Welcome to this guided meditation,
A loving kindness practice for your commute.
We recommend practicing this when commuting by public transportation or walking to work.
If you're driving a car,
Please ensure it's parked.
This practice will be done with your eyes open so you can stay alert to your surroundings.
Okay,
Let's begin.
First,
Bringing your attention to the sensations of your body,
Feeling your feet on the ground.
Or if you're sitting,
You might feel the contact of your body on your seat.
If you're standing or walking,
Bringing your attention to the feeling of your feet making contact with the ground or the sensation of your body moving.
You might notice the sensation of your breath,
The feeling of your body breathing,
Maybe even taking a few deliberate deeper breaths.
Keeping your eyes open,
I invite you to widen your field of awareness,
Noticing what's around you,
Whether you're riding a bus or on a train or walking somewhere.
With a relaxed gaze,
Just taking in your surroundings and recognizing that you're sharing the space with others.
From this place,
I encourage you to now bring your attention to the individual people around you,
Noticing the expression on their faces,
Noticing if they seem happy or sad,
Distracted,
Concentrated,
Peaceful or frustrated.
And noting whether you have any judgments forming of,
I like this person or I don't like this person.
Whatever is arising,
See if you can stay in the noticing rather than being caught up in the content.
Now,
I invite you to consider that we're all in this together.
We all want to get to our destination on time.
We're all sharing this space and this form of transportation.
I invite you to offer the people around you wishes for their well-being today.
With each well-wishing phrase that I say,
I suggest you repeat it in your own mind,
Trying to feel into the words.
May you get to your destination on time.
May you have some ease in your day.
May you laugh today.
May you be happy.
May you feel peaceful.
And now,
If you'd like,
Please take a few moments to add in some phrases of well-wishes of your own.
Just looking around you and sensing what you might want to wish for,
For others.
And now,
Turning your attention inward,
Notice if any emotions have arisen for you.
You may feel a sense of joy or connection or calm or maybe nothing at all.
Just take a moment to notice and feel into whatever is here.
And now,
We're bringing this dedicated practice to a close.
You can continue this well-wishing practice into your day with whoever you cross paths with.
