Close your eyes and sit comfortably with your spine straight.
See if you can relax your whole body from head to toe.
Without straining,
Take a deep breath in through the nose,
Letting the belly and the chest fill completely.
And breathe out through the mouth.
And bring into your awareness someone you love deeply.
Feel into your heart and send this person your love.
Feel how this emotion feels in the body and be with the sensation.
Now bring into your awareness either the same person or another person who cherishes you deeply.
And feel the warmth of their love flowing back to you.
Let it flow into your heart and see if you can relax completely into this feeling.
See if you can surrender.
Slowly bring into your awareness all those you have ever loved and those who have ever loved you.
Feel the love that you have shared and give and accept without any fear or any doubt.
And feel yourself overflowing with the warmth of their love.
Now begin to send love and warm wishes to those around you.
You may silently repeat this phrase in your head or simply feel the emotion beyond the phrase itself.
May you be happy.
May you be free from pain.
May your life be filled with happiness,
Health and well-being.
Let your mind return to stillness for a moment.
And now start to bring into your awareness someone that you don't know very well.
Someone who you have no particular feeling toward.
Begin to send wishes for well-being to that person.
May you also live with ease and happiness.
May you also live with ease and happiness.
May you be healthy.
May you be free from pain.
Let your awareness begin to expand now.
To take in anyone in the room with you.
Anyone in the house next door.
Anyone in the street.
Let your awareness expand and grow until it begins to cover the entire planet.
To all the people with whom you are incredibly similar but that you've never met.
To all the people who have similar dreams and aspirations.
And who have experienced suffering just like you.
And now imagine the entire globe and begin to send warm wishes to all living beings on the globe.
May you live with ease,
Happiness and good health.
May you live with ease,
Happiness and good health.
Let your mind return to stillness.
And take a deep inhale through the nose filling up the belly and the lungs.
Breathe out through the mouth and notice how you feel.
Bringing awareness back into the fingers and back into the toes.
Gently bring movement back into the body.
And take your hands to your heart.
Honoring yourself for your practice.
