Welcome to this loving kindness meditation.
This practice will help you to cultivate feelings of love,
Kindness,
And compassion towards yourself and others.
Barbara DeAngelis shared the importance of this practice when she said,
Before we begin,
Let's take a few moments to settle in.
Find a comfortable position that honors your body.
This may be sitting with a tall straight back,
Letting your hands rest naturally in your lap.
Or,
If it is more comfortable,
You can lie down during our practice.
When you are ready,
I invite you to gently close your eyes or keep your eyes open with a soft downward gaze.
Now let's get centered by taking a few deep,
Slow breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Return to the natural breath.
Continue to observe your breathing.
Notice the rise of your chest on the inhale and the fall of your chest on the exhale.
We often pour so much of ourselves into others,
Supporting them in feeling seen,
Heard,
And valued that we can neglect to nourish our own well-being.
So let's begin our practice by focusing our awareness on ourselves.
As you keep your attention on your breath,
I invite you to silently repeat the following phrases.
May I be happy.
May I be well.
May I feel calm and connected.
May I be happy.
May I be well.
May I feel calm and connected.
Now I invite you to envision someone in your life who you love,
Someone who instantly makes you smile,
Someone who brings out feelings of joy and connectedness.
Embrace the sense of comfort they bring into your life.
Send them loving kindness as you silently repeat the following phrases.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you feel calm and connected.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you feel calm and connected.
If thoughts or feelings come up,
Simply notice them and gently return to the feelings of love and compassion that we are cultivating in this practice.
Now bring to mind someone you have neutral feelings for.
This may be someone you don't know well,
Like an acquaintance,
Neighbor,
Or coworker.
This may be someone you don't know at all or that you typically don't think about.
Even though you are not close with them,
Send them loving kindness by silently repeating the following phrases.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you feel calm and connected.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you feel calm and connected.
Next imagine someone you view as challenging.
You may have a current issue with them or they may be someone from your past.
To the best of your ability,
Extend loving kindness to this person,
Remembering that just like you,
They are also in need of love and compassion.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you feel calm and connected.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you feel calm and connected.
Now that your heart is full of loving kindness for the people in your life,
Send these same well wishes to all beings on earth,
Remembering the deep connection we all share.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be well.
May all beings feel calm and connected.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be well.
May all beings feel calm and connected.
If you find that your mind has wandered,
Guide your attention back to the breath,
Back to the loving kindness you are experiencing in this moment.
Remembering that loving kindness starts from within,
Let's direct these feelings towards ourselves one more time.
May I be happy.
May I be well.
May I feel calm and connected.
So often we forget how interconnected we are to everyone around us.
Sharon Salzberg reminds us that loving kindness is a profound recognition that our lives have something to do with one another,
That everyone counts,
Everyone matters.
As we begin to move out of our practice,
Keeping your eyes closed or with a soft downward gaze,
I invite you to bring your palms together at your forehead as a reminder that everything starts with a thought.
They influence your words,
Actions,
And energy.
Bring your palms together at your lips as a reminder to speak gently over yourself and others.
Bring your palms together at your heart as a reminder to extend loving kindness to yourself and others.
Gently release your hands.
Take one last deep inhale through the nose and an open mouth exhale.
When you are ready,
Return back to the room and gently open your eyes.
Make this state of loving kindness with you throughout your day.
