Hello and welcome.
I invite you to find a comfortable seat either on the floor or in a chair or maybe you do this meditation while walking or laying down.
Doing whatever is most appropriate for you and makes sense to you in this moment.
If you're sitting or standing,
Let your spine be upright and relaxed,
Letting your skeleton support your muscles and your tissues.
And if it makes sense,
You'll close your eyes or gently soften your gaze out in front of you,
Taking a couple of breaths,
Letting the air fill your lungs on the inhale and then slowly exhale.
Releasing tension in your body with each exhale,
Softening.
With each inhale,
Feel yourself arriving in this moment.
With each exhale,
Feel yourself settling into the present just as you are,
Not labeling anything good or bad,
Just noticing what is.
Noticing your breath.
Breathing naturally,
Gently,
With no need to change it.
Observing the rise and fall of your belly or your chest,
Or maybe feeling the flow of air through your nostrils or your throat or your mouth with each inhale and exhale.
When you're ready,
We're going to begin the practice of Tonglen from Buddhist psychology.
In this practice,
We'll take in the suffering of ourselves and others and send out relief,
Compassion,
And peace.
I know this sounds counterintuitive if you're used to American culture where we're often trying to release and distract from the negative,
Uncomfortable sensations and experiences.
But this is a way to open our hearts to both ourselves and others,
No matter the challenges we face.
So when you're ready,
And this makes sense to you,
On an inhale,
We're going to tune in to what we're feeling.
Breathing in any suffering,
Pain,
Or difficulty you are experiencing,
Or that you're witnessing or believe somebody else is.
This could be someone you know,
Or the suffering of all beings who are struggling in this moment.
As you inhale,
Visualize the suffering as dark or heavy smoke,
Gently drawing it in.
Feel the weight of it.
Do not shy away from it.
Instead,
Embrace it,
Knowing that you are powerful enough to hold it.
You are not overwhelmed by it.
You are the container for it,
Offering a sense of compassion.
And then when you're ready,
On an exhale,
You're going to send out a wave of warmth,
Love,
And healing to anyone else experiencing this right now,
Or to all beings.
Imagine sending them peace,
Relief,
And comfort,
Like a soft light or a breeze.
And on each exhale,
Imagine the lightness as if you're offering them exactly what they need to feel more at ease.
Inhaling suffering,
Exhaling out compassion and ease.
On an inhale,
Noticing what it feels like in your body when you make space for the suffering.
Notice how and where you feel it in the form of sensations,
Maybe heaviness,
Tightness,
Burning,
A sense of shallowness,
Heart racing,
Tension somewhere,
And make space for that.
When you exhale,
Imagine what it's like in that person's body to receive the ease,
The support,
The healing,
Spaciousness,
And love that they need.
Noticing what sensations come up with that healing,
Calm,
And love,
Or even tuning into what it feels like to be sending the love,
Kindness,
Calm,
And ease that you're sending.
Inhaling,
Making space for discomfort.
Exhaling,
Sending out ease and lightness.
Continue the cycle of inhaling the suffering,
Exhaling the peace.
Let it flow naturally.
With each breath,
Remember that you are not alone in this practice.
You're connected to all beings,
Those who are suffering,
And those who are offering compassion.
We are all part of the same cycle of life.
Think of all the people in the world experiencing what you or someone else is experiencing in this very moment or throughout all of history.
You are not alone in this.
They are not alone in this.
You might expand your circle of compassion on the inhale,
Taking in the suffering of those you love,
Those you might not know personally,
And even those you may feel challenged by.
With each exhale,
Sending out the healing,
The calm,
And the love,
Offering it to everyone in need.
You may visualize your heart expanding with each breath,
Growing more open and spacious,
Embracing all beings with kindness.
As we begin to close,
Take a few moments to simply sit with whatever you're feeling right now.
There's no need to judge or fix anything.
Just observe.
Know that by practicing this,
You have contributed to the collective healing of the world,
And you carry that peace within you.
When you're ready,
Take one final deep breath in,
Gathering all the peace and compassion you've just created,
And exhale,
Sending it outward into the world.
When you're ready,
Gently bring your awareness back to the room or the space around you,
Maybe wiggling your fingers and your toes,
And when you feel ready,
Open your eyes if they were closed.
And as you move through the rest of your day,
Evening,
Or night,
May you find peace amidst your struggles,
And may every step you take become your home.
