Manifesting Compassion - Working Together To Harness Loving Kindness

I am so delighted to offer a heartwarming metta/compassion practice that we can use to deepen our awareness of our interdependence, our heart of compassion, and the warmth we can bring to oursleves and others.

Thank you for listening. I hope you enjoy and benefit of this practice.

Transcript

Welcome.

Today we're going to be doing a practice in compassion.

And in fact,

You and me are going to be working directly together in this practice.

Now,

In this practice in compassion,

There will be some sort of guided visualization element to it,

Which really brings this compassion work to life when we really begin to see and get a sense of other individuals outside of ourselves that we can begin to harness some of this warmth towards.

So,

To start with,

I'd just invite you just to get comfortable.

So whether you want to sit or lie down for this,

Just soften your shoulders,

Rolling them off,

Allowing your eyes to close if you want to.

And let's just take three very deep,

Conscious breaths.

And by conscious I mean really feeling as much of each breath as we can.

And then just letting your breath go back to its normal rhythm.

And as we let our breath just go back to that normal pace,

That normal rhythm,

I'd invite you just to bring some of that focus,

Some of that attention just at the tip of the nose,

All around the sort of nose and upper lip area.

I just want you to notice that flow,

Notice the movement,

Notice the change just at that upper lip nostril area.

Maybe you can feel warmth,

Maybe you can feel coolness,

Whatever it is.

You're just noticing that flow.

And I just want you to hold that attention there as best as you can do.

And importantly,

Any time you're watching the mind get distracted,

You're just going to gently bring that attention back to the nose,

Back to the nostrils,

Back to that movement,

That change that we call breath.

No need to control or change anything.

We're just noticing.

And we're just going to let this breath begin to settle this analytical mind that we have.

We'll let this breath allow us to begin to dive under these thought patterns that we've created ourselves.

And just for the next 20 minutes or so,

Any thoughts that you have,

Just allowing them just to be thoughts.

So nothing more important,

Less important,

Nothing good,

Nothing bad,

More emotional,

Less emotional.

We're just allowing all thoughts to be exactly that,

Just a thought.

Just try to keep our attention at the nose and recognizing it doesn't matter how many thoughts that we have,

It doesn't matter how little thoughts we have.

All we're doing at the moment is just watching our breath,

Noticing thoughts,

And gently guiding our attention back to our breath again.

That's it,

You're doing amazing.

And just remembering every thought is an opportunity for practice.

That's all it is.

Just watching our minds drift to memories,

Fantasies.

And just gently guiding our attention back.

It doesn't matter how many thoughts we have,

Maybe you've got a really busy mind today.

And all that is is wonderful opportunities for practice.

Stop limiting your own ability.

That's why we're here,

Is to practice getting better at human-ing,

Softening this conditioning,

These limiting beliefs that we have.

And just gently resting your attention at the nose as best as you can.

It doesn't need to be perfect.

And just remember,

Throughout this practice,

If at any point it becomes too much,

We just lose focus.

We can just gently come back onto and just watch our breath.

We don't particularly need to listen to the guidance,

We can just rest and watch that movement.

Watch it flow.

It can be our anchor,

Our grounding,

Our center point,

Giving us an opportunity to return and rest.

Now when we start practicing compassion,

Often sometimes we can get a feeling of guilt sometimes,

That maybe we're not doing enough for ourselves,

Maybe we're not doing enough for other people.

We've wasted all of this time.

And all these thoughts are going to do is help you waste more time.

And in reality,

It is what you do now that matters the most.

And that compassion can start from today and grow and grow for the rest of your life.

These are choices.

Linger on what could have been or create a more compassionate future.

And what I'd invite you to do now is just,

As you're going to continue to watch your breath,

Just try and bring to mind someone in your life,

Someone in your life that loves you unconditionally.

Now,

Maybe they've passed,

Maybe they're with you,

Maybe it's a pet.

I've had someone use a car before.

But at the moment,

Just one person in your life that you know,

They just want to see you happy.

And I just want you to imagine them being around you.

Now,

If you've got a handful of people,

Then amazing.

Just thinking of one in particular.

And when I do this practice,

I like to imagine them just sat behind me,

With their arm on my shoulder,

The hand on my shoulder.

And you're just feeling that connection,

This recognition that you're not in this alone.

That we all have moments of struggle,

Moments of anxiety,

Challenging circumstances and events.

And often our default is to think that we are alone through this struggle,

When in reality,

You've never been alone.

And I just want you to bring to mind this one person,

Just imagine them being there with you,

And connect with them.

Thinking about as much or as little,

Maybe memories of why they're so important to you.

And let that touch your heart.

Let that open your heart.

These wonderful people,

Particularly this person in your life that just makes a difference.

They just want to see you smile.

And as you're remembering this person,

Connecting with them,

And your thoughts,

I just want you to hear them begin to use your name.

And send some compassion towards you.

Now to do this,

We're going to use some simple phrases like,

Maybe the meta ones like,

May you be happy.

So you'd hear them use your name and say,

May you be happy.

Or maybe they have some phrases that they use all the time to make you feel loved.

It could be something as simple as,

I'm with you.

Or you're never alone.

Maybe you're just hearing them use your name and telling you that they love you.

And I just want you to repeat some phrases over and over again in your mind,

As best as you can do.

Just how they would connect with you.

How they would remind you that you're loved.

That you're part of something that is beyond you.

That you are interdependent and connected.

And that when you're struggling,

You're not alone.

And you're just hearing them using your name and wishing you happiness,

Joy,

Health.

And now I just want you to turn some attention towards yourself as well.

So not only would this loved one throughout the rest of this practice continue to shower compassion and warmth towards you.

But you're going to turn some of that warmth towards yourself as well.

Some people like to imagine breathing directly into the heart.

But often it's just using simple phrases,

Whether you believe them at the moment or not.

I just want you to remind yourself of what you need right now.

And maybe at the moment you just need a bit of strength.

Or just a reminder that you've been through everything.

All the good times and the bad and that you're still fighting.

Reminding yourself that in fact your human spirit is strong.

Beyond anything that we can comprehend.

And maybe it's just a simple wish of happiness,

Joy,

Health,

Freedom.

And I just want you to repeat a few phrases to yourself of what you feel you need right now.

Because just like you hope other people find happiness in their life.

You deserve that happiness as much as anyone else.

That joy,

That connection,

Love,

Warmth.

And you're just reminding yourself that you are important.

That we're part of an ocean of compassion.

That we can give and take as much as we like.

And to remind ourselves that we can give and give and give.

But at some point we need to take some of that back before we meet exhaustion head on.

That you deserve happiness and freedom as much as anyone else and all you're doing at the moment is appreciating that.

And now I just invite you just to gently open your eyes.

And just notice me in your screen,

In your phone,

Laptop.

And just like I'm going to be noticing you right now.

You will be the focus of my compassion.

And wonderfully I will be yours.

And all I'd invite you to do now is just take a last moment noticing this person in your screen.

And when you feel like you've got a good mental image,

Just again allowing your eyes to close.

And what I'm going to ask you to do is to bring this image to mind again as we begin to progress through this practicing compassion.

But firstly I just want you to turn some of that warmth towards yourself.

And as we point some of that attention,

Some of that compassion back towards ourself again,

Just reminding ourselves again that strength,

Kindness,

That warmth.

Really focusing this time around the area around your heart.

I want you to bring to mind that person that you just saw on the screen.

And just like I'm going to be bringing to mind you right now.

And I want you just to imagine connecting with me heart to heart.

However you feel is most appropriate.

When I do this practice I almost imagine this sort of golden light just begins to radiate out from my heart.

And connects with you and creates.

Almost like a sphere,

Like a bubble of warmth as I begin to harness some of that compassion and send it your way.

But you can just imagine connecting whichever way feels most natural to you.

Maybe it's light,

Maybe it's colour,

Maybe it's just a sense of warmth,

A sense of connection.

This recognition that you aren't alone.

And as you begin to connect in this way from the heart,

This person that maybe you've only just met today,

Me,

And I,

You.

I want you to imagine sharing some of that warmth that you've cultivated for yourself.

When we have these moments of struggle,

These moments of anxiety that at the core of all of us is this basic wish to be free from that struggle,

To be free from that suffering that you and me are the same.

This wish to be safe and well.

This recognition that at the core of us is this heart of compassion.

And you're just going to remind me,

As I will be you,

Of that.

Now I'm going to offer some phrases.

You're very welcome to use them as well.

Or come up with your own.

But bringing it from the heart.

I just want you to remind you that whatever you're going through,

This too will pass.

That you have been through everything in your life and yet here you are,

Still seeking compassion,

Still seeking warmth,

Still seeking connection.

You couldn't comprehend how strong you are.

That that spirit within you is still here fighting.

That you are beyond anything that you could comprehend.

And I just want you to remember,

As often we forget,

That you are more than you could ever think.

You are incomparable.

You are strong and will get through this as you've gotten through everything else in your life.

That you will never be alone.

I wish you health.

I wish you happiness.

I hope you always have a reason to smile.

I hope that you are free from suffering.

And you recognise the causes of the suffering so you never have to suffer again.

I hope you freedom,

The freedom to be you,

To be free from the shackles of this narcissistic society that we've created.

That you're free to be loved,

To be held,

To be wanted,

To be you.

And just imagine sending this warmth out towards this other.

This hope that they too find that joy in their life.

And as you're doing this,

I just want you just for a moment just to pause and realise that all of these words that you were just listening to were for you and you alone.

That you deserve that freedom,

That you deserve that warmth,

That kindness,

That joy to be free from suffering.

That there is someone right now dedicating their time to remind you of just how incredible you are.

And let that touch your heart if you can.

That you deserve happiness as much as anyone else.

And now all I want you to do is just begin to rest in your heart.

Just hold your attention around that heart area.

Maybe there's a sense of connection,

A sense of expansion.

Maybe there's nothing.

That's wonderful too.

But just for the next minute or two,

Just resting in the heart,

The warmth of compassion.

And now all I want you to do is just begin to rest in your heart.

And now all I want you to do is just begin to rest in your heart.

And now as we begin to hear the sounds of the bell,

Allowing our eyes to just gently open.

And as we begin to open our eyes,

We're going to keep our attention on the movement of our breath.

And I just want you to finish as you breathe in with your eyes open,

Just saying the word calm in your thoughts or aloud.

It's up to you.

It's only you and me.

Breathing in and saying calm.

And as you breathe out,

I just want you to let whatever is left go.

You're going to breathe in again and say calm.

Breathe out and let go.

And one more time.

Breathing in and saying calm.

Breathing out and just let it all go.

So thank you so much for that warmth.

I truly felt it.

I hope you have an amazing rest of the day.

And I look forward to seeing you again on one of the videos in the not too distant future.

I'd love to hear your thoughts,

Your comments.

What did you think?

Did you enjoy that little practice together?

Have an amazing rest of your day.