Welcome to loving kindness meditation.
To begin this meditation,
Find a comfortable seated position.
If you feel comfortable closing your eyes,
Go ahead and close them now.
If you'd rather keep your eyes open,
Simply look down at the floor without focusing on anything in particular.
In this meditation,
You're going to send kindness,
Compassion,
And wishes for well-being,
Starting with yourself and then extending that to others.
As you send wishes of loving kindness,
Breathe mindfully,
Noticing whatever is happening for you as best you can without any expectations or judgments.
Start by picturing yourself in your mind,
Becoming as aware of yourself as you can.
Then send loving kindness to yourself,
Repeating these phrases silently to yourself.
May I be happy.
May I be well.
May I be free from suffering.
May I be at peace.
Breathing and noticing whatever arises for you right now.
Continuing to breathe mindfully,
Now picturing someone or some being whom you feel close to.
This could be a person like a family member or a best friend,
Or it could be an animal or a pet or any other being who you feel close to and feel comfortable and safe with.
Picturing that person or being as best you can in your imagination.
Sending them loving kindness.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you be free from suffering.
May you be at peace.
Now picturing someone or some being in your life who you have neutral feelings towards.
This could be someone who you see around your neighborhood or around school,
You don't have much of a relationship with but they're part of your life in some way.
Picturing them as best you can in your mind's eye.
Aware that their well-being is related to your well-being,
That you're interconnected with them in some way.
Breathing with this awareness and sending them loving kindness.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you be free from suffering.
May you be at peace.
Now picturing someone whom you have some difficulty with,
Perhaps an argument or a conflict.
Aware that your own peace and well-being is somehow related and interconnected with theirs.
Breathing in awareness,
Breathing out loving kindness to that person.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you be free from suffering.
May you be at peace.
Breathing and just noticing what's happening for you right now without any expectation or judgment.
Now widening your awareness and imagining all beings in the entire world.
Knowing that your wellness and your happiness is somehow connected and related to all beings in the entire world.
And sending loving kindness to all beings.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be well.
May all beings be free from suffering.
May all beings be at peace.
