Sit comfortably and take a few deep breaths to relax your body.
If you prefer,
You can gently close your eyelids and turn your focus inward.
Take a few deep breaths,
Allowing each inhale and exhale to release tension from your body.
Without straining or concentrating,
Just relax and gently follow the instructions.
Take an intentional breath in and release a complete breath out.
Begin by directing your loving-kindness towards yourself.
As you repeat each phrase,
Let the energy resonate within you,
Nurturing your wellspring of kindness and compassion.
Repeat these phrases with complete awareness.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be safe.
May I be at peace.
Think of a person close to you now who loves you very much,
Or who you love very much.
It could be someone from the past or the present.
Someone still in this life or someone who's past it.
This could be a spiritual teacher,
A guide,
It could even be a pet.
Imagine this person or being standing at your side,
Sending you their love.
This person is sending you wishes for your safety,
Your well-being,
And happiness.
Feel the love coming from that person toward you.
Begin to send that love back to this person.
You and this person are similar.
Just like you,
This person wishes to be happy.
With this person in mind,
Repeat the following phrases.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be safe.
May you be at peace.
Next,
Consider someone you have a neutral or minimal connection with.
This could be an acquaintance,
Someone you don't know very well,
Or someone you don't have any particular feelings towards.
So that could be a cashier at a local store,
Your letter carrier,
Or a co-worker from another department.
You and this person are alike in your desire to have a good life.
With your attention focused on this specific person,
Repeat the following phrases.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be safe.
May you be at peace.
In a moment,
But not yet,
I will ask you to identify a person who causes you to have challenging or uncomfortable feelings.
If this is a new exercise to you,
I suggest picking someone who makes you feel only slightly negative,
Not so strongly negative that it takes you out of the moment or distracts you from the practice.
So an example could be a driver who cut you off in traffic.
You may find the more that you do this practice,
The greater capacity you will have to send loving kindness to people who cause you discomfort.
So take a moment now and think of a person who causes you to feel negative emotions.
You may notice parts of your body that react to the thought of this person.
Lovingly notice any reactions and gently soften around them without negating them or making yourself wrong for feeling them.
Just like you,
This person wants to be happy,
Healthy,
And well.
With your attention focused on this person,
Repeat the following phrases.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be safe.
May you be at peace.
Now,
Visualize all of these individuals together in your awareness.
The being that you love,
The person you feel neutral towards,
And the person you have a challenge with.
Imagine all of you together as a collective group and repeat the following phrases.
May we be happy.
May we be healthy.
May we be safe.
May we be at peace.
Take a moment to express gratitude to yourself for committing to this beautiful loving kindness practice today.
Visualize yourself as being loving and empathetic towards others and notice how it makes you feel.
Next,
Thinking about yourself and everyone you know,
Say the following.
May you have the strength to overcome all your struggles.
May you always live in honesty and truth.
May you enjoy every happiness in life.
May you always be surrounded with people who love you and care for you.
At this point,
Let go of the need to distinguish who these wishes are for.
Allow the power of these positive contemplations to spread in your system and reverberate through your mind and spirit.
Before we close this practice,
Notice your emotional and mental state.
Become aware of the fact that you've been practicing loving kindness.
Wiggle your fingers and toes.
Take in a full inhale and release a complete exhale.
Open your eyes.
