Lovingkindness

This is a simple lovingkindness practice which meets you where you are at in this moment. A practice for you and another where things might feel a little challenging right now. Once you learn this practice, you can adapt it in the moment to whatever situation you find yourself in. After you practice notice any subtle shifts in your own energy and that of your chosen person, particularly when your eyes meet theirs. Best wishes.

Transcript

Alrighty, So we're going to do a meditation here in the beautiful Toohey Forest. We've got butterflies and birds and all sorts of nature here. Beautiful Toohey Forest in Brisbane, Australia. We're going to do a loving kindness meditation. We did a meditation like this the other night in class and people really enjoyed it. So take a moment to get comfortable. You might be seated in a chair. You could do this laying down if you wanted to. If you'd like a mudra, Let's just do something really simple like chin mudra, Gyan mudra, Thumbpad to index finger pad, Palms up or down, Whatever works for you. And maybe wriggle a little side to side and have a little sway. And you might even turn and look behind you just to loosen up and lubricate the vertebra of your spine. And then when you are ready, Come into center and maybe close your eyes and maybe don't. Just do what you feel comfortable with and know that if you need to open your eyes and they're closed, You can. And you can also move if you feel uncomfortable. So don't feel like this is a very stern austerity type practice. You know that you can move if you need to readjust if you need to. And then slowly, Gently begin to direct your attention to your seat and let the bones of your seat descend. Let your buttocks soften. Let gravity help you here meet the earth. And then sense the crown of your head, The top of your head, Extending almost like you've got an antenna. Let your antenna reach up towards the heavens above. And then nice and gently begin to notice your breath without altering it or changing it in any way. Softening the front body, Back body steady and stable. Feel your way towards your heart via your breath. As your breath enters your nostrils, Intend for it to travel into the spaciousness of your heart. And at this moment, Your heart might not feel that spacious. It might feel a little contracted, A bit restricted, And that's okay. Just meet yourself exactly where you're at. And let's begin to speak to ourselves as though we were speaking to a small child or someone that we loved very, Very much. Say to yourself silently, May I be filled with loving kindness? May I be filled with loving kindness? May I be filled with loving kindness? Feel that, Feel yourself receiving that sentiment into your heart. And now say to yourself, May I be safe and protected? May I be safe and protected? May I be safe and protected? May I be loved and loving? May I be loved and loving? May I be loved and loving? May I be happy and at ease? May I be happy and at ease? May I be happy and at ease? Sensing and feeling the experience of dedicating some loving and some kindness towards yourself. And see yourself as filled with loving kindness, Safe and protected, Loving, Lovable and loved, And happy and at ease. And now if you can sense someone in your energy field that you would like to say these phrases to, It could be someone that you find easy to love, It could be someone that you are having some challenges with at the moment. See them, See them before you in your mind's eye and feel their energy and sense your own energy as it responds. Feel your eyes meet theirs. And now silently begin to invoke these phrases for another. May you be filled with loving kindness. May you be filled with loving kindness. May you be filled with loving kindness. Notice what that feels like. Whatever arises, Allow it to arise. May you be safe and protected. May you be safe and protected. May you be safe and protected. May you be loved and loving, May you be loved and loving, May you be loved and loving. And may you be happy and at ease, May you be happy and at ease. May you be happy and at ease. Observing the feeling now between you and this other. Just like we were dipping a piece of material in dye. It may take a few times of practicing loving kindness to get the colour or the stain or the flavour, The rasa that you want to cultivate here. But for now, Give thanks to this person for coming into your energy fields and let them go and then turn back to you. Back to your own heart. Back to your own boundlessness. And once more, May I be filled with loving kindness. May I be safe and protected. May I be loved and loving. And may I be happy and at ease. Back to the breath. Sensing and feeling. The boundlessness of your own heart. And the boundlessness of all time and space. Begin to release the mudra now. Wriggle your fingers if you like. And then begin to inhale your arms up and around you in a beautiful big circle of light, Of love, Of kindness. Let the palms join together above your head and exhale your hands down the midline. Brush the third eye with the back of your thumbs. And let your thumbs nestle into your heart. Feel the weight of your hands. Let gravity draw the weight of your thumbs onto your heart, Your breastbone. Bowing your head, Your mind to your heart. Namaste.