The Dalai Lama says,
Quote,
If you want others to be happy,
Practice compassion.
If you want to be happy,
Practice compassion.
Compassion belongs to that category of emotions which have a more developed cognitive component.
End quote.
What is compassion?
It is an act of love and kindness towards others when we can witness their suffering.
Compassion is an innate feeling.
Sometimes it is hard to cultivate when we are facing hardship.
We often feel if we continue to strive and stay productive throughout the day,
We will become more happy with the fruits of our labor.
As a result,
We forget to take much needed breaks to rejuvenate our minds and bodies.
The thriving nature can lead to burnouts and we end up feeling exhausted.
We can learn to be compassionate toward ourselves when we are tired and in need of rest.
The act of love and kindness towards ourselves when we are struggling is an act of generosity.
In order to feel compassionate towards ourselves and others,
We need wisdom to make compassionate choice in action.
What I mean by compassionate choice in action is whatever is good for us at the moment,
And at the same time,
This choice in action does not harm others.
Our meditation and spiritual practice helps us gain clarity.
Therefore,
We become clear and wise about the choices we make throughout our day.
Each day,
The choices we make becomes our life experience.
In order to have a meaningful life experience,
We can make mindful choices based on our thoughts,
Speech and actions with compassion.
It is said,
Our mindfulness is like a bird.
It needs two wings to fly.
The two wings are wisdom and compassion,
Which gives us the ability to experience our reality with accurate perceptions and to see things as they are.
Now,
I invite you to enjoy this guided meditation as an act of compassion towards yourself in order to relax and rejuvenate.
You can practice this meditation while sitting,
Laying down,
Standing or walking.
Hold a gentle smile as you begin this practice.
Whatever position you choose,
Allow yourself to get comfortable and settle in your body.
Align your spine with the back of your head and your shoulders with your hips.
Take a deep breath down to your lower abdomen.
Hold it.
And release.
Take another full deep breath down to your lower abdomen.
Hold it.
And release.
If you are in a seated or laying down position and not feeling sleepy,
You can close your eyes or open halfway.
Continue to take a few more full deep breaths down to your lower abdomen.
Hold briefly and gently release.
Now,
Breathe naturally as you notice the cool air coming in and slightly warm air as you breathe out.
Notice your abdomen rise as the air fills in and contracts as the air clears your stomach.
Hold gratitude for the life-giving breath as an abundant source of oxygen provided in nature.
Breathe in wisdom and breathe out compassion.
Just as a flower needs the proper amount of time to blossom in a garden with the nurturing and care of a gardener,
And with the amount of sunlight,
Water,
A fertile ground,
We need proper rest,
Relaxation,
And rejuvenation to become who we were meant to be.
Simply breathe in and out with attention to the air coming in and releasing.
If a thought arise,
Simply notice and let go as you gently return to the sensations of your in and out breath.
You can continue to relax and enjoy this process of breathing in and letting go.
Let us return to the presence of the Lord.
Let us return to the presence of the location you are currently in.
Let us return to the presence of the Lord.
I invite you to share the compassion you cultivated for yourself with anyone you come in contact with.
Understanding that just as yourself,
We all deserve love and compassion.
Thank you for joining me.
You can gently open your eyes.
