Take a moment and check in with your body.
Turning your attention inward,
Notice any places of tension,
Pressure,
Unease,
Or discomfort.
And see if you can find some movement,
Perhaps some clenching and relaxing,
To shift your body out of some of that today.
Being gentle with yourself,
Coming from a place of ease as best you can,
Instead of pushing.
Now focus on your breath.
Without changing anything and without judgment,
Just notice where it is in your body.
Maybe it's in your chest today.
Maybe it's in your belly.
Maybe it's somewhere in between.
Just notice.
Notice how deep or shallow your breath is.
Send a little prayer of thanks or gratitude towards your body for breathing automatically without you having to even think about it.
If you'd like to shift your breathing to better serve you today,
Maybe you'd like to deepen or elongate it,
Or maybe you'd even like to shorten it to increase your feelings of aliveness or energy or focus,
Check in with your body and notice what it might need today,
And give that back to your body as a gift.
Today we're going to focus on a loving-kindness meditation for those who have offered prayers,
Financial support,
Kindness towards someone else lately.
Loving-kindness meditations originate from Buddhist traditions and are designed to cultivate feelings of love,
Kindness,
And goodwill towards ourselves and others.
So as we begin,
I'll invite you to consider choosing a phrase.
I'll give you some options.
You can also find ones that really speak to you today,
That you cultivate yourself.
You're going to inhale these phrases to yourself,
And exhale any tension,
Stress,
Anxiety,
Or anything else that may be the antithesis to it.
So some phrases you might use might include,
May you be blessed with the same kindness and generosity that you have shared,
Or may your heart be filled with peace,
Gratitude,
And joy.
Or may you always be surrounded by love and support,
Just as you have given to others.
You can even shorten these to make them easier to remember,
Like,
May I live with ease,
Or may I continue to share,
Or may I live with abundance.
But find one phrase that sticks out to you,
That you need to receive the most today,
And take some time inhaling that phrase,
That word,
To yourself.
And as you inhale,
Picture that word taking over your bloodstream,
Sending that energy all the way throughout your body.
Now if you think,
Oh,
That word,
Or that phrase,
We'll continue to focus on inhaling it to ourselves,
But now on your exhale,
Think about extending that word or phrase to a loved one,
By picturing someone you care about,
And sending them the same wishes you send yourself.
So inhaling your word or phrase,
And extending through your exhale to a loved one.
On your next inhale,
Continue to inhale the phrase to yourself,
But this time extend that same phrase to a neutral person,
So someone you don't have really strong feelings for either way,
But you want to wish them well.
Again,
Inhaling your word or phrase to yourself,
And then exhaling to a difficult person,
Maybe someone who brings up triggers or challenges for you,
Someone who might cause you distress,
Extend them the same phrase that you're inhaling for yourself.
And then lastly,
On your next inhale,
Inhale your phrase,
Your word,
And exhale and extend that word or that phrase to all beings.
It might be helpful to think of your exhale as a ripple effect or a light that touches everyone in your home,
In your neighborhoods,
In your communities,
In your states,
In your countries,
And across the world.
One last inhalation for yourself,
And one last exhalation,
Bringing your attention back to your body,
Bringing some movement into your body,
Maybe through wiggling your fingers,
Your toes,
Stretching,
Whatever feels best today.
And then gently opening your eyes when you're ready,
And going about your day being this word or phrase for yourself and others.
