Welcome to a loving kindness practice.
In this meditation,
We will be cultivating compassion towards ourselves and others by saying positive affirmations and kind wishes.
This practice of loving kindness will help to build a sense of compassion within us so that we can approach life with the understanding of our own suffering and the suffering of another.
Begin by finding a comfortable position,
One that embodies a sense of dignity,
Strength,
And relaxation.
Allow the hands to rest without any effort and relax the shoulders away from the ears.
Feel your body sitting here.
See if you can notice the points of contact between your body and the floor or chair,
Or perhaps where your clothing touches your skin.
Follow the breath as it moves in your body and out.
The breath is your anchor.
Allow it to be at the forefront of your attention.
Notice any thoughts lingering in the mind.
Acknowledge the thoughts and see if you can let them go.
Bring your attention back to the breath.
At any point,
If you feel overwhelmed or triggered by the practice,
You can always bring your attention back to the breath,
Grounding you in the present moment,
Taking deep,
Long breaths to calm the system.
We'll begin our practice with sending compassion towards ourselves.
Whether you feel loving kindness in this moment or maybe you don't,
See if you can hold the intention of self-compassion and offer it from wherever you are,
Repeating these kind wishes for ourselves.
May I be happy and peaceful.
May I be safe from harm.
May I be healthy and strong.
May I live with ease.
Bring your attention back to the breath and notice any thoughts,
Feelings,
Or sensations arising in this moment.
Before we are able to truly give compassion and loving kindness to others,
We must cultivate it for ourselves.
Again,
We'll repeat these kind wishes.
May I be happy and peaceful.
May I be safe from harm.
May I be healthy and strong.
May I live with ease.
Breathing in and breathing out,
Notice any thoughts,
Feelings,
Or sensations arising in this moment.
And now we'll begin to direct this loving kindness outward.
Bring to mind someone that is easy for you to love,
Whether that be a parent,
Sibling,
Pet,
Teacher,
Friend,
Anyone that you would like to send loving kindness towards.
Hold this person in your mind and with the same intention of compassion you've been directing towards yourself,
Repeating these kind wishes.
May you be happy and peaceful.
May you be safe from harm.
May you be healthy and strong.
May you live with ease.
Coming back to the breath and notice how this practice is landing in the body.
And as best you can,
Letting go of any judgments.
And now bring to mind someone who you may feel less loving towards.
Perhaps this is a person who has wronged you in the past.
Bring this person to mind and see if you can send loving kindness,
Compassion,
And forgiveness to this person.
Repeating these kind wishes.
May you be happy and peaceful.
May you be safe from harm.
May you be healthy and strong.
May you live with ease.
Now you may not be feeling loving kindness at this moment and that's okay.
Just know that with time and practice,
It will become easier for you to spread compassion even to those who have mistreated you.
Grounding in the breath again,
Breathing in and breathing out,
In and out.
And again,
We'll send this loving kindness outwards.
Perhaps thinking of all your loved ones,
Feeling a sense of compassion towards them.
And maybe even extending the love out to those you love less.
Co-workers,
Acquaintances,
Old friends.
And maybe even extending peace and well-being towards the people you don't know at all.
To the entire planet of beings.
May all beings be happy and peaceful.
May all beings be safe from harm.
May all beings be healthy and strong.
May all beings live with ease.
Breathing in and breathing out,
Notice any thoughts,
Feelings,
Or sensations arising in this moment.
Bring your attention to the heart and perhaps even placing your hand here on your chest,
Noticing any feelings of warmth in this area.
And perhaps see if you can carry this intention of loving kindness and compassion with you throughout the rest of your day.
