Sometimes when we're feeling particularly lonely or disconnected from those around us,
It can be because we've forgotten this innate sense of connectedness that we have with all beings around us,
And the sense of belonging that we have to each other and to the world.
And so this is a loving-kindness meditation to help ourselves cultivate a sense of connectedness to others.
So we'll begin by finding a seated position with our feet flat on the floor.
Hands can rest easily in the lap,
Or maybe hands against thighs.
And let the spine be nice and long,
As though there's a string attached to the top of your skull,
And it's very gently being pulled upward to help you lengthen through the body,
Opening the chest,
Bringing a sense of dignity and presence into the body.
And we'll begin by just doing a brief scan through the body,
Noticing if there's any obvious areas of tension that are ready to be released.
And if not,
Just creating space for the sensations to be there,
Allowing,
Not needing to change.
Just getting an idea of what the weather is like internally in this moment.
And then you can bring your awareness to the breath,
Maybe taking a deep breath to gather your awareness.
Relax through the body with the exhale.
And then let your breath return to its natural rhythm,
Noticing the inflow and outflow of the breath.
Where do you most easily sense the breath in the body?
Is it in the rise and fall of the belly or the chest?
Maybe you can feel the gentle movement in the nostrils as the air flows in and flows out.
Bring your awareness to the fact that the body is always breathing,
Whether we're aware of it or not.
And it's what sustains our life.
It's like this deep bond that we have between ourselves and the outer world.
This consistent exchange we receive from the world and we give back through the breath.
And now sense into the heart space,
Letting the chest be open.
Bringing in a sense of warmth into the heart,
Into this area of the body.
You might even bring a hand to the chest,
Applying a light pressure.
Just inviting a sense of openness,
Of space and ease and comfort into the heart.
Now bring to mind the image of a loved one.
It can be a pet or just someone in your life whose love doesn't feel complicated in any way.
You just dearly love this being.
You can bring their face to mind,
Maybe noticing their facial features,
Their eyes.
Maybe they're smiling.
Beginning to sense into this connection that you share with this person.
And as I share these phrases,
Repeat them back to this person that you're holding in your heart,
In your mind.
Seeing if you can say them with sincerity.
Maybe imagining the other person receiving them as you say them.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be safe and protected.
May you be well in body and mind.
May you be at ease and happy.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be safe and protected.
May you be well in body and mind.
May you be at ease and happy.
Now letting the energy of these words just rest for a moment.
Feeling again this connectedness with this person that you love so much.
Now imagine that this person is looking at you with the same kind of love and appreciation.
And you might even try looking through their eyes at yourself.
And imagine that they're saying these phrases back to you with the same level of sincerity and kindness.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be safe and protected.
May you be well in body and mind.
May you be at ease and happy.
And again just sensing into the meaning of these words and the sincerity that's coming from this person as they speak these words to you.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be safe and protected.
May you be well in body and mind.
May you be at ease and happy.
Now you can let this person fall into the background.
Now bringing yourself to mind,
Imagining your own face and smile,
Eyes.
And with that same level of sincerity that your loved one just offered you,
See if you can offer these phrases to yourself.
Maybe bringing a hand to the heart.
May I be filled with loving kindness.
May I be safe and protected.
May I be well in body and mind.
May I be at ease and happy.
If it feels difficult to offer these phrases to yourself or it doesn't feel sincere,
That's okay.
Just know that repeating these phrases is still helpful and supportive,
Still invites a sense of love and care.
May I be filled with loving kindness.
May I be safe and protected.
May I be well in body and mind.
May I be at ease and happy.
Letting the energy of these words rest for a moment in your heart.
And then you can let the image of yourself fall into the background with your loved one.
And now bring someone to mind who is more neutral in your life.
So somebody that you don't particularly have a relationship with.
But maybe somebody that you see every now and then in town,
At the post office or the grocery store.
Bring their face to mind,
Their features.
And now I invite you to offer these phrases to this person.
Sensing into the fact that they too want to live a life of joy and ease.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be safe and protected.
May you be well in body and mind.
May you be at ease and happy.
And again really sensing into the meaning of these words.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be safe and protected.
May you be well in body and mind.
May you be at ease and happy.
And letting these words,
This energy rest for a moment between you and this other person.
Sensing the relief,
This sort of exhale that comes with wishing positive things for others and having them receive it.
And then you can let this person drift into the background with your loved one and yourself.
And sense into the warmth and the heart that's generated by these phrases.
And see how wide you can let this energy expand.
Maybe into the space that you're in.
Maybe into your community.
Through your state.
Your country.
As you do this,
Just sense into how all beings everywhere hope to live with a sense of ease in their lives.
Want to be well.
And how we can share this energy,
These offerings of well-being without taking any of it away for ourselves.
Just take this time to feel your genuine wish for the well-being of others.
And to sense into your connectedness with all beings.
Sensing how precious this life is.
And these relationships and connections that we have with each other.
And sensing too into how good it feels to experience positive things for yourself.
And to offer that to others as well.
In these last few moments,
I'd like to offer a poem by Mark Nepo called Below Our Strangeness.
My soul tells me we were all broken from the same name,
Less heart.
And every living thing wakes with a piece of that original heart aching its way into blossom.
This is why we know each other below our strangeness.
Why when we fall,
We lift each other.
Or when in pain,
We hold each other.
Why when sudden with joy,
We dance together.
Life is the many pieces of that great heart loving itself back together.
