Healing with loving kindness,
A guided meditation.
This meditation focuses on cultivating feelings of love,
Compassion,
And kindness toward oneself and others.
It is a simple yet profound practice that can bring about positive changes in your life and the relationships around you.
In this meditation,
We will be directing love and kindness toward ourselves,
Loved ones,
Acquaintances,
And even those who we may find difficult or challenging.
Before we begin,
Find a comfortable seated position,
Either on a cushion or a chair.
If you have any kind of back pain or problems,
You can lean up against the wall and use as many props as you need to be comfortable in order to sit.
Allow your spine to be straight but not stiff,
And your feet to either be planted firmly on the ground if you are on a chair,
Or in a comfortable cross-legged position if you are seated,
Placing your hands on your lap in any way that feels most comfortable to you.
Taking a deep breath in,
And as you exhale,
Close your eyes.
Take this moment to notice your breath,
Feeling the coolness of the air as you inhale,
And the warmth of the air as you exhale.
Simply observe your breath in this way,
Without judgment or expectation around the experience and your practice.
Whenever your mind starts to drift away in thoughts,
Emotions,
Acknowledge it and gently bring yourself back to your breath in specific,
Softening the muscles in your face,
The eyebrows,
Around the eye sockets,
Around the nose,
The cheeks of your face,
And your lips.
Bring to mind an image of yourself sitting in this moment.
Visualize yourself as you are now.
See yourself sitting there,
With your eyes closed,
Breathing deeply and calmly,
Allowing yourself to feel a sense of warmth and compassion.
Whenever your mind wanders,
If it starts to judge or label,
Bring yourself back to your breath.
Allow yourself to feel a sense of warmth and compassion towards yourself as you see yourself sitting as you are in this moment in time.
Mentally state to yourself,
May I be happy,
May I be healthy,
May I be at peace.
Mentally state these things to yourself now,
May I be happy,
May I be healthy,
May I be at peace.
Taking a deep breath in through your nose and exhale out of the mouth as you now start to bring in mind someone who you love and care deeply for.
It could be a family member,
A friend or even a pet.
Visualize them in your mind's eye and see them smiling,
Happy and healthy.
Allow yourself to feel a sense of warmth and love toward them.
Stay in the positive light and allow yourself to feel a sense of warmth and love toward them.
Silently say in your mind's eye,
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
And may you be at peace.
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
May you be at peace.
Next bring to mind an acquaintance,
Someone who you know but do not have a deep connection with.
Visualize them,
Their character,
Personality,
Demeanor.
See them smiling,
Happy and healthy.
Allow yourself to feel a sense of warmth and kindness toward them.
Say to yourself in your mind,
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
May you be at peace.
Now bring into mind someone who you may find difficult or challenging.
This could be someone who you have had a disagreement with or someone who has hurt you in some way.
Visualize them.
See them as a human being,
Just like yourself,
With flaws and imperfections.
Stay focused,
Control your mind,
See them as a human being,
Just like yourself,
With flaws and imperfections.
Now allow yourself to feel a sense of compassion and deep forgiveness toward them.
Say in your mind's eye,
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
May you be at peace.
And finally,
Bring to mind all the beings,
All creatures,
Great and small,
Who share this planet with you,
Visualizing the earth from space and all of the living beings on it.
Allow yourself to feel a sense of connectedness and compassion towards all of them.
From the bottom of your heart and depths of your mind,
Say,
May all beings be happy,
May all beings be healthy,
May all beings be at peace.
Wherever you are in the world,
Bring your attention back to this meditation of you sitting in your space,
Feeling a sense of calm and relaxation.
Scan your body now,
Wherever you feel tension,
If any,
Take a deep breath into that specific location.
Hold your breath for a count of 5,
4,
3,
2,
Exhale out of the mouth to let the tension go.
Continue this breath if there is more tension spread throughout the body.
Breathing in through the nose,
Hold for 5 counts before exhaling out of the mouth.
We are almost there,
Continue to feel what is happening in your body as you maintain the intention of love and kindness.
Give permission for the compassion to surround both you,
Your loved one,
An acquaintance,
That individual that you currently have a difficult or challenging time with,
Visualizing this great ball of light surrounding the entire earth with all creatures great and small who share this planet with you.
If there are tears,
Allow there to have space.
Without moving the body too much,
Allow yourself to feel the great depth of unconditional love.
Relaxing your jaw and your forehead,
Just a few more deep breaths.
Only when you are ready,
Slowly allow your eyes to open back up.
Breathing deeply into the belly,
Take a moment to notice how you feel,
Both physically and emotionally.
Notice any sensations in your body,
Any changes in your breath,
And even heart rate.
May you continue to cultivate loving-kindness in your heart and in your life.
