Thank you for choosing to allow me to share this practice with you.
Become aware of what has brought you to this meditation today.
You have made the conscious choice to be here,
And this moment is yours.
I invite you to gently rest your eyes,
Looking down to the floor in front of you,
And begin to slow your breath.
In a world where we crave the peace that can be so difficult to find,
Meditation can be a safe space to feel the happiness in our hearts that we were born with,
That we entered into this world with.
This practice will reconnect us with that feeling of happiness,
That joy,
That warmth,
That love,
Breeding our willingness to show compassion and to lead with kindness in our everyday lives.
Loving-kindness is one of the four sublime states that Buddhists seek to develop.
It cultivates goodwill,
Universal friendliness,
And active interest in the well-being of ourselves and of others.
It has the ability to drastically improve our quality of life.
With this loving-kindness practice,
We let go of anger,
Selfishness,
Ill-will,
And that which does not serve us,
And we grow feelings of joy,
Openness,
And pure bliss.
And so as we begin today's practice,
I invite you to choose a comfortable,
Upright position,
And to gently close your eyes completely now.
Place your hands softly in your lap,
With your left hand facing palm up and your right hand on top,
Virabha Mudra.
This hand position stimulates our inner strength and will bring feelings of harmony to our practice.
Begin by taking three breaths in and out through the nose with your mouth lightly closed.
Taking the breath deeply into the chest and belly with each inhale,
And slowing down a little more with each exhale.
And now bring your awareness to a time when you felt loved,
Wholly appreciated for the person that you are.
Continue your breath in and out,
Breathing in that feeling of love,
Of appreciation,
And breathing out any feelings that may be holding you back.
Maybe you're thinking of the time you helped an elderly person cross the road,
And she let you know just how lovely she thought you were.
Maybe you let someone check out before you at the grocery store who needed a little extra kindness.
Maybe you cooked your partner or a friend a beautiful dinner and they expressed their gratitude for you.
Whatever it is,
Big or small,
Just think about how you felt,
And think about who made you feel that wonderful way.
And I will give you a moment here,
Without the sound of my voice,
To really bring up that memory of a time that you felt loved and appreciated.
If you haven't been able to think of anything right now,
That is okay.
Each mind takes time to explore itself differently.
Instead,
Imagine how that love and appreciation would feel.
Visualize it and really see yourself feeling those feelings and emotions,
That love,
That true appreciation.
Maybe it's even making you smile a little.
Enjoy the feeling as it fills your body.
Let the feelings envelop you.
Feel the warmth.
And once you have found that feeling,
Keep your focus on it.
Let all of the finer details of any memory fall away,
And just feel that feeling of love that you were left with.
That feeling of joy,
Of happiness,
Of appreciation.
I invite you to ask yourself,
How does it feel in your heart?
How does it feel in your body?
And in your mind?
Notice it.
Any changes in your body,
Your heart or your mind.
And just breathe here for a moment.
Connecting everything,
Mind and body with emotion.
Each time a thought pops into your mind,
See it and slowly watch it pass through your mind.
Free yourself right back to the feeling that you are focused on.
And when you can hold that feeling firmly in your mind,
I invite you to direct that feeling towards either yourself,
Another person,
Or towards the entire universe.
Really see whomever you are projecting this feeling toward.
Connecting heart to heart.
Really feeling that warmth that's flowing from you,
Through you.
And then,
With true intention,
Hear yourself saying the following.
May you be happy.
May you be safe.
May you be at peace.
Breathe in.
And out.
Maybe seeing that feeling radiating towards another as a light.
Maybe it's pink in colour.
Maybe it's soft.
Maybe it's bright.
But it is warming connection from your heart to theirs.
You may even choose to place one hand on your heart to connect to this feeling deeper.
And again.
May you be happy.
May you be safe.
May you be at peace.
May you be happy.
May you be safe.
May you be at peace.
With gentle compassion and soft ease,
Bring your attention to your breath.
Your breath is your anchor.
Just observe your breath for a moment with no judgement.
Just with pure appreciation for how it fuels your body.
How it soothes your body.
And become aware of your body.
Where your body connects to the ground.
How you are connected to the earth beneath you.
And how we are all connected to the earth beneath us.
No matter who we are.
No matter where we are.
No matter where we came from or where we are going.
We are all here.
We are all now.
And we are able to connect to that loving kindness if we so choose.
And as we come to close this practice.
Whenever you are ready.
Begin from the tips of your toes.
And awaken each little part of your body with your breath.
All the way to the tip of your head.
Gently open your eyes first by looking at the ground in front of you.
Blinking gently a few times.
And then slowly lifting your eyes to the moment that you are in now.
Realizing that you are here.
You are now.
And you can choose to take the feelings of love and kindness that we cultivated together.
And continue to share these with yourself.
And each person you are lucky enough to cross paths with today.
The choice is yours.
Take a moment to sit with these feelings.
Before you continue with the rest of your day.
Thank you again for sharing your practice with me.
