Hello,
This is Preeti and this is a guided meditation also known in the ancient language Sanskrit as Maitri,
Which means loving-kindness.
This practice is about finding unconditional love for ourselves by befriending and accepting ourselves just as we are.
We resist the urge to shame or denigrate ourselves.
We stop looking for external validation.
Ultimately,
Maitri is about finding self-compassion through practicing loving-kindness for ourselves,
For those whom we love,
For those whom we don't know well,
For those whom we find difficult,
And then for the world.
So sit comfortably with your back straight and a soft gaze on an object in front of you,
Or if you are comfortable with your eyes gently closed,
And let's practice together.
Start in a comfortable seated or lying down position,
Closing your eyes and settling into your breath,
And just notice your breath.
Notice the gentle inward and outward flow of your breath as it enters and leaves your body.
Notice how your chest and your abdomen gently rise and fall as the breath flows through you.
Try breathing not from your chest,
But from deep within your belly,
Watching the stomach expand on the inhale and contract on the exhale.
And let's breathe together mindfully.
Take a deep breath through your nose,
Breathing up from your belly,
Let the air fill your lungs and reach your throat,
And when you are full of this abundance,
Exhale through your mouth.
You can even make a sighing noise on the exhale.
It sounds like this.
Sigh.
Let's try it again.
Breathe deeply from your belly through your nose,
Letting the air fill your lungs and reach your throat,
And when you are full of this abundance,
Exhale through your mouth with an audible sigh.
And again,
Take all your worries and stress and breathe them from your belly up through your nose,
Filling your lungs,
And on the exhale,
Let go of all of your stressors.
Push them out of your body with the force of your breath.
And when you are ready,
Return to your natural state of breathing in through your nose and out through your nose,
Feeling calm,
Feeling serene,
And just let the breath breathe you.
Remember,
As we settle deeper into our practice,
Your mind will wander.
This offers us an opportunity to cultivate mindfulness as well as concentration.
We are fully present in the moment each time we notice the mind wandering,
And we treat it as an opportunity rather than a nuisance or a problem.
This is how your brain was designed.
When a thought arises,
Acknowledge the thought and let it go,
Perhaps sending it on its way down a river or just allowing it to dissipate like a cloud,
And bring your focus back to your breath and just let the breath breathe you.
We are going to start our meditation by offering loving kindness to ourselves.
We,
In recovery,
Are especially aware that without loving ourselves,
It is impossible to love anyone else.
Breathe gently and repeat after me.
May I be loved.
May I be healthy.
May I be safe.
May I be at peace.
May I be filled with loving kindness.
We're going to repeat these four more times.
Perhaps when you repeat the phrases,
Picture yourself receiving them,
And if that is difficult,
It can sometimes be helpful to picture ourselves as a child receiving this love.
Feelings contrary to loving kindness,
Like irritation,
Anger,
Or doubt,
May come up for you.
If this happens,
Be patient with yourself.
Allow whatever arises to be received in a spirit of kindness and compassion,
And then simply return to the breath and to the phrases.
Breathe gently and repeat after me.
May I be loved.
May I be healthy.
May I be safe.
May I be at peace.
May I be filled with loving kindness.
Now bring to mind someone whom you love,
Or someone who has been especially good to you recently.
It could be a loved one,
A friend,
A teacher,
Or mentor.
As this person comes to mind,
Tune into your natural desire to see this person happy,
Free from suffering,
And at ease with life.
Begin to offer this person the same phrases of loving kindness you just offered yourself.
Visualize the person and say to them,
May you be loved.
May you be healthy.
May you be safe.
May you be at peace.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
Now let this person go,
And bring to mind a neutral person.
This could be someone you see every day,
But don't know very well.
Maybe somebody who works at the grocery store you go to,
Or a coworker you don't work very closely with.
Maybe somebody in your recovery meetings.
Or maybe a neighbor.
And although you don't know this person well,
You can recognize that just as you wish to be happy,
This person wants to be happy as well.
You don't need to know what their happiness looks like.
Offer this person the phrases of loving kindness.
Visualize them and say to them,
May you be loved.
May you be healthy.
May you be safe.
May you be at peace.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
Now letting this neutral person go,
This is going to be a little bit more difficult.
Think of somebody with whom you have difficulty,
Or towards whom you feel a resentment.
Maybe hurt,
Maybe jealousy,
A strong feeling,
And not necessarily a positive one.
You may not want to pick the most difficult person in your life,
But instead,
Choose someone who is currently agitating or annoying you.
And offer the phrases of loving kindness.
Being aware that no matter how you feel about this person,
Just as you wish to be happy and free from harm,
So do even the most difficult or troublesome people.
Visualize this person and say to them,
May you be loved.
May you be healthy.
May you be safe.
May you be at peace.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
Now letting this difficult person go,
Try to expand your well wishes as wide as you can imagine.
Perhaps to your family,
To your community,
To your city,
Your state,
Your country,
To all beings on earth.
Notice the immense depth of your own heart and your capacity to love as you offer these phrases to everyone.
May all beings be loved.
May all beings be healthy.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings be at peace.
May all beings be filled with loving kindness.
Now letting go of all thoughts of others,
Return your focus to your own body,
Your mind,
And your heart.
Do a quick scan on your own from your feet,
Up through your knees,
And your torso,
Your neck,
Your head.
Notice any discomfort or tension or any difficulty you're experiencing in your body.
Notice if you're experiencing any lightness or warmth or relaxation or joy.
Then whenever you are ready,
Allow your eyes to open and gently return your attention to the space around you.
Thank you for meditating with me.
I hope this time together fortifies you for whatever comes your way and that you return to this place often and cultivate your spiritual superpowers.
Pause whenever agitated or doubtful and know that peace of mind is always within your reach.
