Breath Of Kindness

This practise in kindness has a short intro to the meditation. We then use our often very soothing breath as our act of kindness for ourselves first, then a loved one. This is a highly calming practice that will also incorporate some guided visualisation as we imagine breathing kindness in.

Transcript

So getting ourselves comfortable,

Just relaxing whether we want to sit or lie down for this little practice.

This short practice in kindness.

This kindness practice in particular is called the compassionate breath.

It's just because we're going to use this breath of ours to not only visualize bringing kindness in,

But then sharing that gift of kindness onto someone else.

And as you're settling down,

Whether you want to sit or lie for this is totally up to you.

But just bringing some attention into the body.

If you're lying down maybe you can get a sense of the head against the pillow.

Maybe the hands are on your stomach or by your sides and just noticing on the fingertips the movement of the breath or the feeling of the yoga mat or the couch or blanket underneath you.

If you're sitting maybe you've got a sense of the weight of the shoulders,

The softness of the jaw,

The feet comfortably underneath you.

And from here what I'd like you to do,

Just as you're relaxing into the body in this way,

Give me a sense of sort of this being here.

I want to see if you can just turn your attention now onto the breath.

This idea of how do you know that you're breathing?

Obviously there's a real sense of effortlessness to the breath.

The breath just seems to happen wonderfully naturally all on its own.

And just like you can notice those physical sensations like the sense of pressure,

The feet against the floor,

The hands,

The fingers,

The shoulders,

The jaw.

We can also bring that sense of awareness onto our breath where we don't need to control it.

The breath just sort of naturally happens all on its own.

And we just notice,

Notice the fact that we're breathing.

And wonderfully turning our attention onto the breath in this way is what the science shows,

Just begins to calm down the mind.

That's all we're trying to do is just begin to learn to relax a little bit more.

And the breath can wonderfully do that,

Just helps us to anchor.

Helps us just to begin to let go of what's been today or what's to come,

Allowing us just to rest comfortably into this moment.

And just as we're noticing the breath,

I mean how much of each breath can you feel?

How much from passing the tip of the nose down the back of the throat into the lungs and stomach?

How much of each breath can you feel right now?

Again this isn't a sense of control,

Not worried about whether you can feel all the breath or not.

You're just noticing whatever is here.

And how much of that very kind,

Compassionate breath we can feel.

And as we're getting a sense of that breath,

I just want you to see if you can bring to mind a colour that you associate with the word kindness or compassion.

Now this colour can be red,

Green,

Gold,

Yellow,

Blue,

Whatever you,

Whatever really springs to mind if you think of the word kindness.

What colour just today do you associate with the word kindness?

What word do you associate with the word compassion?

And just bringing this colour to mind.

I want you to imagine this colour being all around you.

I like to imagine sometimes it being like a fog,

A fog of kindness.

And what I want you to do is just imagine every time you breathe in you can breathe this kindness into the body.

I just want you to do that now.

Just imagine breathing this gold,

Breathing this red,

Green,

Yellow,

Whatever you're associating with compassion just now.

I want you to imagine breathing that compassion into your body.

It doesn't matter how perfect it is.

It doesn't matter whether you get the colour right first time.

The importance is that intention of breathing that compassion into the body.

Just noticing that colour breathing in through the nose or mouth.

And just continuing breathing in this way just for the next few moments.

And now I want you to see if you can breathe that colour all the way down into your heart.

So whilst before we were just breathing the colour into the body,

I want you to see if you can breathe it all the way down into the heart in particular.

Almost like the heart can begin to breathe this colour in to and out.

Just noticing this colour going all the way down through the nose and into your heart area.

And even if you just rest your attention into the heart as you're breathing.

As I said you can get this sense of almost like the heart can breathe.

And you're just allowing it to do that,

Breathing the compassion all the way into the heart.

And again just for the next few moments I just want you to try and practice this,

Breathing it all the way down into your heart.

Not expecting any sort of sensation or some incredible change to happen.

Consistence and intention of breathing compassion all the way down into the heart.

That's all we're doing.

Now what I want you to do is see if you can expand that compassion that you've been cultivating in the body,

Especially in the heart.

And radiate it to every last cell,

Every last part of your body.

Almost like now whilst you can breathe directly into the heart and the heart just begins to expand this colour breath by breath by breath.

And you're just noticing the colour getting stronger and brighter and brighter as it just begins to engulf that whole body in this compassion.

Almost like you can radiate this colour and you're just imagining yourself doing that for the next few moments.

It's important not to try and create an experience.

You're just noticing sort of the body as it begins to shine bright with kindness.

Sometimes we get a sense of sort of the heart swelling a bit,

Opening.

Sometimes our body temperature rises as we focus on compassion.

These things are normal but again it's not about trying to cultivate an experience apart from trying to see yourself marinating in kindness.

So next what I want you to do is just relax in just for a few moments.

Maybe seeing the whole body glowing your colour.

I just want you to bring to mind someone that you care about,

Someone that you love,

Someone that means a lot to you.

Just like you they deserve to be happy,

They deserve to be filled with kindness.

What I want you to do,

I just want you to try and focus some of this compassion you've been cultivating for yourself and aim it towards this other person.

Again the person doesn't need to be perfect,

Just whoever springs to mind in this moment.

Now I like to imagine almost like my heart opening and this golden light begins to sort of radiate out of it towards this other person engulfing both of us.

But you can imagine it in any which way you'd like to.

Just imagine connecting with this person and sharing this what was originally a very selfish thing cultivating compassion for ourselves.

What wonderfully it turns into this very selfless gift in sharing this compassion with someone else.

This is what we're doing now,

We're just offering up as much as we can to this person that we love.

And just imagining connecting with them in this way.

And just seeing this light or however you're envisaging this connection just engulfing both of you as you both marinate in this compassion.

Now we're also going to lace our breath with a bit of compassion as well.

So not only are we connecting with the light,

But every second or third breath we breathe out.

I just want you to sort of pass on what you feel they need at the moment.

Maybe they need a bit of strength if they're going through a difficult time or a little bit of patience or joy.

Maybe they just need a little bit of compassion at the moment.

Or if you don't feel they need anything,

Just saying the word compassion,

I don't think anyone could ever get enough compassion in their life.

And so every second or third breath you're just saying what you feel they need.

If it's patience you're just breathing out and in your thoughts just saying patience.

And almost sending this patience with that light that's radiating from you.

And seeing it getting received by this person you care dearly about.

And just continuing to do that in this way just for the next few moments.

Just sending this kindness and lacing it with what you feel they need just now.

And now as we begin to bring this short practice to a close.

Again just getting a sense of this connection you've had with this person today.

And getting a sense of them receiving this kindness and compassion from yourself.

And even as they're sort of leaving from your thoughts ending with this idea of just saying thank you for being such a wonderful part of my life.

And letting them leave in that way.

And all I want you to do just for the next 5,

10,

20 seconds just let go of everything.

Let go of any breath.

Let go of thoughts.

Let go of kindness,

Compassion.

And just spend the next 20 seconds resting.

And then just allowing your eyes to look at the person.

And just allowing your eyes to open and have an amazing rest of your day.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Reviews

Dan I love you and the way you make these practices accessible, grounded, reminding us of expectations and just accepting the right now we are encountering. I so enjoy your live sessions and thinking this might be a good way to start every day. I also loved the way this meditation ended with a pause with no focus, allowing us to stick a meditative toe into the stillness that permeates everything yet sometimes hides like a shadow when we try to shine a bright light on it. I had a morning practice for a while but fell off for a bit now, so glad I discovered this one, thank you for your kind guidance and reminders of what we can choose to do to change the ways we see and experience this amazing, strange, beautiful, unscripted world that no matter what happens seems to rise up and greet our opening eyes every day.

Beautiful visualization, lovely meditation. Thank you for this. 💜😊🙏🏼☮️✨

Love this meditation 🙏🏼

A wonderful meditation that is the perfect way to start or finish your day. Simple and easy to follow. Really uplifting. Thank you Dan!

Very gentle and relaxing yet powerful. Great way to start my day. Thank you so much.

Love this one also. Very moving and beautiful.
Thank zyou so much. Blessings Always Kasey 👵👵👍👍💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💟💟💟💟💟

Thank you for such a beautiful and emotional meditation.

Absolutely beautiful 💛🌈💛thank you for the kindness

Beautiful and wonderful. Thank you

What a beautiful practice. I loved being swathed in a colorful fog of compassion. Deepest gratitude.

Thank you. This was so beautiful. I was very distracted today having just heard the sad news about Notre Dame. 😔 I will do this again when I am more present.

Brilliant guided practice for giving yourself and loved one kindness and compassion. Most grateful 🙏