Welcome to the love and kindness meditation.
If you start to feel overwhelmed by emotions,
Remember you can always come back to the breath to anchor yourself in the present moment.
Remembering to always be kind to yourself.
Start by getting comfortable in a seated position either on a chair or on the floor.
Feel free to get a blanket or cushions to ensure you're as comfortable as possible.
Ensure you have an upright posture with your spine straight,
Shoulders relaxed,
Feet flat on the ground or legs crossed if on the floor.
I invite you to place a hand on your heart only if you feel comfortable.
Feel free to place it back down onto your lap whenever you want to.
Now close your eyes and let your attention drop to wherever you feel the breath most naturally.
This may be in your abdomen,
Noticing your tummy rising and falling on each in-breath and out-breath.
Or maybe you feel it more in the chest area,
Noticing your ribcage expanding and contracting.
Or maybe you feel it more in the nostrils,
Noticing the feeling of each in-breath and out-breath through your nostrils.
Wherever it feels most natural,
Just be with it in this moment.
Folding into the body slowly and gently as you tune into your breathing.
Now pay attention to your hand on your heart.
Notice the warmth of your hand resting gently on your body.
Notice how it moves along with your breathing.
Then I invite you to ask yourself what you really need today,
Right here,
Right now.
Perhaps you need peace.
Perhaps you need love.
Perhaps you need kindness towards yourself or acceptance of who you are.
What do you really need?
If nothing comes to you,
That's okay.
We will repeat a few phrases now to help you to tune into what you really need.
Let's start with,
May I be safe and free from suffering.
Let's repeat this now as we savor the words slowly.
May I be safe and free from suffering.
Tuning into how this feels in the body.
What these words really mean for you.
And then we'll follow with a second phrase,
May I be happy and healthy.
Let's repeat this phrase and notice how it feels for you right now.
May I be happy and healthy.
And the next phrase,
May I have ease of being and live in peace.
Let's repeat this phrase and notice how it feels for you.
May I have ease of being and live in peace.
If you struggle to feel warmth towards yourself,
Perhaps imagine a loving pet or friend who has shown you unconditional love.
This could be someone in the past or in the present.
Picture them now and feel their love radiating to you.
And perhaps you need something else.
How about this phrase?
May I be kind to myself,
Truly kind to myself.
Let's repeat it and see how your body feels.
May I be kind to myself,
Truly kind to myself.
Or perhaps it's this phrase.
May I accept myself as I am.
May I accept myself as I am.
Repeat the phrase that resonates with you the most right here,
Right now.
Now I invite you to bring to mind a loved one.
This could be a friend or family member.
Just picture them in your mind as you repeat the phrases for them.
May you be safe and free from suffering.
May you be happy and healthy.
May you have ease of being and live in peace.
Or perhaps you think this person needs kindness or acceptance.
May you be kind to yourself,
Truly kind to yourself.
May you accept yourself as you are.
Notice how it feels in your body as you send out these warm wishes.
And now I invite you to bring to mind a stranger.
Perhaps it's someone you pass on the street.
It could be the local barista from your coffee shop or someone on the bus or the train.
A face you don't know with their own story to tell.
And they also want to be happy so wish love and kindness for them too by repeating the phrases.
May you be safe and free from suffering.
May you be happy and healthy.
May you have ease of being and live in peace.
May you be kind to yourself.
May you accept yourself as you are.
Now I invite you to focus back solely on yourself.
Asking yourself again what do you need?
Perhaps you need peace.
Perhaps you need love.
Perhaps you need kindness towards yourself or acceptance of who you are.
Let's repeat the phrases for you one more time.
May I be safe and free from suffering.
May I be happy and healthy.
May I have ease of being and live in peace.
May I be kind to myself,
Truly kind to myself.
May I accept myself as I am.
Staying with this feeling for a few breaths.
Remembering that love and kindness starts with you.
For you can't nourish others if you don't nourish yourself first.
Now I invite you to drop your chin to your chest.
Slowly open your eyes.
Have a good stretch.
This practice is now complete.
