Hello,
It's Eve here.
Welcome to this loving kindness meditation.
Practicing loving kindness offers us a way to soften and hold ourselves and others with kindness.
It helps us to meet that self-critical voice with a friendly understanding and compassionate one instead.
Through this practice,
We remind ourselves that just like anyone else,
We deserve kindness,
Patience,
And understanding that everyone struggles in their own way.
It's a practice that gives us space to show up with kindness even in those difficult moments.
And don't worry if you've never done a loving kindness meditation before,
I'll guide you through each step.
So inviting you to get into a comfortable position,
Either sitting down or lying down,
Whatever feels best for you right now.
And gently closing the eyes or softening the gaze.
And let's start by taking a few slower,
Deeper breaths.
And with each inhale,
This idea of breathing in a sense of ease and peace into the mind and body.
And with each exhale,
This idea of letting go,
Releasing any tension or tightness you might be holding onto.
And take this moment to acknowledge the effort you've put into showing up for yourself right now.
Practicing loving kindness towards yourself can perhaps feel unusual at first,
Especially if self-criticism is a habit,
A default.
But see if you can give yourself permission to be open to this experience.
And resting your attention on the breath,
Gently following each inhale and exhale,
Breathing at your own rhythm and rate.
In this practice,
We'll be cultivating a sense of friendliness and warmth towards ourselves and others.
We all have this capacity,
A sense of warmth,
Of friendship,
Of non-judgment.
Don't worry if this doesn't appear immediately or easily.
We all have our own story,
Our own conditioning,
But it's enough to cultivate this intention.
And as we continue,
I'll offer some phrases as guidance.
And we'll start by directing these phrases towards someone we care about,
As it's often easier to remind ourselves of these qualities when we feel that love and kindness towards someone else we care about.
So lightly aware of your breath,
Allowing it to be an anchor in the body.
I invite you to bring to mind someone you care about.
Perhaps it's someone who has supported you,
Been kind to you.
Could be a friend,
A family member,
Could even be a dear pet.
And allowing your heart to open to their goodness and kindness.
Sensing their presence.
And repeating the following phrases to them just silently after me.
May you be safe.
May you be at ease.
May you be kind to yourself.
May you accept yourself just as you are.
So allowing yourself to send them this warm,
Compassionate energy.
And just gently,
Silently repeating them one more time.
May you be safe.
May you be at ease.
May you be kind to yourself.
May you accept yourself just as you are.
Taking a deeper breath here.
Checking in with how you're feeling.
And allowing this image to just fade gently into the background.
And now bringing yourself to mind.
And bringing that warm and friendly energy towards yourself.
Perhaps it's picturing yourself somewhere that feels peaceful.
And offering the following phrases to yourself.
Each phrase is a way of saying to yourself,
I deserve kindness.
And you might find it comforting to place your hand on your heart.
And repeating the following phrases just silently after me.
May I be safe.
May I be at ease.
May I be kind to myself.
And may I accept myself just as I am.
I know it can feel strange offering kind words to yourself.
But see if you can let them be an invitation to see yourself with gentleness.
To imagine that you're speaking to yourself like you would a dear friend.
And to let go of any self-judgment as best you can.
And just repeating those phrases one more time.
May I be safe.
May I be at ease.
May I be kind to myself.
And may I accept myself just as I am.
So letting that image of yourself fade gently into the background.
But holding on to that warm and friendly energy.
And now bringing to mind someone you don't know that well but perhaps you see them around.
Could be a neighbor,
A co-worker,
Someone at the grocery store.
And gently acknowledging that they too will experience an anxious mind at times.
And that we don't know everyone's story.
And offering the following phrases to them.
May you be safe.
May you be at ease.
May you be kind to yourself.
May you accept yourself just as you are.
Noticing any sensations in the body and how this feels in the mind.
Sending that love and kindness out into the world.
And repeating those phrases one more time.
May you be safe.
May you be at ease.
May you be kind to yourself.
May you accept yourself just as you are.
So letting go of that image.
Perhaps taking a slower deeper breath.
And then gently letting go of that image.
Sending good wishes and a sense of ease to all beings.
Knowing that everyone struggles from time to time.
May we all be safe.
May we all be at ease.
May we all be kind to ourselves.
And may we all accept ourselves just as we are.
Taking a few deeper breaths here.
Feeling the air moving in and out of your body.
Bringing a bit of movement into the fingers and toes.
And when you're ready,
Opening the eyes,
Widening the gaze.
And taking a moment here just to notice how you feel.
It's normal to feel a little bit of tension.
It's normal to experience a range of emotions,
So be really gentle with yourself.
Loving kindness can help to remind us that we all struggle,
But also all deserve kindness.
One of the best pieces of advice I was given when I was feeling particularly anxious and was giving myself a hard time was,
How would you speak to a friend who was feeling anxious?
It might feel a little silly,
But the difference it makes is huge.
So the next time you're being really hard on yourself,
Consider what you would say to a friend who was feeling the same way.
Can you show yourself that same level of kindness and warmth?
I'll leave it there.
Thank you for practicing with me.
Be gentle with yourself,
Take care,
And I hope to see you again really soon.
