Healing Through Self-Compassion And Loving-Kindness

Meditation on healing through self-compassion and loving-kindness.

This practice is an amalgamation of Buddhist teachings with psychotherapeutic approaches.

You may experience sadness,

Grief,

Anger or another emotion as we go along.

Please know that allowing ourselves to experience a situation in its fullest is key to our healing.

Give yourself permission to feel whatever comes up.

You're in the privacy of your own home.

Having said that,

Please take a minute to formulate a plan for yourself if it gets too much.

My suggestion would be to take a break and drink a cool glass of water.

You can lie down and allow your body to be supported fully by the earth or log off and come back to this meditation at a later time.

You have to do what's best for you.

In this meditation,

We will be talking about three concepts.

The first two are compassion and loving-kindness.

They are similar but have a nuanced difference.

Compassion refers to the feeling of tenderness that arises upon witnessing suffering or struggles,

Our own or those of others.

It can be looked upon as a combination of empathy and kindness.

Loving-kindness refers to the genuine wish we have to see ourselves and others be happy and prosperous.

The third concept is somewhat self-explanatory.

Common humanity or universality.

As human beings,

We have so much in common with others.

We need oxygen to breathe,

We eat to survive,

We need sleep and we need love.

In the same way,

We all experience hurt,

Strife.

It may not always look the same but we all do.

We all have the same needs to be happy,

To be loved,

To be accepted.

Connection is the antidote to trauma and suffering.

We will channel these three concepts in today's meditation.

You can stand for a minute if you like.

Take any movements or stretches that feel good for you right now.

And when you're ready,

Sit or lie down in a comfortable position.

You can bring one hand to your heart,

The other on your belly.

Or simply place your hands on your thighs.

Or another part of the body where it feels reassuring and stabilising.

If you're in a chair,

Just for the next few minutes,

Uncross your legs.

Your eyes can be open or closed or partly open.

Breathe deeply through your nose.

Open your mouth and sigh it out completely.

Breathe in through your nose till you can't take in any more air.

Then open your mouth and sigh or release the air gradually.

Make any sounds that you need.

Two more times on your own.

Now bring awareness to your natural breath.

Observe the air as it enters your nostril and exits through your nostrils.

Look for sensations around your nostrils or upper lip.

Notice the temperature of your respiration.

Or simply observe your belly and chest as they rise and fall as you breathe in and out.

Dedicate this practice to someone in your life.

Perhaps someone you know that needs some extra healing or honouring the memory of someone.

Let's begin the meditation by invoking the wisdom that existed before us and continues to exist.

While I refer to Supreme God,

You can choose to use this invocation in line with your personal beliefs and practices.

To the Supreme God,

To all the spiritual teachers,

All the Masters,

Ancestors,

All the Great Ones,

Across nations,

Across generations,

We humbly invoke your divine guidance,

Divine love for illumination,

Divine healing and oneness.

Sit in this divine presence,

Allowing yourself to absorb the wisdom,

The love,

The compassion that exists in the universe,

That is accessible to each one of us.

Allow this to permeate into your body.

Perhaps feeling a sense of expansion even.

Stay here for about five breaths.

Think of a time in your life when you were going through a difficult period.

Choose something that is maybe a five or six in intensity on a scale of 10.

One being no trouble at all,

10 being intense trauma.

It could be a specific incident or a phase.

You don't have to go into the details of the situation unless it is helpful to channel the emotional experience.

Stay with your emotional experience.

Notice your emotions,

Your body language.

Perhaps you feel it in a specific part of your body.

Stay here and allow yourself to experience the hurt,

Anger,

Sadness,

Grief,

Helplessness or any other feelings that may come up.

We won't be here for long.

Are there any predominant thoughts or feelings that come up?

We're just here for five breaths.

Now we begin the process of healing.

You are surrounded by your powerful ancestors,

Powerful spiritual teachers,

Healers.

Look at yourself with their eyes.

Look at yourself with the kindness and openness that these teachers and healers might with acceptance.

Perhaps leaning in towards yourself.

Perhaps using compassionate touch.

You can place a hand on your body where it feels reassuring and comforting.

We will use our words now.

Ask yourself,

What do I need to hear in this moment?

What words do I wish were said to me?

Use phrases of compassion.

I'm sorry you're going through this.

May you be healed of this pain.

Phrases of common humanity perhaps.

You are not alone.

There is so much hurt in the world today.

Different kinds of hurt.

Most people experience some kind of suffering in their lives.

I am not alone.

Maybe you need phrases of loving kindness.

May you be happy coming from the outside.

Or may I be happy coming from yourself.

Use I or you statements or phrases.

Use what feels natural for you.

And stay here in this process.

Continue saying words of healing and encouragement.

Now ask yourself,

Do I need to forgive anyone else from this situation or phase?

Forgiveness does not mean acceptance of abuse.

It means releasing oneself from a stuckness in that experience.

It is giving permission first to ourselves to heal.

Acknowledge if you're not ready for this yet.

Give yourself permission to not be ready.

It's okay to not be ready.

I can take as much time as I need.

Different people have different healing processes.

Check in with yourself.

Do I need to forgive myself?

Ask yourself,

Is there any learning from this situation that I wish to carry forward?

Is there anything I need to release from this experience?

And stay here for a few breaths.

We have generated a lot of healing energy right now.

So we'll release it back into the universe.

The world is made by human beings.

The universe is an embodiment of divine design and grace.

And that's where we are going.

You can start with people you love,

People you know who are going through a difficult time in their lives.

Channeling the divine wisdom and power in the universe,

We say,

May you be free of pain and suffering.

May you find healing.

May you be happy.

May you experience joy and abundance in your life.

May you share your merits with others.

May you awaken to your highest self.

You can use your own phrases here now.

Your feels natural coming from the heart,

Your heart.

Now expanding our circle to include every person on the face of this planet.

Every person irrespective of which country they are in,

On what type of terrain they live on.

Every person regardless of their caste,

Class,

Gender,

Sexuality,

Health status,

Immigration status,

Ability,

Disability.

Every person irrespective of their religious or political affiliation.

May you be free of pain and suffering.

May you find healing.

May you be happy.

May you experience joy and abundance in your life.

May you share your merits with others.

May you awaken to your highest self.

You can add your own phrases here now.

Expanding our circle of compassion.

May all beings,

Human or non-human,

Known or unknown,

Born or yet to be born.

May all beings be healed.

May all beings be happy.

May all beings be free.

May our planet be an embodiment of divine love and grace.

May there be equity.

May there be regeneration of resources.

May there be equitable distribution of resources.

May there be peace.

Allow the words to permeate through your being.

You may add any phrases of your own.

Any phrases that feel natural for you.

Thank you God,

All the spiritual teachers,

All the Masters,

Ancestors,

All the Great Ones for your divine guidance.

May I forever be connected with you and be reminded of your support in my time of need.

And when you're ready,

You can open your eyes with a smile.

You can shake out your body to release any pent up energy.

Thank you very much for sharing your practice with me.

My name is Ekta and this was meditation on healing through self-compassion and loving kindness.