Hey,
It's Davin.
And it's time to rest.
I'd love to usher you there with the support of a beautiful meditation practice from the Buddhist tradition.
It's called metta,
Or loving-kindness meditation.
But before I do,
Why don't you take a few moments here to really settle in.
Give yourself full permission to make the adjustments that would allow you to cultivate a felt sense of comfort.
If you have any sort of control over your environment in terms of light or temperature,
Get it just right.
And then take movements in your body that would feel supportive on your path toward restoration.
Do what you need to set yourself up for a sense of safety and ease.
And while you start to settle in,
I'd love to share with you the origin story of metta.
You see,
As the legend tells it,
There was a large group of monks meditating in the forest.
By some accounts,
There were as many as 500.
And while they had gone there with the noble intention of communing in and with nature,
They found themselves quite afraid.
See,
There were spirits and energies lurking in the shadows,
All of which seemed quite intent upon haunting the monks.
They were so frightened,
Terrified even,
By the noises,
The sounds,
The feelings,
The sensations.
In fact,
They became so overwhelmed that collectively they felt as though they had to leave.
And so they brought this situation to the Buddha.
We were in the woods meditating.
Our intentions were so good,
But we found ourselves haunted by the evil spirits lurking in the shadows.
And so the Buddha taught them loving-kindness,
Or metta,
Which he described as the antidote to fear.
Upon learning the practice,
They made their way back to the forest.
Collectively,
They sat and practiced until they found themselves radiating love.
And wouldn't you know,
The spirits became quiet.
In fact,
Eventually,
The monks found themselves in deep communion and peace with all of the forest.
You know,
Often when we try to settle in for rest or sleep,
We find ourselves confronted with the spirits of our mind.
We can find ourselves caught in fear.
Sometimes this feels quite benign,
Like making lists,
Replaying conversations from the day,
Grasping onto ideas for the future.
But other times,
It can be quite a big deal.
Traumas from our past.
Relational,
Financial,
Health struggles.
Seemingly lurking in the shadows,
Just waiting for us to stop long enough to listen and notice.
And so here,
We meet all of that with this time-tested practice.
We meet all of that with our capacity for love.
Not only for ourselves,
But for all living beings.
It's quite simple.
It's a series of phrases that you'll use as a mantra.
And the phrases connect to your basic human desires.
To be safe,
To be happy,
To be healthy,
And to live with ease.
A well-wish to yourself.
And so repeat in your mind after me,
May I be safe,
May I be happy,
May I be healthy,
And may I live with ease.
Again,
May I be safe,
May I be healthy,
And may I live with ease.
Allow for those phrases to echo throughout your inner landscape.
And when you find yourself wandering off into lists or thinking,
Just come back to the repetition.
May I be happy,
May I be safe.
You're welcome to just continue to offer those well-wishes.
But if you'd like to expand your attention outward,
If you'd like to love beyond your being,
Sharing this unconditional friendliness,
Bring to mind that has cared for you.
Who just like you is deserving of love.
And when you have this person in mind,
Offer them the same well-wishes.
Continue to offer the well-wishes to yourself or the loved one.
The face of uncertainty,
Difficulty,
And challenges you have the capacity to still radiate love outward.
To share unconditional friendliness with all living beings.
Be happy.
May all living beings be healthy.
May all living beings live with ease.
Be happy.
Be healthy.
