Welcome to this practice of loving kindness for yourself.
Begin by finding a comfortable upright position.
You can practice in any position that allows you to feel supported and at ease while also staying alert and awake.
I invite you to close your eyes or gently cast your gaze downward.
Now take a few deep breaths.
Inhale through the nose and exhale through your mouth,
Releasing the breath fully.
Take a few more breaths in this way.
Inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth.
Now inhale and exhale through your nose only.
Let your breath settle into its own natural pace.
Feel the relaxation in your forehead,
Your eyes,
Your jaw,
And the rest of your face.
Feel the relaxation and release of your neck,
Your shoulders,
And your abdomen.
Let the body and mind settle into this peaceful experience of breathing in and breathing out.
When you notice your mind wandering,
Gently bring it back to the breath.
We will be with the breath for around 3 minutes total.
We will be with the breath for about 3 minutes total.
We will be with the breath for about 3 minutes total.
If you notice your mind has wandered,
I invite you to gently bring your mind back to the breath.
When you bring your mind back to your breath,
Do so without judgment or criticism.
This coming and going is a normal human experience.
Let your mind settle into this peaceful experience of breathing in and breathing out.
Let your mind settle into this peaceful experience of breathing out.
Now,
Bring to mind someone you care about.
Notice how you feel when you think of this friend or loved one.
Now,
In your own mind for this friend or loved one,
Silently recite,
May you be free from suffering.
May you know your worth.
May you know peace and joy.
Now bring awareness to the area around your physical heart.
Notice how this area gently expands or fills when you breathe in,
And how it relaxes when you breathe out.
For a few breaths,
Imagine you could inhale directly into the center of your chest,
Expanding the chest,
Lungs,
And heart.
Imagine you could exhale directly from the center of your chest.
Inhaling into the heart.
Exhaling out from the heart.
Now imagine that as you breathe out,
You extend a warmth or light from the center of your chest.
This warmth or light carries with it all of your thoughts and feelings of loving kindness.
Imagine that this warmth or light touches this person,
Bringing them a sense of peace and happiness.
Now create in your mind a compassionate image that represents qualities of wisdom,
Strength,
Acceptance and care.
It could be the image of a wise person you deeply respect,
A religious figure,
Or a symbol that represents compassion.
It could be an image from nature,
Such as an expansive and deep blue ocean,
Or an ancient and firmly rooted tree reaching into the sky,
Or the sun which shines its light and warmth on all beings without discrimination.
Feel that in the presence of this compassionate image,
You can be completely yourself.
There is no judgment,
Only total acceptance.
Allow yourself to rest in the feeling of unconditional compassion and acceptance.
Imagine that as you stay in the presence of this compassionate image,
That it awakens within you your own source of strength,
Acceptance and compassion that helps relieve suffering.
Renewed by this connection to your own deep source of compassion,
Recite in your own mind for yourself.
May I be free from suffering.
May I know my worth.
May I know peace and joy.
Now rest your attention on the natural rhythm of your breath.
Now ask yourself the following questions.
Deep within my heart,
What is it that I truly aspire toward?
What am I looking for in my life?
What do I want to offer the world?
As you reflect on these questions,
See if there is a yearning that rises up from some place deep within you,
A desire for true happiness,
Connection and meaning.
It may be enough to simply repeat these questions in your own mind,
Even if specific answers do not come.
Deep within my heart,
What is it that I truly aspire toward?
What am I looking for in my life?
What do I want to offer the world?
Acknowledge this genuine aspiration for happiness,
For meaning,
For wholeness,
For positive change,
For fulfillment,
As a fundamental aspect for your being and silently repeat the following phrases.
May I know my worth.
May I know peace and joy.
Now bring to mind something you appreciate about yourself.
It could be a personal quality of yours or something you did.
Take a moment to acknowledge this aspect of yourself that you admire.
Now bring to mind something you appreciate about your life.
It could be an experience,
A relationship,
A hobby,
Or an opportunity you are grateful for.
Take a moment to feel gratitude for this aspect of your life.
Let these feelings of appreciation and gratitude for yourself and your life fill your heart like a warm glow of light entering the heart.
Strengthen the commitment of appreciating yourself and your life by repeating in your own mind.
I take joy in who I am.
I will be a friend to myself.
I celebrate my life and what I bring to the world.
As this session draws to a close,
Begin to wiggle your fingers and toes and at your own pace gently allow your eyes to open.
With your heart be touched by this feeling of friendship you feel toward yourself.
