Hi,
This is Padma Gordon and today I want to share a bit about kindness and how much it really matters.
The ways in which we are kind to one another from holding a door open for someone when you're leaving a shop or saying thank you to the cashier in the checkout line or just joking around with someone who's tending to your refrigerator that needs fixing or whatever it might be.
What does it take for us to extend ourselves to one another,
To really relax and just be human together?
It feels to me like it makes a huge difference in the quality of our lives.
I notice when I joke around with people and I'm a little bit more familiar than I would ordinarily be with them in our dialogue,
Maybe I'm a little bit playful with them or I just acknowledge something that they're doing and just offering appreciation,
It goes such a long way.
Appreciation and kindness and playfulness.
So I'm just really struck by that and so I wanted to share about it for a moment.
And I'd also like to lead you in a meditation so that you can free yourself and open up and be that much more authentic.
Take the risk to be playful.
Take a chance and ask somebody their name,
Somebody who's helping you again in a shop or a restaurant,
Ask their name.
That's another human being.
And there is a moment to moment possibility for making a true human connection,
Heart to heart,
Soul to soul.
It could be a fleeting instant.
So I'd like you to get yourself settled in a comfortable position.
I suggest lying down if you can,
Closing the eyes,
Just retreating from the world for a little while.
Somewhere between seven and 20 minutes.
Just relaxing,
Letting go,
Taking this time for yourself.
The time that we spend turning our attention inward,
Turning our attention toward our hearts is time very well spent,
Very well spent.
So taking a breath and congratulating yourself for carving out a little bit of time to turn inward,
To let go,
To let go of your responsibilities,
Everything that came before this moment and everything that will follow it.
Giving all of your attention to this moment.
And the sound of my voice is an invitation to take a deep breath.
And relax as you exhale.
Taking another breath in your own time,
Letting it be full.
Perhaps noticing how your body can soften just by taking some deep breaths,
Sensing into the weight of the bones,
The weight of your bones.
And letting all the flesh,
Muscle,
Connective tissue,
Letting it soften,
Letting it hang off those bones.
You might notice places,
Maybe your shoulders or neck,
Where you've been holding some tension.
And what if right now you allow yourself to relax the shoulders,
To soften the muscles of your neck?
You can make any adjustments and relax.
Relax into yourself,
Into the sanctuary within,
The space within.
This space is just for you to relax,
To drop inside,
And to just make note of the ways in which you are kind.
Perhaps you bought someone a cup of coffee or tea.
Perhaps you rubbed someone's feet or held their hand in a moment where they needed a hand to hold.
Maybe it was a smile,
Just a flash of a smile.
Just seeing yourself and sensing in your body,
In your awareness,
What it feels like to be kind.
For no particular reason except that you can and you're choosing kindness.
You can feel so good to choose kindness.
Just sensing how that feels.
Maybe there's a tingling.
Maybe this brings a little bit of a grin to your face in this moment.
Just feeling how it felt when you offered kindness into the world to another human or to a dog or cat.
Maybe you gave them some extra loving or decided you would come home with a new bone for your puppy.
There are a zillion ways of being kind.
Just seeing yourself and feeling yourself and recognizing yourself that you have taken the time to be kind.
Made the effort because every time we are kind,
We offer kindness into the world,
Into all our interactions,
With all our relations.
It has an impact.
It has a positive effect.
We're building that muscle,
The muscle of being kind.
Just like when we go to the gym and lift weights,
We're building muscles.
When we hold a pose in yoga,
We're building those muscles.
We're building those pathways in our bodies and minds.
It's the same with kindness.
It's the same with playfulness.
So now I'd like you to just see yourself.
See yourself in a moment in the future.
See yourself,
Notice what you're wearing,
Notice the expression on your face as you're living.
You're living into kindness.
You've been practicing kindness day after day such that it becomes who you are.
Kindness flows in and out,
Being kind,
Being caring,
Loving with self,
Loving with others,
Kind for no apparent reason.
So I invite you to listen to this guided meditation once a day and just see because the more you listen,
The more the message sinks in because our subconscious mind learns through repetition.
So it's really essential to be selective about what we are offering to our subconscious mind and what we are offering to others that we are engaging with as we move about the world.
And in times like this,
Kindness really matters.
Thank you for your kind attention.
And I invite you to just rest for another minute or two,
Letting everything sink in and goes deeper and deeper and deeper.
And when it's time for you to open your eyes,
You'll be seeing through fresh eyes a new vision,
Building the muscle of kindness one moment at a time,
One moment at a time.
And so it is.
And so it is.
And so it is.
And so it is.
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