Welcome to the loving kindness meditation.
We invite ourselves now to offer the body to relax into its natural seated position.
Perhaps lying out,
Sitting back propped up with a back support or perhaps without.
Allowing the legs to stretch out in front of us or bend,
Perhaps crossing the legs.
The arms and our hands finding a natural resting position on the lap,
On our knees or perhaps by our sides.
Allowing the body to find a comfortable,
Natural,
Peaceful resting position.
As we begin our practice,
Inviting a soft gaze in the distance if we choose.
Or at this time,
Inviting the eyes to close,
The eyelids becoming heavy.
As the eyes close,
We begin to notice our breath.
Noticing the gentle rise and fall of this natural,
Healing breath.
Noticing the sensation of cool oxygen as it passes through our nostrils,
Filling our lungs,
Filling our bodies.
And as we exhale,
Noticing the softening of our abdomen,
Our chest and our lower belly.
Observing this breath as we begin to inhale,
The spine lengthening,
Our entire being filling with oxygen.
And as we exhale,
Inviting that vast space and ease into our existence.
As we inhale,
I am here.
And as we exhale,
I am at ease.
As we inhale,
I am fully present.
And as we exhale,
I am fully present.
Noticing as we continue this effortless breath,
Any sensations that may come up through our body.
Noticing any thoughts passing through our mind.
As we notice this sacred body communicating with us.
We listen with a compassion and an understanding that this experience and these sensations are a form of communication.
Our body telling us how it's feeling with an honesty.
As we breathe deeply into this moment and into this connection with ourselves.
Perhaps we begin to listen with a curiosity and with a compassion for this body.
Perhaps we begin to listen to this body as the close friend and companion that it is.
We invite ourselves to be with this friend.
To listen to this friend.
Perhaps we begin to understand this friend a little bit better.
Breathing in,
I am here for you.
And as we exhale,
I am here for you.
Breathing in,
I am here for you.
And as we exhale,
No matter what,
I am here for you.
Noticing this beautiful connection between this sacred eternal breath and our bodies.
This practice of loving kindness is an unconditional,
Inclusive love.
A love with wisdom.
We long for this love.
We long to love and to be loved.
Wherever we are,
We can awaken to this love.
For this love that we seek is within each and every one of us.
Breathing in,
I am here for you.
And breathing out,
I am fully present.
This love has no conditions.
Does not depend on whether one deserves it or not.
This love begins within us and extends out to friends and family.
To all relationships and to all living beings and our planet.
This love has no expectations of anything in return.
This is the ideal pure love which everyone has in potential.
Breathing in,
I am here for you.
And as we exhale,
I am here for you.
This is a practice of softening our mind and heart.
An opening to deeper and deeper levels of the feeling of kindness and of pure love.
We breathe into this experience.
Noticing any sensations through our bodies.
And as we exhale,
We soften.
Feeling an ease and a comfort in this moment.
The practice of loving kindness is a true and deep practice of self-love and self-forgiveness.
This is our practice of creating joy.
This is a practice of healing.
I invite you to quietly repeat these sayings in our mind.
May I be free from inner and outer harm and danger.
May I be safe and protected.
May I be free of mental suffering or distress.
May I be happy.
May I be free of physical pain and suffering.
May I be healthy and strong.
May I be able to live in this world happily,
Peacefully,
Joyfully,
And with ease.
As I inhale,
I am fully present.
And as I exhale,
I am fully present.
I am fully present.
Noticing any sensations through our bodies.
Noticing any noises or distractions.
As we very gently invite small,
Soft movement into the tips of our toes and our fingers,
Into our hands and our feet.
Gently inviting movement into the arms and the legs,
Into our spine and into the neck.
And when we're feeling fully present in our bodies,
Very gently,
With intention,
Slowly opening the eyes,
Finding a spot in the room or an object to bring our attention to.
Invite our focus to as we welcome ourselves back into this present moment in which we've never left and we've yet to arrive.
Taking a few moments here to quietly reflect,
To invite a soft presence.
Thanking yourself and ourselves for taking this time to create this space.
This is a powerful practice and I hope that you enjoyed the first week.
Continue this practice as much as you would like,
Perhaps on a daily basis.
This practice is sacred.
This practice is powerful and necessary to invite true connection and healing.
Thank you for being with me today.
Thank you for your presence.
