Hi,
My name is Asa,
Welcome to this loving-kindness guided meditation.
In this meditation,
You'll practice sending wishes of happiness and well-being to yourself,
Your loved ones,
Your community,
And to all living beings on the planet.
Begin by coming to a comfortable seat.
You may close your eyes or leave them open with a soft gaze on the floor a few feet in front of you.
Gently begin to deepen your breath.
Bring your full awareness to your body breathing.
Focus your attention on wherever you notice your breath the strongest.
Even if any thoughts float through your mind,
Simply recognize them and then kindly bring your attention back to your body breathing.
Take a deep breath in and on the exhale visualize a wave of relaxation flowing through your body and releasing any tension.
Try this relaxation breath twice more at your own pace,
Breathing in and then relaxing your whole body as you breathe out.
And now for our loving-kindness practice.
We'll begin with bringing to mind someone from the past or present that brings you great joy and deep feelings of love whenever you think of them.
They could be a dear friend,
A close family member,
Or even a beloved pet.
Notice the feelings that come up when you think of them.
Perhaps a feeling of warmth emanating from your heart,
A feeling of ease throughout your body,
Or maybe you just can't help but smile.
Take a moment to allow those warm fuzzy feelings to grow as you think of your loved one.
And while keeping the love and joy in your heart,
Let's send these kind,
Loving feelings to ourselves.
If you like,
You can visualize your loved one sending these well wishes to you.
Or you can place one or both hands over your heart and visualize sending them to yourself.
Repeat the following words out loud or in your mind.
May I be safe.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I live with ease.
And again,
May I be safe.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I live with ease.
Allow yourself to receive these wishes of well-being,
Knowing that you deserve it,
And you know your loved one would agree.
In a moment,
We'll practice sending these well wishes to others,
But let's repeat them once more for ourselves,
Remembering how important it is to send yourself love in addition to others.
May I be safe.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I live with ease.
And if your hands are over your heart,
You can leave them there for the rest of the practice,
Or float them down to your lap,
Palms facing up,
To facilitate the spread of loving kindness.
Next,
Bring to mind images of your loved ones,
Friends,
Family members,
People who you care about and who care about you.
If you'd like,
You can allow their images to pop in and out of your mind's eye,
Or you can envision everyone standing together as if a big group photo was being taken,
And they're all smiling back at you.
When you're ready,
Hold them in your heart and send all of these beautiful people the following well wishes.
May you all be safe.
May you all be happy.
May you all be healthy.
And may you all live with ease.
And again,
May you all be safe.
May you all be happy.
May you all be healthy.
And may you all live with ease.
Imagine them receiving these well wishes with deep gratitude.
You may feel a warmth flowing from your heart as you extend these well wishes,
Saying them once more for good measure,
Knowing in your heart and soul that all of these people in your mind deserve all of these things.
May you all be safe.
May you all be happy.
May you all be healthy.
May you all live with ease.
Next,
Bring to mind images of people in your community.
Imagine the faces of your neighbors,
The people who work at your grocery store,
The delivery drivers,
Postal workers,
Baristas,
And any other acquaintances.
Even people you might not be so fond of,
Understanding that they too deserve compassion.
Allow these faces to pop up into your mind.
And when you're ready,
Extend these well wishes.
May you all be safe.
May you all be happy.
May you all be healthy.
And may you all live with ease.
And again,
May you all be safe.
May you all be happy.
May you all be healthy.
And may you all live with ease.
And imagine these well wishes are reaching them and bringing them a sense of ease and peace.
And if some more faces are starting to pop up into your mind,
We'll say it one more time.
Sending these well wishes to our neighbors and community.
May you all be safe.
May you all be happy.
May you all be healthy.
And may you all live with ease.
Feel these well wishes emanating from your heart and sending this loving kindness to those nearby.
And then finally,
We'll extend these well wishes to all living beings on the planet.
People,
Animals,
Sea creatures,
Plants even.
You might imagine yourself zoomed out,
Looking at Earth from outer space.
And as you send the following wishes,
They encircle the whole planet,
Embracing all living beings with love and kindness.
When you're ready,
Sending the following well wishes.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be healthy.
And may all beings live with ease.
And again,
May all beings be safe.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be healthy.
May all beings live with ease.
Allow all of that loving energy to emanate from you to everyone on the planet.
Wishing once more,
May all beings be safe.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be healthy.
May all beings live with ease.
Enjoy a few more moments resting in this beautiful field of loving kindness.
And as our practice comes to an end,
I invite you to take a moment to notice how you feel.
When you're ready,
Take a deep breath in,
And on your exhale,
Gently sit back,
Take a stretch,
And blink open your eyes.
Thank you for practicing this loving kindness meditation.
From my heart to yours,
May you be safe,
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
And may you live with ease.
