Hi,
Thanks for being here.
Here when you could be in a myriad of other places.
I Need a Minute offers short practices for when you need to step away from your day and come back to yourself.
Each offering is 15 minutes or less with simple practices in meditation,
Pranayama,
Movement,
Or stillness to help you pause,
Breathe,
And reconnect with your body.
For today's practice,
I'll invite you to lie down on your back.
You can lie down on your yoga mat.
You could lie down on your bed or a sofa.
Perhaps even the grass.
Take time to settle in here.
If you feel any discomfort in your low back with the limbs stretched out,
I invite you to bend the knees.
Take your feet a bit wider than hips distance apart and guide the knees together.
See if you feel a bit more heaviness through the sacrum,
The triangular bone,
The base of your spine.
I'll invite you here to let your hands rest on your body.
You might choose to rest both hands on your abdomen.
Or one hand on the heart,
One hand on the abdomen.
Before we begin,
Please take a moment to notice the way your head is resting in space.
If you find that your chin is jutted up high towards the sky,
Guide the chin a little bit in towards the chest.
The goal here is length from the top of the head down the neck to the spine to the sacrum.
One plane here in the body.
If you'd like to place an eye bag or a scarf over the eyes,
You can place that now.
Today we'll practice metta meditation,
Or loving-kindness meditation.
Metta meditation helps cultivate self-compassion,
Emotional ease.
Connection.
And a sense of goodwill towards yourself and towards others.
It can be a gentle practice for softening stress,
Quieting self-criticism,
And creating more inner peace.
Take a breath in through the nose.
And gently let the breath go.
Two more rounds,
Please.
Gentle breath in.
And out.
Last time,
Breath in.
And breath out.
You'll repeat to yourself the following script.
And as we move through the practice,
You'll change for whom the meditation is dedicated.
Or for whom you're directing.
The kindness,
The love.
Two arts.
So we'll start with self.
Bring into your mind an image of yourself.
It might be you today.
It might be you at a different season of your life.
It could even be a future version of you.
See this image of yourself in your mind's eye.
And repeat to yourself,
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be safe and protected.
May I be at ease.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be safe and protected.
May I be at ease.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be safe and protected.
May I be at ease.
And here you might take a breath with this version of you in your mind's eye.
Extend a hand or a hug.
And let the image fall away from the mind's eye.
Take a gentle breath in.
And a gentle breath out.
And bring into your mind's eye the image of someone for whom you care deeply.
It could be a friend,
A partner,
A family member.
It might be someone that you know is navigating a difficult time right now.
Or it might be someone that you just like to share goodness,
Kindness,
Wellness with.
Now I invite you to hold their image in your mind's eye here.
Then you can say to them,
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be safe and protected.
May you be at ease.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be safe and protected.
May you be at ease.
One final time,
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be safe and protected.
May you be at ease.
And here you can sit with this person a moment longer.
Extend a hand,
A hug.
Whatever feels right.
And allow the image to float away.
Take a gentle breath in.
And a gentle breath out.
Please bring into your mind's eye the image of someone with whom you have a difficult relationship.
It might not be a full relationship.
It could also be have had a difficult interaction with.
Someone with whom you've butted heads or perhaps not seen eye to eye with.
I invite you to bring their image to your mind.
And say to them from the depth of your heart,
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May be safe and protected.
May you be at ease.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be safe and protected.
May you be at ease.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be safe and protected.
May you be at ease.
If there's anything else you'd like to extend to this person with whom you have a difficult relationship,
Please do so now.
And allow their image to float away from the mind's eye.
Take a breath in.
Take a breath out.
And please bring into your mind's eye here the image of a group of people.
A group of people to whom you'd like to dedicate loving kindness.
A group of people to whom you'd like to dedicate peace,
Compassion.
Safety.
Bring that image of this group of people into your mind's eye.
Hold that image there.
This image of this group and say to yourself here,
May they be happy.
May they be healthy.
May they be safe and protected.
May they be at ease.
May they be happy.
May they be healthy.
May they be safe and protected.
May they be at ease.
One final time here.
May they be happy.
May they be healthy.
May they be safe and protected.
May they be at ease.
Any lingering expressions to this group of people,
Give them here.
Any extensions of kindness.
Of peace.
Let their image float away.
Take a gentle breath in.
And a gentle breath out.
And please bring into your mind's eye everyone to whom we've cultivated metaphor,
Everyone for whom we've considered today in our meditation,
You,
Your loved one,
The person with whom you have a difficult relationship.
A group of people who would benefit from peace and kindness.
Bring everyone together here in your mind's eye.
And repeat to yourself,
May we be happy.
May we be healthy.
May we be safe and protected.
May we be at ease.
May we be happy.
May we be healthy.
May we be safe and protected.
May we be at ease.
Last time here.
May we be happy.
May we be healthy.
May we be safe and protected.
May we be at ease.
Feel the connection of your heart to the hearts of everyone to whom we've cultivated metta today.
Of recognition that we all breathe the same.
Way.
A recognition that our bodies are all made from the same elements.
A reminder that we are all humans here.
Together at the same time on this planet.
May we extend kindness to ourselves,
As well as to others.
Please take a gentle breath in.
And a gentle breath out.
If you'd like to stay in your stillness longer,
Please stay for as long as you have.
As long as you're able to rest today,
Please stay.
And as you're ready to move back into your day,
Transition with care.
Slowly inviting movement back into the body.
Wiggle your fingers and your toes.
Guide your tongue over your teeth.
Let the head rock from side to side.
As you're ready,
You'll roll over onto one side.
Use your palm to press yourself up into a comfortable seat.
Sit well here,
Ears over shoulders,
Shoulders over hips.
And guide your hands together at heart center.
OM SAHA NA VAVATTHU,
SAHA NAO BHUNAKTHU.
Sahaviyam Karavavahai Tejasvina Vatitamastu.
Mahavid Vishavahai Om Shanti Shanti Shanti May we be protected together.
May we be nourished together.
May we study together with great vigor and may these studies be enlightening.
Let there be no animosity among us.
Let there be peace,
Peace,
Peace,
For we are all teacher and we are all students.
May Metta guide us,
Loving kindness for all.
Thank you.
