This meditation is all about the power of love.
We'll practice offering love and kindness to ourselves,
To people around us,
To plants,
Animals,
And to the whole world,
Creating a sense of connection and belonging with all of life.
So let's start here,
Right where you are.
Find a spot where you can rest for a while.
You might lie down on a bed,
Or rest back in a chair,
Anywhere that feels cozy.
Snuggle in to the spot you've chosen,
And feel your body resting here,
All the parts of you that are touching down.
Maybe your back,
Or your bottom,
Your legs,
Or your feet.
And then feel the surface that you're resting on.
Maybe it's a blanket,
Or a cushion.
Is it soft,
Or hard,
Warm,
Or cool?
Is it smooth,
Or fluffy?
What does it feel like?
And as you rest here,
Can you feel your breath,
Coming and going,
All by itself?
Your body resting,
Breathing,
All on its own.
Can you feel breath moving in and out of your nostrils?
Are there any smells that you notice?
And then notice feelings in your mouth,
Your lips,
And teeth.
How about the feeling of your tongue?
Is there any taste in your mouth?
A flavor?
Now notice your ears.
First one ear,
And then the other.
And how about feeling both ears at the same time?
What does it feel like to listen?
And then your eyes.
They might be open or closed.
Either way is just fine.
If your eyes are closed,
Can you sense light and shadow?
And if your eyes are open,
What do you see?
Maybe color and shapes.
And now,
Let's feel your inner glow.
Your inner glow is what it feels like in your body when you are comfortable and relaxed.
To feel your inner glow,
It's helpful to start with a picture from your memory or from your imagination.
So is there a special place,
One that you can either imagine or remember,
That when you think of it,
You feel really good inside?
Happy and safe?
A place you feel comfortable and at ease?
It might be a special place outdoors,
Or it might be a place that you spend time with the people you love.
Wherever it is,
Imagine that you are there,
Right now.
Picturing yourself there in your imagination.
Notice what you see there,
What you hear,
Or even what you smell.
Let your whole body feel what it's like to be in that place right now.
What does it feel like in your body?
Maybe it feels soft,
Or warm,
Heavy,
Or light.
It might feel tingly,
Or still.
What feeling do you notice?
That feeling is your inner glow.
You can call it whatever you like,
And you can come back to this feeling anytime.
It's always here for you.
And now feeling your heart.
You might want to place one of your hands on your heart space,
At the center of your chest.
Feel the weight and warmth of your hand resting on your chest.
Maybe you can feel the beat of your heart,
Or you might imagine the gentle pulse of your heart beating.
If you want to,
You can begin to feel the love and kindness in your heart beginning to grow.
Imagine that it's spreading through your whole body.
And notice what this love feels like to you.
Maybe you feel it spreading like golden honey,
Or flowing like a stream of love.
Whatever it feels,
Letting your heart say I love you to all the parts of your body.
As you imagine the love of your heart spreading,
Flowing up into your neck.
I love you neck,
And into your ears.
I love you ears,
Thank you for hearing,
And spreading into your face.
I love you eyes,
Thank you for seeing.
I love you nose,
Thank you for smelling,
And mouth.
Thank you for tasting,
And smiling.
I love you cheeks,
And forehead.
I love you whole head,
Feeling the love of your heart spreading out to the sides.
I love you shoulders,
And arms.
I love you hands,
And fingers.
I love you thumbs,
Your heart sending love and kindness to your whole torso.
I love you back,
And chest,
Sides,
And belly,
Sending the love downward.
I love you hips,
And legs,
Feet,
And toes.
I love you whole body,
Whole body I love you.
Whole front side,
And back side,
Whole left side,
And right side,
Top,
And bottom.
Feeling this love and kindness of your heart like a light shining through your entire body,
And beginning to shine out even beyond your skin,
Into the space around you,
Beginning to share it with the world.
Think of someone that you love.
It could be someone in your family,
A friend,
Or a teacher.
Can you imagine sharing this love with them?
Letting the kindness of your heart shine way out wide,
So they can feel it too,
And to more people that you love.
Who else can you shine your love towards?
People who take care of you,
People that you see in your neighborhood,
Even people that sometimes frustrate you,
People that live close by,
And people that live far away,
Animals that you see every day,
Or the ones that you see every once in a while,
Trees and flowers out your window,
At the park,
All around the world.
Where else would you like to share your loving kindness?
So nice.
And as you rest here,
Feeling all this love shining through your whole body and breath,
Each breath in,
Each breath out,
Full of love,
Your whole body breathing,
All on its own,
Letting the love flow in,
And flow out,
Giving and receiving.
I love you,
Breath.
Now we'll try something called bumblebee breath.
Here,
You will be breathing in through your nose,
And when we breathe out,
Closing your mouth,
And humming the letter M,
Kind of like the sound of a bee,
Let's try it.
Breathe in through your nose,
Humming on the way out,
Yeah,
That's it.
Breathe in through your nose,
Hum like a bee,
M,
In through your nose,
Hum,
M,
In,
And out,
M,
Nice.
Letting the humming fade away,
And then easy natural breath,
Nothing you need to do,
Letting the body breathe,
All on its own,
And noticing how you feel now.
Maybe you feel more calm,
More sleepy,
Or something else.
Saying hello to whatever is here,
All of it okay to be here.
You could notice if there's somewhere in your body that feels warm,
Maybe it's your belly,
Or your feet,
Feel that warmth,
And then find a place in your body that feels cooler,
Maybe in your forehead,
Or your hands,
Or somewhere else.
Feel that coolness,
Then come back to the warm place,
Feel the warmth,
And then one more time,
Feeling that coolness,
That place that feels cool.
Now try feeling warm and cool at the same time.
Feel the warmth and coolness all at once,
What's that like?
Notice any other feelings that are here,
Any thoughts passing by,
Everything okay to be here,
And noticing if there is something that you are really thankful for,
Something or someone that makes you smile.
Picturing that person or object,
It could be a friend,
A toy,
Your pet,
Or your favorite food.
Who or what are you really thankful for right now?
What does it feel like in your body when you are thankful?
Noticing that,
And then just rest here,
Whole body breathing,
Full of love and thanks,
Simply being here,
Connected to the love and kindness in your heart,
Resting or sleeping here as long as you like,
Nothing you need to do,
Simply being right here,
Quiet and still,
Knowing that when you are ready to move or awaken from sleep,
That this love and inner glow will come with you,
For now,
Just being here,
Resting,
Gently letting sleep happen all on its own,
Just this,
Closing this practice with a round of breath together,
Breathing in and breathing out,
Remembering you are brilliant,
Brave,
And loved.
