Hello,
And welcome to your loving kindness mudra meditation.
Loving kindness is a Buddhist meditation that cultivates compassion first for yourself and then others.
This particular variation of loving kindness uses a mudra sequence to help focus your mind and connect your entire energy through the use of your hands.
You can practice this meditation anywhere and in any position.
You can speak the phrases out loud or silently.
For the mudra,
Use your dominant hand.
As you repeat each phrase,
Keep your breathing steady and centered in your heart,
Expanding this space with each inhale.
You will begin first with yourself,
As you cannot extend compassion to anyone else until you are compassionate with yourself.
In a relaxed position,
Place your dominant hand in an upright position to encourage receptivity.
Using your thumb,
Lightly press the tip of each finger with each word,
Starting with your first finger.
Each phrase is four words long for each of the four fingers.
With each phrase of this meditation,
You will tap all four fingers with your thumb.
This first part,
Concentrate on yourself and the love you have for yourself.
See yourself in your happiest state,
Glowing,
Smiling,
And enjoying life.
And now say these phrases three times while tapping each finger with your thumb.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be free.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be free.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be free.
Take a deep breath in and a deep breath out.
For the second part,
You'll focus on people you love.
Picture the people you love most in your life.
And now say the phrases after me and tap your fingers while picturing these people in their happiest state.
You can repeat the phrases for as many people as you like.
May they be happy.
May they be healthy.
May they be free.
May they be happy.
May they be healthy.
May they be free.
May they be happy.
May they be healthy.
May they be free.
And then taking a deep breath in and a deep breath out.
This third part is for neutral people.
These are people who you know,
But you may not consider them friends,
But you have no ill will against them.
And you'll say these phrases with me or after me while thinking of people who are acquaintances,
And you may not even know them personally,
But as you say these phrases,
Picture these people in their happiest state,
Repeating the words as you tap your fingers with your thumb.
May they be happy.
May they be healthy.
May they be free.
May they be happy.
May they be healthy.
May they be free.
May they be happy.
May they be healthy.
May they be free.
For this fourth part,
We'll work on challenging people.
These are people who you may have had difficulty with in the present or past.
This part of the meditation is often the most difficult,
But it will open your heart in new and expansive ways.
Write the phrases three times,
With me or after me,
As you tap your fingers with your thumb,
Thinking of these people in their happiest state.
May they be happy.
May they be healthy.
May they be free.
May they be happy.
May they be healthy.
May they be free.
May they be happy.
May they be healthy.
May they be free.
Take a deep breath in,
And a deep breath out.
You can feel free to end the meditation here,
Or you can do one more round for yourself to bring you back to center.
Listen to your intuition for guidance on this answer.
Things do what intuitively feels right for you.
As you conclude the meditation,
Take a few breaths into your heart,
Feeling it open as your body restores itself.
