Loving Kindness Meditation & Journaling

Good morning,

We are going to get started and we will do it a little bit differently today again where we will journal after the meditation because these sort of meditations can bring up a little bit of emotions or bring up some thoughts and ideas so it's really nice to take a second to journal about them after experiencing them to help ourselves process that a little bit better.

But before we go into the meditation I'm just going to share our affirmation of the day and the affirmation is going to be inspired by the meditation so we're not using the cards today and the meditation that I invite you to really write down in your journal,

I always write down the date,

The affirmation and then I continue my writing.

And the affirmation is,

I am a source of love and peace for myself and others.

I am a source of love and peace for myself and others.

So let's take some breaths and let's settle into our seat to get comfortable into our meditation.

Taking a nourishing breath in through the nose and a nourishing breath out.

Doing that a few more times,

Nice cleansing breaths just to allow ourselves to come into this moment.

Maybe with each exhale just releasing any expectation,

Releasing any resistance and seeing how it would be if just for the next few minutes you flew purely with acceptance,

With openness to let yourself experience this loving kindness meditation in whatever way it needs to be experienced today.

Whenever you feel or if you feel any heaviness in the body during the practice or build up of emotion or resistance,

You just in those moments invite yourself to breathe a little deeper,

To release a little more and to put aside any judgement,

Any thought.

You can always come back to those afterwards.

Just giving yourself at least this window of half an hour to be in pure acceptance.

As during this meditation we are practicing,

Creating,

Cultivating positive emotion,

The emotion of loving kindness.

And through a practice like this we can really activate and feel into this feeling through this practice.

Loving kindness is the desire for someone to be happy,

The desire for yourself to be happy.

And it's not dependent on something,

It's not conditional.

It's not if this happens then I will be happy or if this person does this or that then I wish them to be happy.

It's the pure openness of the heart to feel the desire of happiness for yourself and for someone else.

I'm going to take a moment now just to check in with your body and notice how you're feeling already right now.

Letting whatever there is to simply be.

Not putting a good or a bad label on it,

Just simply being aware,

Noticing what there is.

Noticing how the body is feeling.

And then letting yourself bring to mind,

Just into your awareness,

Someone whom the moment you think of them you feel happy.

See if you can bring that person to mind.

It can be a relative,

A close friend,

Just not someone that's too complicated of a relationship.

Bring someone to mind where the moment you think of them you just simply feel happy.

Just a general sense that when you think of them you feel happy.

You can pick a child,

You can pick a pet,

A creature,

Someone,

Something that's fairly easy to feel love for.

So let them come to mind.

Having them in your mind and having a sense of them being in front of you right now.

You can feel them,

You can sense them,

You can see them.

And as you imagine them,

Notice how you're feeling inside.

Notice how this pure happiness,

Pure love feels inside your body.

Maybe you will feel some warm,

Maybe there's some heat on your face,

A smile,

Maybe a sense of expansiveness.

And this feeling,

The combination of this feeling,

This is a loving kindness.

This is a natural feeling that's accessible to all of us at any moment.

And now having this loved one that you feel this loving kindness to,

Without condition,

Having them in front of you,

Begin to wish them well.

May you be safe and protected from danger.

May you be happy and peaceful.

May you be healthy and strong.

May you have ease and well-being.

And as I say these words,

You can use my words or your own words,

And have a sense of letting this loving kindness come from you.

And begin to touch this one,

This loved one.

You might think in images,

You might have a sense of color or light,

You might just have a feeling.

And the words may continue to bring more of that feeling.

So I encourage you to say whatever feels meaningful to you.

May you be free from stress and anxiety.

May you be free from all fear.

Sending loving kindness to this person.

And so as you're sending out these words,

These feelings of loving kindness,

Take a moment now to check in with yourself again.

See how you're feeling inside.

Sending this loving kindness,

Feeling,

Sensing,

Witnessing the change within.

Now imagine that this loved one turns around and begins to send this loving kindness back to you.

So see if you can receive the loving kindness.

Take it in.

And they're wishing you well.

May you be happy.

Meaning you.

Not them anymore,

But them sending this to you.

May you be peaceful and at ease.

May you be safe and protected from all danger.

May you have joy,

Well-being.

Letting yourself take it in.

Now,

If you're not feeling anything at this point,

Or at any point during this meditation,

It's not a problem.

This is a practice that plants seeds.

And if you're feeling something else other than loving kindness,

Just check into that.

What is it that I'm feeling?

There may be something to learn here.

Now,

If it's possible,

And it's not always easy to do this,

But see if you can send loving kindness to yourself.

Can imagine it coming down your body from your heart.

You can just have a sense for it.

May I be safe and protected from danger.

May I be healthy and strong.

May I be happy and peaceful.

May I accept myself just as I am.

And as you ask yourself the question,

What do I need to be happy?

See what arises and offer that to yourself.

May I have meaningful work,

A joyful life,

Close friends and family.

Ask yourself,

What do I need to be happy?

Can you take a moment to offer that to yourself?

And now checking into yourself and noticing what it is you feel as you do this.

And now let's shift again and let yourself bring to mind one person or a group of people that you wish to send the loving kindness to.

Imagine them in front of you.

Sense them,

Feel them,

Whoever comes into your mind.

May you be happy and peaceful.

May you be free from all stress and anxiety.

Free from fear,

Worry,

And grief.

May you have joy and happiness.

And as you send this loving kindness to this person or group of people,

Can you now allow it to expand?

Expand out,

Spreading,

Touching anyone that you want to touch right now,

In all directions.

People you know,

People you don't know,

People you have difficulty with,

People you love.

Just imagine expanding and touching each person or animal,

Whoever is touched by this loving kindness.

Each person has changed.

You can imagine that,

Sense that,

Feel that.

So may everyone everywhere be happy and peaceful and at ease.

May we all experience great joy.

Letting yourself soak in the loving kindness,

Knowing that it can always be there.

You can always choose to connect to it.

And starting with someone that we feel very easily happy to or love to,

Can help us remind ourselves that this feeling is within us.

Keeping this cultivated energy in your space,

In your heart,

In your mind,

As you slowly start to take deeper breaths,

As you slowly start to bring your awareness back into your body,

Back into your mind,

Bringing awareness back into this present moment and where you are.

And let's take three breaths to close our space,

To close our practice.

Breathing in deeply through the nose,

Releasing out the mouth,

Inhaling and out.

One more breath in and out.

In your own time,

Moving the body gently,

Slowly and softly coming out of the practice.

And it's really important now to take a moment to reflect,

To reflect on anything that you experienced during the meditation.

To take a moment now to journal,

What emotions,

What sensations or images evoked within you?

Did you find it easy to send loving kindness to yourself?

And just take a moment to explore,

Explore any insights or feelings that arose during this practice.

So taking your pen,

Your journal,

And let's take the next four or five minutes to reflect,

To deepen this practice.

And as you slowly come to the end of what you're writing,

Knowing that you can continue for as long as you need,

Noticing what else will come up for you during the day,

Or whenever else you come back to this meditation.

But for now,

As our time together is coming to the end,

I want to say thank you for taking a moment to meditate together.

Wishing you a beautiful rest of your day.