Welcome to your Compassion and Loving-Kindness Meditation.
As part of this session,
We are going to recall three people in our lives,
A friend or benefactor,
A neutral acquaintance,
And a person with whom we've had some difficulty.
It is often challenging for people to be compassionate and direct loving-kindness towards the self.
So,
This is where we'll start.
We will start by directing love to the self and then move outward in our field of relationships,
Expanding our sphere of love and compassion.
Sit comfortably.
This means both literally,
Physically in your body.
Spine upright.
Jaw relaxed.
Face relaxed.
And symbolically,
Be at ease in your mind.
Don't try to force anything special to happen.
Just relax.
Be at ease.
Close the eyes.
Just feel the natural state of the body.
Notice the natural state of the breath.
Not judging,
Just allowing it to be.
Feel the breath rising and falling.
The simple,
Natural structure of the breath.
Easy and as it is.
Now picture yourself from an outside perspective.
Picture your body.
Imagine the outline of your body and see your face clearly.
As you see yourself,
Direct some loving attention towards yourself.
Start by repeating this simple phrase.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be free from pain.
May I live my life with ease.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be free from pain.
May I live my life with ease.
Now expand your awareness towards someone who is close to you.
Someone you love.
Someone you care for.
Whether that person is still here or has gone out of your life.
Picture their face.
Imagine they are sitting here with you right now.
Direct that same intention of loving kindness towards them.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be free from pain.
May you live your life with ease.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be free from pain.
May you live your life with ease.
Now picture an acquaintance in your life.
Someone who you know but you don't have a deep relationship with.
Picture that person.
See their face.
Remember all beings everywhere just want to be happy and so does this person.
So we wish for this person the love,
Freedom,
Happiness and joy that we wish for ourselves.
In our mind we repeat the same simple phrase.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be free from pain.
May you live your life with ease.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be free from pain.
May you live your life with ease.
Now picture someone in your life that you've had some difficulty with.
Someone who you've had an argument or disagreement with or you just find irritating or annoying.
Picture their face.
As we send them compassion,
We are not saying that we excuse any behavior or feel anything different than what we truly feel.
Rather,
We recognize the feeling of the oneness in our desires.
That all beings everywhere want to be happy and so does this person.
Visualize yourself along with this person,
Putting yourself on an equal footing with them.
In your mind you repeat that same simple phrase.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be free from pain.
May you live your life with ease.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be free from pain.
May you live your life with ease.
Now expanding ourselves a little bit further.
Moving out from the people that we know to all beings everywhere.
Without exclusion or distinction.
That means every living being.
We move to a sense of boundlessness.
In our mind we repeat that same simple phrase.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be free from pain.
May you live your lives with ease.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be free from pain.
May you live your lives with ease.
Now sit with yourself.
Wherever there is an area in your life,
Some relationship.
Whether it is with yourself or with others.
That you feel a strain.
Direct that phrase towards that part of your life.
Towards that relationship.
Sit in silence and feel that intention.
Now you can gently let go of the intention.
Come back to the body.
Noticing sensations in the body.
You may shift the body.
Feel comfortable in the body.
And in your own time.
Whenever you feel ready.
You can slowly open your eyes.
I hope you enjoyed this meditation today.
I hope that it helped you expand your compassion and your loving awareness.
We don't worry if the mind wanders while we meditate.
It's okay.
It's normal.
Whenever we notice our minds wandering during meditation.
We simply come back to our loving intention.
And expand our sphere of love and compassion.
Thank you and have a beautiful rest of your day.
