Burst Of Compassion

A heart-opening practice that will help you develop a deep sense of compassion with yourself and others. You will find gratitude for your meditative journey and appreciate the personal growth and insights you've found through the practice. Towards the end, you will be asked to hold space for a challenging moment in your life in order to help you connect with others who have faced similar experiences.

Note: This is a live recording from a virtual meditation class.

Transcript

Welcome.

I recently got back as I had mentioned from a silent retreat and this was my second silent retreat that I've done and there's two things that I wanted to share with you today and to then move through our practice today.

And the first thing is that when I was sitting there,

Probably the first or second day,

I had this realization thinking about who the person who was sitting there last year was and how much of that person changed.

It was like I needed this time to pause and to notice and I'm like,

Oh wow,

I was such a different person and this was only like 11 months ago,

Like so much has happened,

So much growth has happened and they and it took me really just sitting there knowing who that person was back then and to seeing who this person was now to realize that that the growth has happened.

And so often in our journey,

Sometimes we can have really fast and extreme awakening and transformation and I've had those experiences as well.

But often,

More often,

I think the case is that as we move into this journey and as we work on these things and as we meditate,

Whatever our practices are,

We find that slowly it's more of this day by day practice and then after a year,

Two years,

If we take time and New Year's is always a good time to do that as I know it was recent,

But we could pause and reflect and say,

Wow,

I've grown so much the anxieties,

The fears that I was dealing with back then are so different than the fears and the stresses and anxieties that I was feeling that we're feeling right now.

So just throughout our practice today,

We're going to take some time to reflect on our own journey through spirituality,

Through meditation,

Whatever way that resonates with you and just to kind of reflect on our growth thus far.

And then the second thing that really stuck out from this retreat experience and it was probably like the,

The,

If I had a huge number one moment of the retreat,

It was while I was sitting and I was sitting in front of another woman and it was a later in the day meditation and all of a sudden,

Well,

Let me preface first by saying that my legs were starting to really talk and when you're sitting every single day for hours and hours,

You get pains where you didn't realize that you've had pains and luckily for me after a year of kind of practice,

I was doing okay,

But it was during this time where I really,

My knees were really starting to speak to me.

And then all of a sudden the person behind me,

She just starts crying,

Like having this really intense emotional experience,

Really feeling something.

I didn't know that what she was going through,

But I could obviously hear her and feel her emotions and feel her crying.

And it was like in that moment,

The,

The,

All of the human suffering or pain or just emotions like within me,

It was like,

Because we're both human,

I could just connect with that.

And in that moment,

There was like this,

This burst of compassion.

It's the only way that I can kind of explain it,

Like from my heart,

Just this burst of like,

I,

I feel your pain or I feel your emotion,

Even though I didn't know what that emotion was.

And it was like this energy moved through my entire body and all of that pain in my legs that I had completely went away.

And it was just this really beautiful experience of compassion.

And that's something that we cultivate when we're in meditation,

Like as we go through it,

We find that we have this ability to understand another human being,

Not because we may know what they're going through,

But simply because we know their emotions.

This is the essence of,

Of,

Of why in yoga they use namaste,

Right?

The light in me,

The suffering in me,

The fear in me sees the fear and the light and the suffering within you,

Because that's where we're connected at that heart and that human level.

So today we'll,

We'll work on developing some compassion as well.

I do want to say that I'm going to have us bring up something that may be challenging.

I'm going to have you think about a challenging situation in your life that you've went through.

So I like to preface that before I get right into it.

Just if you just be,

Be mindful of going to something that is really going to be triggering and take care of yourself here as we do that.

So knowing that going into it.

Um,

And,

And yeah,

So I think that is all and we'll work through those things during our practice.

And so again,

You can stay on your video or you can go off your video,

Whatever you're most comfortable with,

But wherever you're at,

Let us begin to,

To come into our meditative space.

So if you're on a chair,

Allowing your feet to find rest,

Allowing your body to start to sink down,

Whether you're on a cushion or a chair,

Just feeling,

Feeling the weight of your body start to sink down.

We're really going to be working in this beginning on on grounding and getting into our bodies.

And so feeling your feet and feeling maybe it's connecting to the ground.

Maybe you can feel the earth beneath you.

If you're cross legged,

Maybe you can feel one leg over the other and the legs and the thighs resting down on the ground and allow your feet to get really,

Really heavy.

It's like they're just cementing down and then allow your thighs to follow and then root in and begin to connect with your sits bones.

So feeling the support as your sits bones root into the chair to your cushion.

And then from that support finding that lengthening that wakefulness through your upper body.

Relax your shoulders and start to connect with your hands and where your hands are they placed on your thighs?

Are they in between your hips?

Are they by your side?

And see if you can connect with some of the energy that's maybe moving through your hands.

And there's this cue that we're going to work on if we need to come back to whatever our focus is.

It's just simply feet,

Seat,

Hands.

So if some thought,

Something takes us away,

Can we feel our feet?

Can we feel our seat?

Can we feel our hands?

And this is bringing us right back to here.

And if you want to make it even more simple,

You could just say seat,

Can I feel that foundation of my sit bones?

I feel the earth element within me,

The density in my bones.

I'm really allowing yourself to feel that earth element within you.

And dropping down even more,

Imagining that you have this heavy backpack that you've been carrying for a while.

And then move your one shoulder off,

Allow the strap to fall off,

Move the other shoulder,

Allow the strap to fall off.

And that heavy backpack just releases down to the ground and you can just be like,

I can be here and relax.

And then from this physical support of the ground,

Thinking of even the earth that's beneath the ground,

Whether you're on the top floor,

Second floor,

First floor of your house,

If you keep going deeper and deeper,

We are supported by earth.

So again,

Allowing that sense of grounding to bring you back if you need to.

And then from this physical support,

Appreciating yourself for being here,

Appreciating yourself for taking the time to practice,

For taking the time on this specific Sunday morning.

And then let's find some appreciation for the others who are here on this call and maybe the others who are meditating and practicing all over,

Especially maybe if you came from Inside Time or there's a community that they show you all the people that are practicing.

And especially here,

Our practice supports each other.

The fact that there are 10 of you here is supporting all of that energy together.

So just sending some energy,

Sending some appreciation to everyone else who showed up here this morning.

And then just do a quick scan of your body and notice if there's any tension that you're holding on to,

Maybe soften the muscles in the face,

The jaw or the navel.

That's one that always starts to tense up when we don't realize it.

So see if you can kind of release your navel,

Release any tension that you might find in your body today.

And then when you're ready,

Let's all together take a full breath in and a full breath out.

I'm going to have us reflect a little bit about what brought us to meditation and how did we end up here in the longer sense?

Was it from a difficulty?

Maybe we had a tough time in our life,

A loss,

A breakup,

A grieving.

Was it from just a friend saying,

Hey,

I've been trying this thing.

I feel really good.

You should check it out.

It could just be a curiosity to grow or to get better.

For me,

I started meditating just because it was a habit of successful people.

I didn't know what was really in store for me.

Often why we start meditating isn't always why we continue.

So thinking back,

However you got into the practice,

Maybe it was through your yoga practice.

And whatever it is,

Whoever that person was,

Seeing if you can find gratitude and appreciation for how you found this gratitude for the person,

The circumstance,

Even if it might've been challenging at the time.

Take a moment here to just allow that energy to grow in our hearts.

And then letting that go.

And reflecting a little bit more.

And then letting that go.

And reflecting a little bit more on who that person was back then.

What were their fears,

Their stresses,

Their anxieties,

What were they going through?

And just taking some time here to just note.

I'm not getting lost in whatever that story was,

But just note who was that person at that time.

And now ask,

Who is the person that is sitting here right now at this moment?

Has any of that past person changed?

And are there new fears,

New anxieties,

New stresses?

Has there been growth and joy and appreciation?

And if you're newer to the practice,

Maybe using this time to maybe ask,

What do you want it to bring you?

What do you want meditating or the journey,

As I like to call it,

I just like to call it,

Don't you get on the journey,

Whether whatever that means.

And what do you want it to bring?

Peace,

Love,

Acceptance.

And just noting and again,

Appreciating what has changed.

What has been the benefits or the growth?

Allow yourself to enjoy that for a moment or to be with it,

Whether you enjoy it or not.

And then letting that go.

And then letting that go.

And then letting that go.

And I'd like you to bring into your mind's eye a bright blue,

Wide open sky.

And what this sky is symbolic of is where the journey,

Where this practice can take you.

And maybe asking this question,

Reflecting on this word possibility.

What are the possibilities for my life?

Do I see it as a wide open sky where it's limitless,

Where it feels spacious and open?

Or can you see it as that?

Because sometimes we get lost in constriction.

We don't allow new possibilities in.

So even if you don't know exactly what is in this sky or what that looks like,

Opening your awareness to the spaciousness and the possibility of what it could be.

Maybe allowing yourself to dream here,

To bring in some feelings that you'd like to cultivate.

Truly our possibilities are limitless,

Just like this sky.

And together let's all take a full breath in.

And a full breath out.

There's one thing that we develop and that we learn through our meditative,

Through our spiritual journey is this new ability to feel.

To feel our body.

To feel our emotions.

And to feel this sense of connection to ourselves,

To others,

And to something greater than ourselves,

The whole world,

Sense of purpose.

And in this cultivation we start to develop deeper compassion,

Deeper understanding,

Deeper empathy for what everyone,

What us,

What ourselves go through and what others are going through.

So with that we're going to work on developing that.

And if it feels okay for you to go there,

I'd like you to think back to a challenging situation that you've had in your life.

It could be a pain,

A suffering that you went through of some sense,

It could be a moment of fear,

It could be something that you went through,

It might also be something that you're currently going through right now.

It doesn't have to be the most challenging,

But go where your heart is saying,

Hey this is okay right now.

And maybe once you're there you can start to maybe feel some of those feelings,

Right,

Start to connect on that emotional level with that person or that place in your life.

And then going there in your mind's eye,

So going to be with that person.

Maybe you see them curled up in bed,

Maybe you see them in public just feeling isolated or alone,

And where were they during one of these moments?

And maybe you see yourself here with you right now.

We're going to give them that feeling of understanding,

Because you know what this feels like,

You've been there.

And imagining yourself sharing some of these words with them,

You can say them silently,

Maybe say them out loud,

Whatever feels right for you.

I see you,

I feel you,

I'm here for you.

I see you,

I feel you,

I'm here for you.

Maybe just repeating one or all of those,

Sending them that understanding.

And as you do I'd like you to imagine that within your body,

Maybe it's within,

Feel it at your heart,

Maybe it's more down into the center of your body.

I could just imagine just a little bright light starting to grow and brighten.

And just stay small for right now,

Just imagine it's starting to cultivate.

I see you,

I feel you,

I'm here for you.

And then slowly letting go of your older self,

Letting go of that.

And then we're now going to bring to mind someone whom you do not know that is going through or has went through exactly what you went through or are going through.

So you can think about just any person that comes to mind,

And someone that you don't know or you don't know all too well.

And bringing them into wherever they are in the situation,

Maybe looking very similar to where you were.

Maybe you see them crying,

Maybe you see them struggling.

And being there with them and giving them that same understanding and compassion that you'd give yourself,

Because you know what this is like.

And saying,

I see you,

I feel you,

I'm here for you.

I see you,

I feel you,

I'm here for you.

The biggest gift that we give to others in their suffering is not to fix it.

The biggest gift is to be present with it.

Our presence is so valuable and so comforting.

I see you,

I feel you,

I'm here for you.

And again,

Feel that light just get a little bit brighter,

Moving through different parts of your body,

But still staying within your body.

And then lastly,

Letting that go and bringing to mind all the people in this world who have gone through or are going through what you've been through.

The hundreds,

The thousands,

The millions,

The billions.

Seeing if you can hold all of them in this compassionate view,

In this understanding.

Seeing as if though that spaciousness of who you are is being with all of them at this moment.

And again,

Sharing,

I see you,

I feel you,

I'm here for you.

I see you,

I feel you,

I'm here for you.

And send that compassion out,

Send that understanding out,

Continue to repeat these words.

And if the words don't resonate,

Also you can just send out the energy of compassion,

The energy of understanding.

And as you send this out,

Feel again that light grow brighter and brighter,

Staying inside your body,

Till eventually it gets so bright,

Gets so strong that your body can't contain it any longer.

And when you feel ready,

I'd like you to imagine that this light bursts out of your entire body and gets sent to all of these people around the world who could use your understanding and your compassion.

And then gently,

When you're ready,

Letting that go.

Breathing again,

A full breath in and full breath out.

And traveling back into our bodies,

Into feet,

Seat,

And hands.

Slowly coming back into that grounding element,

The earth element.

And when you feel ready,

You can start to bring maybe some movement into your body and gently start to open your eyes and come back into your room.

As always,

Thank you so much for showing up and for practicing with me and for being vulnerable with yourself.

I so appreciate your practice and your support in what I do means so much to me.

So I thank you.

This is actually from a live meditation that I did.

This is a new offering that I have just begun doing where twice a month you can meditate with me live for 30 minutes.

And it's a nice way to connect with the practice and with support of other people who join our call as well.

So if that interests you,

Please feel free to reach out and I can connect with you and get you more information on that.

So I thank you so much again and always Namaste.

Reviews

Honestly that half an hour seemed like 5 minutes. Compassion has become very important to me. Thank you for helping me do the work to attain a higher understanding of other’s feelings.

Thanks very much for this very beautiful and inspiring practice! :)

Always greatfull for being guided by your gental words... Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your gift!

Another nice one, Lou. I continue to appreciate how you share your own journey with us. It helps create a sense of community, which is a challenge in this digital world, and keeps you in the role of friendly guide rather than seeming like an elevated guru type.
I find it easy to think compassionately but feeling it takes a lot of work, so this was very helpful.

Thank you 🙏🌸💕

That was truly amazing! I would like more info on your live meditations twice a month. Thank you ❤️

As always, just brilliant. I love your calm tone, it always grounds me and brings me back to myself ❤

Today Insight Timer tells me I have 1210 Consecutive Days of meditation... that followed a catastrophic health event that caused me to stop and reboot: mind*body*soul. It was in learning to say "I see you. I hear you. I am here for you. " to myself... that has opened my ability to truly offer the same thoughts to others. Gratitude and acceptance and forgiveness have replaced fear, envy, and false judgments (still a work in progress 😉).
We are all just walking each other home, eh? Be kind. Rescue with Love and Peace will follow.
Namaste Lou.

Good morning 🌞
Amazing meditation
Love
“I see You
I hear You
I’m here for You.”
In order to be present for those suffering rather than trying to “fix” them/their situation
Definitely interested in your live meditations Lou
Thank You
Namaste 🙏🏼

It's interesting to look back and observe our progress. Thank you for these reminders Lou. Love and blessings 💙 x

Such a nice meditation. Thank you also for the reminder to take a look at how much I have grown since starting meditation. So often I forget, and taking a look back really helped me appreciate the growth.

Hello, Lou and thank you for this amazing meditation session.

I took your Insight timer course a few months back and so very much enjoyed it.
I have been meditating just over four years now, two of my gal pals suggested meditation for me. It has been a very interesting journey to say the least. Last week at my yoga class. I had an intense breakthrough. I sobbed uncontrollably. It felt so good and yet I was slightly embarrassed. I shared it with my yoga instructor after and she thought it was amazing!

During this session. I remembered what it was like when I was 4 years old and lost my six-year-old brother. It was devastating and I know It shaped my life and world in many ways. It felt great to sit with that little girl for a while.

I look forward to future sessions with you Lou.

Thank you for sharing this with us. I found it very helpful and will be coming back to it often. Dealing with chronic pain and sending out compassion to all others suffering brought me a sense of peace knowing that even in a small way I could be helping others.

Thank you so very much. That was beautiful.♡

Wonderful.....thank you 😊

Thank you so much. Absolutely wonderful. I needed this more than I knew

Great meditation for bringing up feelings of compassion for myself and others.

thank you so much Lou. Thank you for sharing, thanks for your caring, and Thank You for lighting my Path.. Until next time