All right,
So hello.
Today we are going to do a practice called Tonglen,
And this is a Tibetan practice of giving and receiving compassion.
To begin,
You can find a comfortable position.
You could be sitting or lying down,
Something that feels supportive to you.
You can close down the eyes or just lower the gaze to one point of focus.
Begin by taking a few deeper,
More intentional breaths.
Breathe in deeply through the nose.
Exhaling deeply out the mouth.
Take a few more breaths in this way.
Starting to arrive in this moment.
When you feel ready,
Allow the breath to find its own natural rhythm.
Letting the body breathe on its own.
Draw your attention to what it feels like to breathe today.
When the mind wanders,
Which it will,
Gently draw the attention back to the breath in the same way that you would guide a puppy that is walked off the path.
Begin to pay particular attention to your in-breath,
Noticing how it nourishes the body with each breath in.
Now,
Bring to mind a situation which is causing you some distress.
It might be a relationship,
A small moment in your day where maybe you made a choice that you didn't feel was authentic.
Or maybe it's a larger situation that you didn't feel was authentic.
Or maybe it's a more personal situation in the world.
Bringing to mind this situation in as much detail as possible.
If you find that bringing this situation to mind is immediately overwhelming,
You might choose a simpler situation,
Something a little less distressing,
For compassion,
Knowing that you can come back to more difficult situations later.
As you think of this distressing situation,
This moment of suffering,
Notice where it resonates in the body.
Perhaps there's a tightness in the chest or a pit in the stomach.
Imagine that as you breathe in,
Your in-breath is imbued with exactly what you're needing right now.
Breathing in a sense of care and compassion.
Perhaps there's a word that rides along your breath that represents exactly what you're needing right now.
Or maybe it's more of an image imagining a warm light flowing into your body with each in-breath.
Or perhaps it's just a feeling,
A sense of warmth.
Now begin to bring your attention to the out-breath.
Releasing your attention from the in-breath and from the situation that was causing you distress.
Tuning in to this out-breath.
Your exhale.
As you focus on the exhale,
Bring to mind someone else who's experiencing some kind of suffering.
This might be a close friend or someone you don't know.
Perhaps they're suffering with the same type of thing that you're experiencing right now.
Perhaps they're suffering with the same type of thing that you are right now.
Or maybe it's something very different.
With each exhale,
Imagining you could send them the care and compassion that they're needing right now.
There might be a word or phrase.
That rides along the exhale.
Or perhaps it's a golden light.
Or maybe it's just a feeling of warmth and care.
Bringing the intention to send this care and compassion to this other with each out-breath.
Next,
We'll direct our attention to both the in-breath and the out-breath.
Imagining that with each in-breath,
You nourish yourself,
Offering yourself exactly what you need in response to your suffering.
And with each out-breath,
Offering the care and compassion to this other.
One breath in for me.
One breath out for you.
As you try this,
Release any tension or efforting around the breath.
Any sense of trying to control or push the breath away from you.
Any sense of trying to control or push that care in or out.
Know that your body can offer this care and compassion completely on its own.
It's as natural as breathing.
For this last minute,
We'll release the focus on this situation.
On the giving and receiving of compassion.
And just rest in the sensations of breathing.
Taking a moment to notice what you feel like after having tried this practice.
Knowing that there's no wrong way to feel here.
Allowing yourself to be exactly as you are.
As you feel ready,
We'll start to deepen the breath.
Transitioning out of this practice,
Perhaps by inviting some movement back into the body.
And blinking the eyes open.
