Welcome to your loving-kindness meditation.
This is a powerful practice that invites you to cultivate love for yourself,
Love for those close to you,
And love for the world.
Over time,
This practice has been shown to soften self-criticism,
Ease stress,
And cultivate greater empathy and emotional resilience.
There's a beautiful teaching from Thich Nhat Hanh,
Peace in Oneself,
Peace in the World,
Reminding us that when we cultivate peace within,
It naturally extends outward.
Begin by finding a comfortable seat or lying down position.
Get settled in.
Feel your body rooted here.
Notice your natural breath coming away from the external thinking mind and into your internal space.
Sense the breath on the nostrils.
Feel the ebb and flow of your breath,
Letting it move with ease.
Allow your body to soften into stillness.
Begin to deepen your breath.
Let the breath extend out into every part of your lungs.
On your exhale,
Release any tightness,
Tension,
Residual stress from the day.
Ground yourself in the present moment with each inhale,
Each exhale.
Bring your attention to your heart.
Feel the sensation of your heart,
The capacity and space that it holds.
Let the eyelids soften.
Imagine you're breathing into your heart.
Inhale into the heart.
Exhale out through your chest,
Out through your heart.
On your exhale,
Imagine a golden shimmering light leaving your heart.
As the golden shimmering light leaves your heart,
It begins to surround your entire body.
Inhale into the heart.
Exhale through your heart.
You surround yourself with this warm light of love and kindness,
Creating a protective bubble of compassion,
Love and peace.
Inhale into the heart.
Exhale from your heart.
This warm and loving kindness surrounds your whole being.
Feel the warmth of this golden light surrounding you.
As you sit here surrounded in this warm,
Shimmering,
Loving light,
Repeat in your mind's eye after me,
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be safe.
May I live with ease.
Inhale into the heart.
Exhale a warm,
Shimmering light of love surrounds you.
Begin to imagine a person who you love and care for deeply in your mind's eye.
See them smiling back at you.
Feel their presence.
Inhale into your heart.
Exhale golden,
Shimmering,
Loving light surrounds this person.
Feel the warmth.
See it shimmering around them,
Encompassing them with love.
May they be happy.
May they be healthy.
May they be safe.
May they live life with ease.
May they be happy.
May they be healthy.
May they live life with ease.
Give them a smile.
And release them.
Now imagine a person you know that there might be a little tension with.
Nothing big.
Nothing traumatic.
Just a little stickiness.
See them in your mind.
See them smiling back at you.
Inhale into your heart.
Exhale from your heart golden,
Loving,
Warm light.
Allow it to surround this person.
Each exhale the golden light gets brighter and brighter.
Inhale into your heart.
Exhale,
Surround them with love.
With peace.
With warmth and ease.
May they be happy.
May they be healthy.
May they be safe.
May they live life with ease.
May they be happy.
May they be healthy.
May they be safe.
May they live life with ease.
Let that go.
Bring the whole world into your mind's eye.
Looking at the earth from above.
Think of all the people you know and don't know.
Animals.
Creatures.
All inhale into your heart.
Exhale,
Surround the entire world with warm,
Shimmering light of loving kindness.
With hope.
With joy.
Inhale into the heart.
Exhale golden glowing light surrounds the whole planet.
Smiling at the beautiful earth.
Full of potential.
Full of grace.
Full of love.
May the world be happy.
May the world be healthy.
May the world be safe.
May the world live life with ease.
May the world be happy.
May the world be healthy.
May the world be safe.
May the world live life with ease.
Release the earth.
Bring the attention back to yourself.
Inhale into your heart.
Exhale,
Surround yourself with shimmering golden love.
Feel the light expanding past your body.
An orb of loving kindness surrounds you.
Getting bigger,
Wider with each exhale.
Sense the edges of your body.
Edges of the body become less distinct.
Inhale into the heart.
Exhale through the heart.
Golden light of loving kindness surrounds you.
Let your love expand from your heart,
Seeping into everything around you.
Peace in oneself.
Peace in the world.
Release the visualization.
Breath gentle and at ease.
Feel your body on the ground.
Reconnecting with the sensation of breath on the nostrils.
Let the corners of your mouth gently lift as you enjoy your next inhale.
Feel what you've cultivated within you.
Feel the love,
The peace,
The joy that lives within your heart and body.
Taking this with you to the rest of your day.
Feel free to stay here for as long as you'd like.
When you're ready,
Gently flutter your eyes open and welcome the room back in.
Bringing this sense of love and presence with you.
Thank you so much for practicing with me today.
Namaste.
