Find a position where you can be comfortable and at ease.
Begin to check in with your body,
Noticing places where you might be able to release tension.
Relax your shoulders away from your ears.
Soften through your jaw,
Your belly,
And your hands.
And if it's helpful,
Consider taking a few big breaths in and out.
Now take a moment to think about what your heart needs most in this moment.
Determine how you can best offer yourself loving kindness right now.
This might be peace,
Self-acceptance,
Or happiness.
An intention could sound something like,
May I be free of judgment and accept my life exactly as it is.
Or,
May I be happy,
May I be healthy,
And may I be at peace.
Take a moment to think about what feels most authentic to you.
And now with a silent whisper to yourself,
Begin offering yourself loving kindness through these phrases,
Letting them emerge from your heart one at a time.
Sense the meaning of the words and try to express them with sincerity.
May I be happy,
May I be healthy,
And may I be at peace.
Continuing to repeat the phrases one at a time.
In this meditation,
Rather than anchoring our awareness and our breath or our body,
You'll anchor your awareness in these phrases.
If you notice yourself resisting offering loving kindness to yourself,
Take a moment to acknowledge that,
Hold it in compassion,
But continue.
Even if it doesn't feel authentic right now,
Your intention is.
And if it's helpful,
You might pause and imagine this through someone who loves you.
Imagine those wishes they might have for you and begin again.
Now you can begin to open the circle of loving kindness.
Bring to mind someone who is dear to you.
This could be a partner,
A pet,
Friend,
Or a grandparent.
Who brings a smile to your face when you think of them?
Picture them in your mind and sense your appreciation for them.
Begin offering them the same intentions you set for yourself.
And as you silently whisper these phrases of loving kindness,
Imagine how it might feel for this person to experience it.
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
And may you be at peace.
.
Again,
We will widen our circle of loving kindness by bringing to mind another person.
This is likely someone who you don't know very well or you might have neutral feelings about.
Perhaps someone who works at your grocery store,
Someone in your neighborhood,
Or someone you pass at work.
Take a moment to think of someone who you don't know particularly well.
Maybe you don't know their story or you haven't had much chance to interact with them beyond a typical hello.
And once you picture this person in your mind,
Take a moment to reflect on their humanity,
Their suffering,
Along with their desire for peace and happiness.
Use the same phrases of loving kindness and let your awareness rest in these words as you picture this person in your mind.
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
And may you be at peace.
.
Now,
Bring to mind someone with whom you have a difficult relationship,
Perhaps someone who evokes anger,
Fear,
Or hurt.
And once you identify this person,
First,
Acknowledge what arises in you as you think of this person and hold your feelings with compassion.
Then turning your attention back to this person,
Try to see some aspect of their humanity.
Sensing that this person suffers too and also wants to find peace and happiness.
Holding them in gentle attention,
Begin offering the phrases of loving kindness that come most easily for you.
These may be the same as the ones you initially offered,
Or again,
Offering what feels most comfortable right now.
And if you find that you simply cannot offer these intentions,
Offer them back to yourself.
This reaction is likely reflective of your own suffering,
Which is equally deserving of compassion and loving kindness.
Now,
Allow your awareness to open in all directions in front of you,
To either side of you,
Behind you,
Below you,
And above you.
In this expansiveness,
Sense that your loving presence is holding all of the people you just offered loving kindness to,
Holding yourself,
And all living things across the world.
Imagine as if you could hold the entire earth in your lap and include all life everywhere inside your heart,
Aware of the shared suffering,
Of all the joys,
And the shared desires to be happy and to be at peace.
May we be happy.
May we be healthy.
May we be at peace.
Repeat your offerings of loving kindness several times.
Then consider placing a hand on the heart and allow yourself to rest in openness and silence,
Letting whatever arises in your heart and awareness be touched by loving kindness.
Repeat your offerings of loving kindness several times.
.
