Hi,
My name is Kathy.
Thank you for joining me today for this loving kindness meditation practice.
I figure in today's world with all of our stressors who couldn't use a little extra dose of loving kindness.
I hope you enjoy it.
And take a minute to make yourself comfortable finding whatever position feels best for your body right now today,
Whether that's seated or lying down and allowing the spine to lengthen easing the shoulders down away from the ears.
Letting the hands rest in the lap or wherever feels natural.
You may choose to gently close the eyes or keep a soft unfocused gaze.
This is your practice.
So always do it feels right for you and your body.
If you feel any discomfort during the practice,
You can always adjust the body as needed.
And letting yourself transition and settle into this practice,
Inhaling and exhaling through the nose.
Allowing the mind and body to begin to slow and relax with each breath.
And taking a moment to notice where you feel your body connect with the floor or surface beneath you.
And really feel how the body is fully supported.
As you feel the weight of the body,
Let the support beneath you and the earth all around you do all of the work.
So your body can more fully relax and let go.
Releasing any tension or tightness,
Letting go of any stressors,
Inhaling.
And as you exhale,
Feel the muscles of the body ease into a more restful state.
Allowing any tension in the neck and shoulders to melt away.
Relaxing the jaw,
The tongue and the facial muscles.
Letting the belly be soft.
Opening up in the chest.
Inviting the breath to begin from the diaphragm,
Moving up through the ribs and into the chest.
And as you exhale,
Release any lingering tension in the body.
We will now invite the breath to begin to deepen.
Gently lengthening the inhale and the exhale.
Today we will practice the relaxation breath by allowing the exhale to be longer than the inhale.
So if you inhale for a count of four,
Lengthen the exhale to a count of eight.
Using each exhale to release and relax just a little bit more.
Practicing this at your own pace following the cadence of your breath,
Inhaling and exhaling.
Anytime the mind wanders,
And it's normal for it to do so,
Just notice that it has without any judgment.
And just gently bringing your attention back to the breath and back to the practice.
Lengthening each exhale,
Allowing the body's natural relaxation response to kick in.
And as you continue to practice this breath,
Bring to mind something you are grateful for today.
It could be a small moment,
A person in your life,
Or even the breath you're taking right now.
Picture this source of your gratitude in your mind,
And connect with the feeling of gratitude.
Notice where the sensation exists in the body.
And as you focus on that sensation,
Feeling the warmth of appreciation growing in your heart.
Giving yourself a moment to sit with this feeling of gratitude.
Maybe you notice it expands within you,
Softens any tension and brings a sense of lightness.
Silently say to yourself,
Thank you.
As you continue to breathe.
Taking a deep breath in,
Breathing in gratitude.
And as you exhale,
Feel yourself surrounded by the gentle energy of appreciation.
Now we will cultivate some loving kindness.
First for yourself,
Because we cannot give to others what we don't give to ourselves.
If you'd like,
You may choose to place a hand over your heart and lovingly repeat these phrases silently to yourself.
May I be safe.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I live in peace.
May my heart be filled with love,
Kindness,
And gratitude.
Now imagine somebody that you love.
Maybe a spouse,
A child or a pet.
Anybody that you would like to send some loving kindness to repeating silently these phrases to yourself.
May you be safe.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you live in peace.
May your heart be filled with love,
Kindness,
And gratitude.
Now bring to mind your larger family,
Community or town that you would like to send loving kindness to.
Keeping an image in your mind that represents this larger community.
Repeat these phrases.
May you be safe.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you live in peace.
May your hearts be filled with love,
Kindness,
And gratitude.
Now picture the entire world,
Including yourself,
Bringing up an image of the entire earth and repeat these phrases.
May we be safe.
May we be happy.
May we be healthy.
May we live in peace.
May our hearts be filled with love,
Kindness,
And gratitude.
Take a moment to notice the sensations in the body from this loving kindness practice.
Allow any feelings and sensations of warmth,
Peace,
Love and kindness to permeate your entire mind,
Body and energy.
You will take all of these feelings with you into the rest of your day,
Your week and your life radiating it out.
As you embody loving kindness for yourself,
And others.
Taking a deep breath in and a deep,
Lengthened exhale out.
Slowly bring your attention back to the room.
Feeling your feet and the support beneath you.
Taking a deep cleansing breath of gratitude and love that others will feel just by being with you.
Maybe bringing some slow gentle movement to the fingers or toes.
And only as you're ready,
Allowing the eyes to open and noticing your surroundings.
Taking one final cleansing breath,
Inhaling and exhaling.
Have a great day.
