Find a quiet space,
Unplug from the world,
Settle into a comfortable stable posture.
Begin to clear your energy and mind by exhaling a nice long complete sigh.
Then let your next breath enter your lungs with as little effort as possible.
Take that fresh breath as the start of a kinder,
Gentler breath rhythm.
Assure yourself that it's safe right now to focus on nothing but your breathing body.
Take the more relaxed rhythm of breath centered at your heart as a tether to rein in your wild or tired mind.
As you breathe,
Imagine you're recalling all the energy and awareness you've put out into the world and gathering it back into you to rest on the rhythmic breath at your heart.
If you start feeling drowsy or dull,
Take some of that freshly gathered energy and awareness and breathe it into the clouding or fatigued part of the mind.
Then gently returning your focus to the rhythmic breath at your heart.
So by this settling and uplifting breath at a time,
You'll gradually find yourself shifting into a calmer,
Clearer,
More balanced state of mind.
Now let your centered mind spread throughout your whole body with the fresh oxygen from your breath,
Awakening every tissue and cell until your body feels more fluid,
Light and clear,
Like a big person-shaped bubble of breath and life.
As you continue to balance any restlessness or heaviness you have in your body,
Open your mindfulness to the raw feel of sensation,
Things that feel positive,
Negative,
Neutral and seek balance by letting go of the attachment to comfort and fearlessly embracing any distress.
Next tune into your primal mind,
Balancing and centering yourself by diving below or between the surface waves of positive and negative thoughts or images into that primal clarity and spaciousness of your deeper mind.
Keep trying to ride the pure flow of deep mindfulness and from within that flow,
Try to accept the whole range and scope of your body-mind while staying centered in a balanced space of clarity and calm.
Now that you're more centered within your own mind and body,
Turn your awareness again to the environment.
We're going to focus on relationships with others in the world and with yourself.
Become aware of some stressful,
Confusing or upsetting thing that you've been feeling.
Let it become present.
You'll notice that at the root of it,
There's likely a very young part of yourself,
Childlike part of yourself.
And try to approach that part of yourself from your inner adult,
The wise,
Caring place of your centered clarity and calm that you've just generated.
So now take in the full scope of that suffering and breathe in full awareness of that suffering as a temporary condition which can be overcome with wisdom and care.
Realizing that awareness of your sense of suffering with the objective empathy and confidence of your adult mind.
And notice the relief you feel recognizing your full capacity to help yourself to get reliable help,
Channeling it into mature,
Nurturing love and self-care,
Giving it to your inner child on the out breath.
And try to see your inner child receive that love and care with a sense of relief,
Safety and hope gradually growing more secure,
Cheerful and involved.
And now that you've begun by taking on your own burdens,
Invite your secure inner child back into your heart and call up the image of someone that you find it easy and natural to love.
Invite the mind of that person to inhabit your image and go through the process of breathing in full awareness of his or her suffering and breathing out love,
Care and help.
Do this gradually like you did with yourself,
Taking care and giving love,
One problem,
One breath at a time.
And as you practice,
Notice your own personal reactions and any internal resistance to getting more engaged.
Patiently bringing self-awareness and self-care to each block as it comes so your capacity can grow naturally without your forcing it.
Just be in that flow.
Then just reconnect with the breath.
And for future meditations,
When you're able to go through this exercise with your dearest other,
Expand the scope of your practice one person at a time.
First working with the loved ones,
Then strangers and finally taking on the people who challenge you starting from the least threatening and ending with the most.
For now,
Dedicate this insight that you might have gained or good feeling to your ongoing study,
Reflection and practice for the benefit of yourself and for others.
