Let's prepare to meditate.
Adjust your body so that you are comfortable.
Close your eyes.
Rest your hands in any way that feels comfortable for you.
Take a nice,
Filling breath in.
Breathe deeply in through your nose and breathe out slowly through your mouth.
Do this again.
Now when you exhale,
Breathe out with a long sigh.
Continue this breathing a few more times to settle your mind and body.
You are ready to begin.
This is called a loving-kindness meditation,
Where the best things that we hope to have for ourselves,
We will wish for others to have as well.
We will start by sending loving-kindness to ourselves and then expand our circle of compassion and caring outward to include more people.
Let's start with you.
In your mind,
Repeat after me.
May I know happiness.
May I know love.
May I know peace.
Now think of somebody that you love.
Imagine them in your mind as if you are speaking to them.
Repeat after me.
May you know happiness.
May you know love.
May you know peace.
And now,
Think of just your friends.
Picture them in front of you and repeat.
May my friends know happiness.
May my friends know love.
May my friends know peace.
Now think of your family.
Repeat after me.
May my family know happiness.
May my family know love.
May my family know peace.
Now picture somebody neutral.
This means somebody you don't know that well.
They might even be a friend if you knew them better.
Imagine this person and imagine them standing in front of you.
Now let's send them some loving-kindness.
Repeat after me.
May you know happiness.
May you know love.
May you know peace.
Now think of everybody in your class.
Your whole class all at once.
Repeat after me.
May my class know happiness.
May my class know love.
May my class know peace.
This next part can be challenging.
Try to think of somebody you don't usually get along with.
It can be very healing to send them loving-kindness.
Repeat these words.
May this person know happiness.
May this person know love.
May this person know peace.
Now picture yourself flying above your whole town,
City,
Or community.
And repeat the words.
May everyone hear know happiness.
May everyone hear know love.
May everyone hear know peace.
Finally,
Send big love to the whole world and everyone and everything on it.
Repeat after me.
May everyone know happiness.
May everyone know love.
And may everyone know peace.
As our meditation comes to a close,
Draw your attention back to your real body.
Notice and feel where your body is touching the floor or chair.
Wiggle your fingers.
Wiggle your toes.
Take a deep breath.
Now go ahead and stretch out your body in any way that feels good to you.
When you're ready,
Open your eyes.
Now go out and find all that's good in your day.
