Welcome to this meditation on loving kindness.
In today's practice,
We'll focus on cultivating warmth,
Compassion and affection toward ourselves and others.
Let's begin by taking a moment to find a comfortable position,
Begin to settle your mind,
And if it feels comfortable,
Feel free to close your eyes.
And let your breath feel natural and easeful.
In this moment of stillness,
Connect with your heart area.
See if you can feel your heart beating.
And begin to generate feelings of warmth,
Of kindness,
Of friendliness,
And allow this warmth to flow through your body.
Love,
Acceptance,
Generosity,
Compassion toward yourself,
Flowing through your entire body.
Now,
Think of someone you love dearly.
That person who brings a smile to your face or makes your eyes shine extra brighter.
Perhaps a friend,
A family member,
Maybe a teacher,
Or someone who's helped you.
Bring their face to your mind's eye,
Imagining them smiling right in front of you.
And as you connect with their loving presence,
Extend loving kindness to them and offer the following wishes to them.
May you feel safe.
May you be peaceful and healthy.
May your heart be filled with love.
May you have a flourishing life.
And feel free to offer any other words that express what you wish for them and imagine them receiving your wishes for well-being or visualize them feeling happier and more loved.
Now bring to mind someone who's having a difficult time,
Who perhaps has experienced loss or is struggling with illness or maybe having a hard time at work and imagine that person sitting in front of you.
Once again,
You can offer them the following wishes.
May you feel safe.
May you be peaceful and healthy.
May your heart be filled with love.
May you have a flourishing life.
And now it's the moment to offer those same phrases and that same compassion,
That same warmth,
That same love to yourself.
So I'd like to invite you to open your heart and accept and receive the following wishes.
May I be safe.
May I be peaceful and healthy.
May my heart be filled with love.
May I have a flourishing life.
And now let's extend those same warm,
Compassionate,
Affectionate wishes to everyone in the world.
Those close to you,
Those you've never met.
Extend even further to all beings without boundaries,
Without limits.
Visualize all of planet Earth,
All countries,
All cities,
All human beings,
All living beings,
Spreading kindness and compassion in all directions.
May all beings in the world feel safe.
May they be peaceful and healthy.
May all their hearts be filled with love.
May they all have flourishing lives.
And notice how it feels to open the heart and to offer compassionate wishes to others.
And try to stay with those sensations in your body,
Especially connecting with your heart area.
