmth,
A kind of golden light flowing from your hands and your heart towards them.
Now you're just wrapping them in that warm light of care.
Even when your mind wanders just gently bringing yourself back,
Sending that love and care to this person or this creature.
May you be well,
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
May you be kind to yourself,
May you accept yourself just the way you are.
Notice what this feels like in your own body,
To send care,
To feel that warmth around your heart,
Your face,
Your belly.
Now I invite you to turn towards yourself in whichever way that image works for you.
You can put a hand on your own heart.
You can imagine that warmth,
That light enveloping you now,
That softness of care,
Gently laying a hand on you.
Then you're going to send yourself kindness and care.
Again using whatever works for you,
If the phrases work for you,
If you want to substitute them for your own language of well wishing.
May I be well,
May I be happy,
May I be healthy,
May I be kind to myself and may I accept myself just as I am.
May I be well,
May I be happy,
May I be healthy,
May I be kind to myself,
May I accept myself just as I am.
Receiving your own care in words or image.
Noticing.
Is this more difficult?
Is this easy?
Whatever is there is what it is.
That is fine.
This is a practice.
It's our muscle of kindness we're developing.
Wishing ourselves well.
If you have your hand on your heart you can feel the warmth there,
The simple warmth and recognize that this too is care.
This too is kindness.
And what does it feel like in your body to receive your own kindness?
And again whatever you notice is fine.
It's information.
It's what is.
And just for the last minute or so letting go of all effort.
Letting yourself just be.
And recognize that you have taken this time and in doing so you have in fact given yourself kindness.
Coming back to your senses.
Coming back to the room.
Giving yourself the stretch and the body care that you need.
Wiggling your fingers and toes.
And when you're ready opening your eyes.
