Let yourself find a way to sit that's stable and comfortable and at ease.
And this guided meditation is built on some of the beautiful practices from Joanna Macy and Mirabai Bush and Ram Dass and other dear friends.
It is a practice sometimes called Just Like Me.
So when you're ready,
Feet flat on the floor or body resting on the cushion or wherever you are,
Let yourself settle on this earth halfway between heaven and earth in this human form.
Let your eyes close gently.
Take a few deep breaths to allow yourself to exhale and release whatever you can easily.
And let your eyes and face be soft.
Loosen the jaw.
If you like,
You can roll your head in a circle to release your neck and let it find a simple upright.
Let the shoulders relax and the arms and hands rest easily.
Feel your seat on the earth,
How gravity pulls you and you can let go and rest fully supported where you sit.
Let the belly be soft and the breath natural.
Let the heart be soft as well to receive whatever arises with a spirit of kindness.
And let the heart be soft as well to receive whatever arises with a spirit of kindness and compassion.
And now with this embodied presence,
Begin to notice the breathing of your body,
How it gently and rhythmically breathes itself into breathing with the air,
The trees,
The wind,
All the other creatures around you breathing the same breath.
And let your body breathe on its own and you become the witness,
The loving awareness that notices this breath.
Relax with it.
And from a place of presence and some invitation of stillness,
Now we'll do a guided reflection.
Let yourself picture and imagine or envision in the Thanksgiving and the holiday season coming up,
That you will be encountering people who sometimes feel very different than you or difficult for you,
Hard to understand or sometimes just hard to be with.
And let yourself select a person in that category.
In the traditional teachings of loving kindness,
This person is sometimes referred to as a difficult person.
And envision how you might see them,
Likely on Zoom this crazy year,
But oftentimes in person.
And imagine or sense that you can now gaze at this person with the heart of wisdom.
And as you picture them,
Let yourself reflect.
This person is incarnated in a body going through life,
Just like me.
This person was once a small child,
A little vulnerable child,
Just like me.
And be aware of all the emotions and feelings that arise with each of these reflections.
This person has had happy times in their life,
Just like me.
This person is creative,
Just like me.
This person has loved someone,
Just like me.
This person's heart has been broken,
Just like me.
This person has their measure of sorrows and sadness,
Just like me.
This person has been hurt and disappointed,
Just like me.
This person has been confused by life,
Just like me.
This person has known physical pain,
Just like me.
This person will be young and old,
Friend and enemy,
Just like me.
This person has regrets,
Just like me.
This person wants to be loved,
Just like me.
Look at their image,
Seeing with the heart.
Behind their eyes is the original spirit,
Born into each one of us.
Picture this person's happiest moments as a child,
Laughing,
Playing,
Joyful times.
The child of the spirit is still in them,
Just like me.
And as you gaze at them in your mind's eye with the heart of wisdom,
I know you want to be happy,
Just like me.
And I wish you strength and support and healing in your life,
So that you can offer your gifts to yourself and the world,
Just like me.
I wish for you blessings and courage,
Honesty and care,
Love and compassion,
For you are a human being,
Just like me.
And as you reflect,
As you see with the heart,
Notice how this practice has changed the way you hold this person.
And the way you hold yourself.
This practice is a form of loving kindness and compassion.
And now let yourself continue in the stillness and picture yet another one or two or three people.
And each one that you envision and hold in your mind's eye and in your heart,
In your own way,
Gaze at them and reflect just as we have.
This person is,
And you can fill in the blank,
Just like me.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
And if you are still continuing with this practice of compassion and loving kindness,
Just like me,
Stay with it.
And if you feel like you've had enough of this particular active practice and you want to just rest and be,
Let it go.
And rest in the reality of the present.
Become loving awareness that notices the breath breathing itself.
That notices the rise and fall of feelings and thoughts and sounds like waves of the ocean coming and going around the breath.
Rest in the present.
You are loving awareness.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
