Cultivating Loving Kindness

Research into the scientific benefits of cultivating kindness is expanding rapidly. Of course, we don’t always feel loving and compassionate towards ourselves and other people, and this practice is a realistic one that allows us to recognise and feel the pushes and pulls involved in offering loving kindness to ourselves and others. Alongside any habitual reactivity that we may notice as we do the practice, it is possible to incline the mind towards an attitude of greater loving-kindness.

Transcript

Loving kindness meditation let's settle into a comfortable alert and easy position bringing a sense of dignity and openness to the body take a posture that will feel comfortable for you one of the aims of this meditation is to feel good so make your posture relaxed comfortable and at ease beginning by bringing awareness to your breath breathing naturally allowing the breath to breathe itself trying to force anything trying to achieve anything perhaps placing your right hand on your belly and your left hand on your heart notice a feeling of expansion on the in breath and a release on the out breath allowing the eyes to close if that feels comfortable for you today and sensing the feeling of the breath expansion and release feeling the warmth radiating from your hands on the body begin to focus around the solar plexus around your chest your heart center breathing in and out from this area is if you're breathing from the heart center see if you can bring the focus of your awareness to the heart breathing in and out from the heart beginning to cultivate a feeling of kindness towards yourself noticing any areas of mental blockage or numbness of self judgment or criticism and then dropping beneath that to the place where we care for ourselves it's wise and strong core of your being always looking out for you bringing you to this practice and then letting the hands rest wherever feels comfortable for you and bringing to mind now someone who's been very kind and loving towards you reflect on what they've done for you and why you're grateful to them remember a specific act that they did that was very loving or kind or caring and remember how that felt now imagine yourself radiating warm feelings of love of friendliness and kindness towards that person and as you do that hold that person in your mind and slowly and silently repeat these words letting them become your words may you be healthy may you be peaceful may you be content may you experience love may you experience kindness may your life be rich and full and meaningful and as you say these words feel the meaning of the words radiating feelings of warmth love kindness and tenderness to this person now letting go of this person in your imagination and keeping an awareness the feelings that have arisen within you continuing to breathe in and out calm the mind and the heart and sensing the center of your being seeing if you can offer loving kindness to yourself saying the same phrases slowly and gently may I be healthy may I be peaceful may I be content may I experience love may I experience kindness may my life be rich and full and meaningful feel the meaning of the words radiating feelings of warm love kindness and tenderness throughout your body completely accepting every aspect of yourself and if your mind makes negative judgments or comments allowing them to come and go like clouds passing in the sky next bring to mind someone who's a good friend or someone such as a child for whom you have a strong sense of care and radiate warm loving kindness to that person imagine them filling up with those feelings as we once again silently repeat the phrases may you be healthy may you be peaceful may you be content may you experience love you experience kindness may your life be rich and full and meaningful breathing in the feelings generated by these words and intentions next bringing to mind a neutral person to this might be somebody that you see around in your neighborhood or at the local shop somebody who you've noticed but I've never really considered or connected with let's cultivate kindness towards this person seeing if you can let these words become your words as you keep this person in awareness may you be healthy may you be peaceful and you be content may you experience love you experience kindness may your life be rich and full and meaningful continuing to breathe these feelings and intentions as we bring to mind someone with whom you may be having some difficulty or conflict and see if we can radiate loving kindness to them we can wish well to people we find difficult or don't like it's best not to start with the most difficult person but perhaps someone who brings up feelings of irritation or annoyance and recognizing that all of us a human and want the same things let's cultivate kindness towards this person seeing if you can let these words become your words as you keep this person in awareness may you be healthy may you be peaceful may you be content may you experience love may you experience kindness may your life be rich and full and meaningful noticing any sensations and feelings that arise within you and seeing if you can allow them and let them be bringing to mind now the broader community of which you are apart you might imagine your family your workmates your neighbors or fanning out your attention until you include all persons and creatures on the planet and including yourself in this offering of loving kindness as you let these words become your words may we all be healthy may we all be peaceful may we all be content may we all experience love may we all experience kindness may our lives be rich and full and meaningful returning awareness to your breath noticing the expansion on the in breath and the softening on the out breath noticing the sensations and feelings that arise within you sensing your body here your breath here your place in this world interconnected with all you