This is a body loving kindness practice.
In it you will be guided to offer yourself wishes of kindness that you repeat silently to yourself.
This powerful practice inclines your heart and mind to open and be compassionate and vulnerable.
The phrases are not set in stone.
I have developed my version of them,
But feel free to change the wording as you like.
There is no right or wrong way to feel as you do this practice.
You may feel kind and loving towards yourself,
But you may not.
It might seem a little odd or even downright painful,
Particularly if you are used to saying a lot of critical or judging thoughts to yourself.
But the regular practice of offering kind wishes to yourself can begin to soften the hard edges of your judgment.
When this happens,
You are more likely to treat yourself with kindness and spread that kindness to others.
I invite you to find a comfortable position sitting or lying down,
A position that reflects a sense of kindness towards yourself.
Settling in to your body in this position you have chosen and beginning to notice how your body feels.
Becoming aware of the sensations in your feet,
The position of your legs,
Your arms and hands,
Resting gently at your side or in your lap,
The movement of breath at the belly and chest,
Letting the shoulders relax and soften,
Letting the cheeks,
Jaw and eyes soften,
And letting the eyes softly close if that is comfortable for you or gazing down at the floor.
Breathing in and then breathing out any tension.
Gradually bringing your attention to rest gently on the breath in the center of the chest,
The heart center.
Breathing in and out from the heart,
Allowing the breath to be soft and relaxed,
Becoming fully present for the sensations that arise,
Exist and pass at the heart center.
Now calling to mind an experience of being loved unconditionally.
This could have been from a parent,
An aunt or uncle,
Grandparent,
A friend,
Or even from a pet.
Letting that experience of unconditional love fill your heart with gratitude and imagine that love holding you during this practice.
Feeling the love inside you,
In front of you,
Behind you,
And to both sides of you so that you're breathing in and out this unconditional love from another.
Breathing gently in and out of the heart.
Breathing in as you offer yourself the first phrase,
May I be safe and protected from inner and outer harm.
Breathing it in to the center of the chest,
Into the heart center.
May I be safe and protected from inner and outer harm.
Softly repeating that phrase to yourself over and over again,
Like a mantra.
May I be safe and protected.
Taking your time,
Savoring the words as you breathe them into your heart.
May I be safe and protected from inner and outer harm.
Noticing if there's an opening or a closing in the heart or the body.
Noticing without judgment.
There is no right way to feel.
Breathing gently in and out of this heart,
Resting the second phrase,
May I be peaceful and content,
Into the center of the chest.
May I be peaceful and content.
Breathing it in and permeating the entire body with the wish to be peaceful and content.
Sensing the energy of the wish for peace,
Moving throughout your entire body,
From head to toe to fingertip.
May I be peaceful and content.
Feeling the breath flowing in and out of the heart center.
May I be peaceful and content.
Noticing what happens when you offer yourself this phrase of peace,
Bringing compassion to yourself and your experience.
Breathing gently in and out of your heart.
This heart,
Just as you find it,
Resting the phrase,
May I be healthy and strong as I am capable of being,
Into the heart center.
May I be healthy and strong as I am capable of being.
Breathing gently in and out.
Letting this wish to be healthy and strong,
Bathe all of the cells of your body.
Filling your body with the wish to be healthy,
To be strong.
Breathing,
Relaxing,
Softening,
And opening.
May I be healthy and strong as I am capable of being.
Breathing in and out of the heart center.
Resting the phrase,
May I live with joy and ease.
May I care for myself with joy and ease.
Resting this wish for joy and ease into the center of the chest.
Breathing it in and filling the body with the energy of joy and the gentleness of ease.
May I live and care for myself with joy and ease.
Noticing the quality of the heart in this moment,
Without judgment,
Allowing the phrases themselves to do the work.
May I be safe and protected from inner and outer harm.
May I be peaceful and content.
May I be healthy and strong as I am capable of being.
And may I live and care for myself with joy and ease.
Repeating the phrases slowly and softly to yourself.
May I be safe.
May I be peaceful.
May I be healthy and strong.
May I live with joy and ease.
Now turning your attention outward to all of the other beings in the world that have the same wish for happiness that you do.
The same desire for safety,
Peace,
Health,
And joy.
Offering them these wishes of loving kindness.
All beings near and far,
Young and old,
Known and unknown,
Living on and in the earth,
In the sky,
And in the seas.
May all beings be safe and protected.
May all beings be peaceful and content.
May all beings be as healthy and strong as they are capable of being.
May all beings live and care for themselves with joy and ease.
And may all beings,
Without exception,
Come to find freedom from suffering,
Not one left out.
And since your wishes traveling from your heart center across the world and touching the hearts of all beings.
As the meditation comes to an end,
Taking a deep breath and beginning to move the body in whatever way feels good to you.
Stretching and breathing and shifting the body.
And opening your eyes and coming back in touch with your environment.
Sensing into your heart and reflecting for a moment on your experience of the practice.
When you return to the normal activities of your day,
Taking these wishes of kindness with you and offering them generously to all you meet.
