Loving Kindness Meditation

Opening to Forgiveness, Loving Kindness, and Change.

Transcript

This is a guided meditation on opening to change forgiveness and loving kindness So taking your seat Relying down on the bed or floor Taking some moments to welcome yourself into this sacred space This is a time for being Feeling into the mind and body with awareness This may be the very first time today that we have stopped and are still Take some time just to feel into your body into the sensations Feeling into your mood and emotions Feeling into your mood and emotions And just letting be Nothing that needs to be figured out or resolved or reanalyzed Just being present feeling how you are with awareness Whenever you feel ready gently shifting the focus of awareness to the breathing focusing In the abdomen Feeling the belly expanding on an inhalation contracting on an exhalation Breathing normally and breathing naturally Beginning the practice of mindful breathing Breathing in knowing that you're breathing in breathing out in knowing that you're breathing out You're breathing out Mindfulness of the breathing is taking our lives one inhalation and one exhalation at a time And in the silences if you notice that the mind has wandered off from the breath off into the future plans Thoughts worries They're drifted back to the past memories And in the silence of the mind You're feeling the breath And the thoughts of worries are drifted back to the past memories Gently make the mental note wandering and come back again to breathing in and breathing out Just citizen helping to make the body calm clear and concentrated As we breathe in and breathe out It's important to note as well The breath is in a constant state of mind It's important to note as well That the breath is in a constant state of mind And that the breath is in a constant state of mind It's important to note as well how the breath is in a constant state of change And ebb and flows just like the waves by the sea It's following the breath its comings and its goings Breathing normally and breathing naturally being present to breathing In the布 Jumping Falling Yes Taking A connected breath Even though it's so hot and breathing out, Moment to moment. As we've been sitting here for a little bit of time, You can begin to expand the field of awareness, Feeling into the body, Different sensations that are also rising and passing away. And at other moments, Perhaps there'll be different sounds appearing and disappearing, Noticing sensations, Sounds, Perhaps a time even thoughts, Plans, Memories. Noticing that within the mind and body, That everything is changing. Impermanence or change is a powerful teacher in teaching. For we see that everything changes from night into day, From one season to the next, From our lives even into our deaths. Everything is changing. Reflecting wisely on the nature of change, Knowing that there's nothing that we can do to stop this change. Can we learn to become skillful, To work with change, Just as sailors encounter storms out in the oceans, And how to turn the boats in the directions of the winds and ride things out. Can we learn to ride out the changes that we encounter in our lives? Just reflecting on this impermanent quality of mind and body, Of life. Reflections of change and permanence open our hearts to understanding more deeply how fragile this life is and how precious. Reflecting on its fragility, Its preciousness, The shortness of each moment. Developing deeper understanding into the nature of fragility and preciousness opens our heart, Enables us to live life more deeply, More presently. Let's just take some moments to explore this preciousness, Opening the heart to love, To forgiveness for ourselves and to all beings. Let's just take some moments to reflect. Reflect on any harborings of resentment or grudges. Perhaps let us question who is in pain as we harbor resentments. We may discover directly that it is we, Ourselves, That are in pain. We're filled with sadness, Anger, Fear. So even at times if it feels impossible to forgive another in the spirit of taking care of ourselves, Let's begin to try to neutralize any feelings of resentment or grudges and that we know that it's like a toxic poison into our own being. May I experience the freedom from grudges and resentments opening our heart to that possibility. Let us begin to generate a very important quality that helps to open our hearts into the possibility of forgiveness or at least neutralizing these old wounds, Which is the qualities of safety, Breathing in and breathing out and feeling into the quality of being safe in this moment where you are. Notice if you can invite that in. May I be safe. Cultivating that quality of safety within, Being at home wherever we are. We can invite in the next quality. May I be healthy and strong to the best possible ability that I can be. May I be healthy and strong. Allowing yourself to feel your health, Your vitality. You're welcome to repeat those words within you. May I be safe. May I be healthier. Perhaps say other words that resonate more deeply within you. But inviting safety and health into yourself. Further expanding this heartfulness of reflecting on may I be free of harm. May I experience happiness and well-being. Opening the heart to loving kindness. So breathing in and breathing out, Opening to safety, To health, To well-being and opening into peace. May I be at peace. Bringing safety and health, Well-being and peace. We begin to open our hearts to ourselves with loving kindness. Opening to the possibilities that we can begin to neutralize any ill will, Any harboring of resentments that often afflict us in three ways. At times there's the harboring and resentments of the lack of our own self-worth. At times there's the harboring of resentments that we hold towards others that have hurt us. At other times we feel the pains of those that we have hurt. So breathing in and breathing out and opening our hearts to the possibility of compassion for ourselves. May I be safe. May I be healthy. May I experience happiness and well-being. And may I be at peace. Feeling into these words, Discovering what they mean inside you as you open your heart to the qualities of boundless love. There are times where we may not feel this type of boundless love. In this practice, The very essence at times of this practice is to discover what this boundless love means. And so yearning with your awareness, Opening and discovering the qualities of boundless love that are so immense. This love could be compared to like the sun, The moon, The stars that shine on all things without prejudice, Without bias. It's a love that is boundless towards all human beings, To all living things. Feeling inside you, Building up these qualities, Radiating of the powers of loving kindness. May I be safe. May I be healthy. May I experience happiness and well-being. And may I be at peace. Thank you. Breathing in and breathing out. Showering yourself with the qualities of boundless love. And let us begin to extend these boundless qualities to those that we hold in high esteem, If you will, Our teachers, Those that have integrity and wisdom. Those that perhaps we seek wise counsel or consider them to be elders of knowledge and wisdom. Those that are easy to generate and radiate love towards, Extending our wishes of well-being, Of safety, Of strength and health, Of peace, Extending loving kindness to those that we hold with deep gratitude. Let this circle become larger, Expanding to those that are near and dear to us, Family, Friends, Our community, Those that are part of our community. Those that are part of our lives, That offer us support and love, And we also to them, Expanding this heart space of love to those that are near and dear. Wishing them to be safe, To be healthy, To experience happiness and well-being, And to be at peace. This circle of love even expands further into those that we hold dearly and hold dearly in our hearts. This circle of love even expands further into those that are neutral, Those people that we may not even know, Or those that we may see from time to time in the different shops or places that we travel to. Extending and radiating our wishes, Even those that we don't know, To be safe, To be healthy, To experience happiness and well-being, And to be at peace. And let us further extend this heart of loving kindness, Even to our enemies, Those that may trigger or challenge us. Wishing for them to be safe, To be healthy, To experience happiness and well-being, And to be at peace. Reflecting skillfully on the dangers of hatred, The advantages of patience, And opening our hearts to loving kindness. If it feels difficult to extend this heart of love to those that have hurt you, Please try to neutralize any feelings of resentment or grudges, Knowing that they are like poisons in your own heart. Let us reflect that often those that cause pain is a reflection of unawareness. May we wish for those beings in pain to awaken, To be safe, To be healthy, To experience well-being and be at peace. Ever broadening this field and heart of loving kindness to all human beings, To all of the human beings that we have seen throughout our lives, To those that we have not seen, Extending our loving kindness to the animal worlds, To the insect worlds, To the beings that live in the seas, Fish, All creatures, Great and small. Extending our loving kindness to those that live in the air, Those that live on the earth or in the earth. May all beings without exception be at peace. May they be safe. May they be healthy. May they experience happiness and well-being. Breathing in and breathing out, Feeling the boundless qualities of loving kindness within you, Letting it penetrate to the deep heart of your being, Through every cell, Every molecule, Every atom, Feeling this love within you and extending it above and below you, All around, In all directions, Here and everywhere. Throughout this universe, May all beings be safe, Be healthy, Experience happiness and well-being, And may all beings be at peace. As we come to the close of this loving kindness meditation, Let's remember those that we know that are going through a hard time, Whether it's physical and or emotional, In picturing them with healing, With well-being, Extending our goodwill and wishes of healing to those that are going through hard times. Let us further extend to all those that are in pain, All those that are sick, All those that are scared or lonely, Those that are feeling hopeless or confused, Those living in war zones or places of oppression. Let's extend our boundless love to all those beings anywhere and everywhere that are experiencing strife and pain of the body and or the mind. May all beings be safe and healthy. May all beings experience happiness and well-being. And may all beings be at peace. Thank you.

Reviews

Thank you, Bob. Such a beautiful, heartfelt meditation. I truly felt like I was radiating with loving kindness energy.

That was exactly what I needed this morning. Thank you. 🙏

Alway great thanks Rob put me back in final certification training MBSR in Colorado!

One of the best! Bob’s voice and pace never fails to help me feel centered and peaceful. Thank you.

Deep exploration of Metta. Felt like I was held in arms of loving kindness. Thanks!