As we begin this practice of tenderness towards ourselves,
Our body and mind,
We first find a comfortable position,
Most likely a stationary position where our body and mind feel relaxed.
And we take a few moments to settle our body,
Speech and mind in their natural state,
Bringing our awareness to the natural qualities of relaxation,
Stillness and vigilance,
Relaxing our body with each subsequent out-breath,
And just resting in this vigilant stillness,
A profound experience of physical inactivity and rest,
Releasing all tension,
Seeing if there are any parts of the body where there is some physical tension still left,
Allowing the body to breathe naturally and resting in this natural breathing,
Tactile waves of breathing going through our body,
Relaxing it deeply,
Healing it,
And allowing us to access a profound space of stillness in the midst of movement.
The stillness of our awareness in the midst of movement of both our breathing and our thoughts.
And in this state of stillness,
Generating a positive motivation for this practice,
In accordance with our highest aspirations,
For ourselves,
For the world around us,
And for the transformation that we want to bring to both ourselves and the world.
Taking a moment to aspire for that right now.
And with that as our foundation,
Bringing our awareness to the body,
Our tactile experiences,
The position of the body,
Its shape,
Everything that we right now and right here label as our body,
This bundle of interrelated experiences,
Attending to it.
Some experiences more comfortable,
Some less,
Some more stable,
Some constantly changing.
As we attend to these experiences in this specific practice,
We do it with a sense of tenderness and affection,
Gentleness in our awareness,
Heartfelt warmth,
As if we were holding a kitten,
A puppy,
A baby,
Sharing that heartfelt warmth.
So now we're sharing that warmth with our own body as we attend to it.
Every aspect of our physical experience,
Attending to it with gentleness and affection.
If this flavor of awareness was a thought,
It would probably be something like,
How wonderful that you exist.
I care about you.
May you be well.
But in this case,
We don't even need the thought.
We just need the tenderness itself.
The gentleness in our awareness of the body,
The care.
So we're resting in this care and this experience of tenderness towards the object of our awareness,
Towards our body,
Towards our breath.
If needed,
We can imagine this gentleness manifesting as golden light that pervades our entire body.
Golden light that is warm,
Welcoming,
Soothing,
Loving,
Affectionate.
Pervading our every cell,
Every organ of our body,
Every aspect of our physical experience,
Symbolically held in this gentle awareness that manifests as golden light.
By now leaving our body in this state of relaxation,
Stillness and vigilance,
We bring our awareness to our mind,
All of our mental experiences,
Our thoughts,
Emotions,
Memories,
Whatever is arising in the mental domain right now.
Being aware of the mind and mental objects.
But in this case,
Not labeling each individual occurrence,
Not analyzing,
Not even trying to concentrate on the mind and hold it tight,
But instead just bringing the same sense of tenderness to the mind and the mental experiences.
The same sense of appreciation and care,
Gentleness with ourselves.
Being aware of the mind and appreciating the fact that it exists,
Experiencing care for our mental experiences,
For our mental well-being.
Resting in this with a sense of warmth.
And if we feel like it,
Even imagining golden glow pervading our entire mental domain.
A symbol of the sense of inner affection.
Affection towards our own mind and heart.
This entire domain of energy that we call mental.
Resting in this experience of affection and tenderness towards our own mental domain.
For a little bit longer.
And then moving our awareness to our personality as a whole.
Holding ourselves as a person that has a body,
Has a mind,
And is labeled on the basis of those body and mind.
And now holding ourselves as a person with the same sense of affection and tenderness.
The experience of care.
The experiences that we call me or mine.
Now held in this gentle awareness.
Appreciation.
Caring.
Warm.
And if we wish,
Invoking the same image of golden warm light.
Pervading our entire experience.
Soothing us.
Helping us feel at home.
Nourished.
Cared for.
Supported.
Loved.
And appreciated.
Holding ourselves in this experience with an understanding.
This body,
This mind,
This person.
This is what my energy is right now,
In this very moment.
But it is already shifting,
Already changing.
And I have an amazing potential to grow and change.
So holding myself in this experience of warmth,
Appreciation,
And gentleness,
Knowing that I can make the steps that will lead me to the full expression of my greatest potential.
I can one day hold every being with the same sense of gentleness,
Tenderness,
And support.
And so before concluding this practice,
We can dedicate the effort,
The energy,
Or the merit of it,
Towards our highest aspirations.
The aspirations with which we began this practice.
May they come true and bring the greatest possible happiness to myself and to all sentient beings.
And that we very gently bring our awareness back to our body,
To our immediate experience here and now.
And then finally to the world around us,
Slowly and gently concluding this meditation.
