Take a comfortable seat,
A posture that is supportive.
Ensure that your hips are really well supported,
Feeling equal weight on both sides of the hips and really sensing the ground,
The supports underneath you,
Cradling you,
Reaching up and holding you in support.
And from this foundation,
Feel a lengthening through the spine,
So opening up through the chest and the front body,
Nice long neck and tuck the chin.
You'll find that when you take this posture of stability and openness,
It creates a lot of space for practice,
A lot of space for personal exploration and inquiry.
It invites embodiment,
Sinking into the body in this present moment.
As you start to find comfort in your posture,
If it is available for you,
You can close the eyes or simply soften the gaze.
Just take a moment to arrive.
Beginning to notice the breath,
Simply observing the quality of the breath.
You might find that as you begin to observe the breath,
It starts to deepen and slow.
You might find that there's a lot going on in you right now and the breath is a little bit erratic.
Both are okay,
Both are welcome.
Just know and trust in your own innate physiology and energetics.
Know and trust that you will be guided into presence,
That you'll be guided into this practice of support and connection.
Start to extend the breath slightly,
So just beginning to lengthen the exhale and lengthen the inhale,
Resting your attention on the breath.
The moment that you do that,
The moment that you become aware,
You have cultivated the quality of mindfulness.
This quality of mindfulness is what allows us to sink into presence.
Just notice how simple this is.
It doesn't take hours or years of practice to cultivate this quality of mindfulness.
Just a simple intention,
A simple placing of your attention and in this practice today,
We are going to be moving through the five stages of metta,
Or loving kindness meditation.
Loving kindness is a mindfulness based practice.
So beginning by cultivating mindfulness,
Beginning to pay attention on purpose,
We've already set the stage for loving kindness practice.
Now I invite you to draw your awareness to your heart.
Often I like to place my hands on my heart just to really help focus my attention there.
And start to direct your breath into your heart,
Breathing into the front of your heart,
Really filling that chest,
And then exhaling and soften.
Every inhale is directed into the heart.
Every exhale offers a sense of ease.
Keep breathing into the heart.
And notice if you can start to sense the quality of compassion,
The quality of love,
Of acceptance within the heart space now.
So as you breathe in,
Really breathe in this loving kindness energy into the heart.
I love to imagine and sense the color to the prana that I'm bringing into my body.
The heart chakra is activated by the color pink or green.
So breathing in this beautiful light energy,
Really filling the heart,
The qualities of loving kindness,
Compassion,
Of grace,
Love,
Of acceptance.
And allowing the breath and this practice to really bring the ease into your heart space.
And on your next inhale,
As you amplify the energy of loving kindness in your heart,
Feel it fill your chest completely.
And on your exhale,
Start to feel the loving kindness begin to spread out in all directions through your body.
Continue that practice.
So inhaling in loving kindness,
Exhaling as the loving kindness spreads out in all directions,
Starting to paint the inside of your body.
Feeling every crack,
Every nook and cranny,
Every cell,
Every space,
Every area of tension.
Reaching out to all of the edges of your body.
Feeling completely filled with the energy of loving kindness.
So keep breathing in loving kindness energy,
Breathing out and feeling this loving kindness energy pressing against the edges of your body now.
And on your next exhale,
Allowing this loving kindness to begin to extend out just a few inches beyond your physical form.
Feeling the cocoon of your energetic body now.
And now offer this blessing to self.
Repeat this quietly within.
May I be well.
May I be happy.
May my heart be open and filled with loving kindness.
Take three more deep breaths in really amplifying the loving kindness in your heart space now.
And feeling this loving kindness energy fill your entire physical and energetic body.
Now in your mind's eye,
I invite you to bring up the image of somebody that you care for deeply.
Somebody that you feel a lot of love for right now.
This might change from day to day if you're doing this practice often.
Just do whatever comes to mind first.
See them clearly in your mind's eye.
Feel the love that you hold for this person.
Really sense their energy in front of you.
And offer them the same blessing.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May your heart be open and filled with loving kindness.
Breathe loving kindness into your heart space.
And as you exhale,
Witness and watch as this loving kindness energy flows out to the person that you care for so deeply.
Every inhale amplifies loving kindness in your own heart.
And every exhale sees this loving kindness very gently and effortlessly drift out,
Beginning to fill the form,
The being of this person that you care for so deeply.
When it feels complete,
When it feels like you have offered your loving kindness completely,
You can release the image of this person and then bring up the image of somebody that you have a neutral relationship with.
I often go to somebody that I see often at the grocery store or if I work in a space where there are many people,
Then I could imagine somebody that I see in passing but don't really have a personal relationship with.
So whoever comes to mind first is calling for your attention.
Really see them clearly in your mind's eye and we offer them the same blessing.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May your heart be open and filled with loving kindness.
Breathe loving kindness into your heart space.
Really feeling that loving kindness into your heart and then effortlessly,
Naturally the loving kindness begins to flow out to this person in front of you.
Witness as the loving kindness fills their entire body,
As they are bathed in the light of your loving kindness energy.
Notice how this makes you feel.
Notice how easy it is to share loving kindness even with somebody that you do not have a close personal relationship with.
And when you feel complete here,
You can release the image of this person and I invite you now to bring up the image of somebody that you are struggling with,
That you have conflict or difficulties expressing with.
Perhaps there is suffering in the relationship or an unforgiveness that is present.
Whoever comes first to mind is invited in.
See them very clearly in your mind's eye and welcome in also the conflict,
The difficulties that you are experiencing,
That energy that exists between you in the space of relationship.
You can notice how that affects your body.
You might feel sensations in the heart,
In the belly.
You might feel or notice any discomforting thoughts arise,
Memories.
All of it is welcome here.
And we offer the same gentle blessing of loving kindness.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May your heart be open and filled with loving kindness.
Now breathe loving kindness into your heart space,
Filling in with that pink or green energy of grace,
Of forgiveness,
Acceptance of understanding,
Really filling your heart space.
And as you exhale,
Witness as this loving kindness begins to spread out,
Reach out to this person that you are having difficulty with.
Keep breathing in and amplifying the loving kindness within your own heart now.
And exhale,
Allowing that loving kindness to be offered up in this space of relationship.
Keep breathing and keep offering loving kindness.
Also notice how the loving kindness that you cultivate is not depleted when you share loving kindness with another,
Even with somebody that you are struggling with.
Offer up this loving kindness to the situation and to this person.
Breathe and flow with this energy,
This blessing.
And when it feels complete,
You can release the image of this person.
Now,
We will be offering a blessing of loving kindness to all sentient beings.
So all beings with consciousness,
Conscious awareness.
So we breathe into the heart space.
And as we breathe out,
We send our loving kindness out in all directions,
Just beginning to connect with this energy of connection,
This energy of being with the whole,
Being part of the collective.
And we offer the blessing.
May all beings be well.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings have open hearts filled with loving kindness.
Breathe into your heart space again,
Breathing in that loving kindness.
And as you exhale,
Sending loving kindness out in all directions across all dimensions,
Times and planes.
Inhaling,
Really breathing in the loving kindness that is available in the universe right now that is being offered up by other sentient beings and circling,
Cycling that loving kindness out again.
Coming back to your own heart center,
Feeling into your own body in this moment,
Your physical body,
Your energetic body,
Your mental body,
Your spiritual creative body,
Your bliss body,
Connection to source.
Just notice how grounded you feel.
How full of loving kindness,
Grace,
Acceptance of non-judgment,
Of forgiveness.
How you cultivated this now.
This energy is available to you at any moment.
It simply takes attention.
It takes that mindful awareness and a willingness to connect with this loving kindness that is within you and all around you.
Now for yourself,
Gratitude now for showing up in practice.
Gratitude for so many people who are teaching you loving kindness,
Whether it be through close connection or from a distance or even in conflict.
It is all teaching us about love.
Thank you so much for practicing with me today.
I wish you so much love,
So much spaciousness as you open your heart and do the important work of keeping it open even in difficult times.
O Mani Padme Umm.
