This Is Compassion

In this practice, Davin guides the listener through a series of internal recitations that are used to cultivate a deeper sense of compassion for oneself and others. This is accompanied by a truly unique and transformational sound meditation created with only Davin's voice.

Transcript

Hey,

It's Davin.

Thanks for joining me in this sound meditation experience for cultivating compassion.

I'm a singer and a teacher and I'll be guiding our time together today with my voice in both word and sound.

In this practice,

We'll work toward cultivating compassion within our lives.

Compassion is our ability to recognize and respond to the suffering of others,

But maybe most importantly to the suffering within ourselves.

See,

There is this unavoidable truth in that our ability to extend compassion to others is in direct correlation to our ability to extend compassion to ourselves.

We all make mistakes.

We all fall down.

We all suffer,

But how we respond is at the heart of this practice.

Cultivating a compassionate response can seem quite difficult,

But when we do,

It has a naturally expansive outcome.

When we direct compassion toward ourselves,

It has an inevitable influence on our interactions with others and it grows our ability to healthfully respond to the suffering of the world.

Maybe this is all best summed up with the words of one of my favorite mystic teachers,

RuPaul.

If you can't love yourself,

How the hell are you going to love anybody else?

Can I get an amen?

With that in mind,

Let's begin our practice together.

I'd like to invite you to find a comfortable posture or seat.

You may prefer to lie down.

There's no right or wrong way to participate,

But I encourage you to seek a state of alert comfort.

Once you find yourself in that position,

You can either close your eyes or softly gaze at a low point on the horizon.

Once you've settled in,

Let's begin by simply drawing our awareness to our breath,

Allowing it to become quite natural and easy.

See if you can notice where you feel it predominantly,

Maybe in your nose,

Your chest,

Your belly.

Wherever it might be,

When you find that place,

Rest your attention there.

Notice the vitality that each breath offers,

The inhalation and the exhalation,

A mystery and yet also a reminder of the fullness of your life.

Now picture in your mind's eye someone for whom you care deeply.

Notice how their image or presence stir loving emotion within your heart.

Can you also allow yourself to become aware of their sorrow and suffering?

Does your heart desire to extend well wishes or offer comfort or share in their pain?

This is compassion.

This is the compassionate response of your heart.

Now with that person in mind,

Inwardly recite the following.

May you know compassion.

May your pain and sorrow be eased.

May you be at peace.

May you know compassion.

May your pain and sorrow be eased.

May you be at peace.

Continue to recite this,

Allowing the phrases to echo throughout your every breath.

May you be at peace.

May you be at peace.

May you be at peace.

May you be at peace.

Imagine the one you care for turns their compassion toward you.

They acknowledge the deep suffering and sorrow that you also carry.

With generosity in their eyes,

They repeat the same phrases to you.

May you know compassion.

May your pain and sorrow be eased.

May you be at peace.

Allow the repetition of each phrase to wash over you like the rise and fall of the tide.

May you be at peace.

May you be at peace.

Now,

Informed by that which you have just received,

Begin to turn these phrases compassionately toward yourself.

May you know compassion.

May your pain and sorrow be eased.

May you be at peace.

May you be at peace.

May you be at peace.

May you be at peace.

Go ahead and release the recitation,

Allowing yourself to enjoy the residue of the practice.

May you be at peace.

May you be at peace.

May you be at peace.

May you be at peace.

May you be at peace.

May you be at peace.

You can now bring your awareness back to your breath,

Inviting it to deepen ever so slightly.

When you're ready,

You can open your eyes and take in the world around you.

Maybe notice if it offers a different resonance or a different hue.

Remember we will be able to better see the world through a compassionate lens when we are able to embrace this response within ourselves.

Acknowledging and responding to our own suffering with compassion,

It's a life's practice,

But its yield is abundant.

Thank you so much for practicing with me and sharing in this journey.

When you want to express your monkhood by designing one of your own means,

We need carriage.

Painting?

Reviews

I have done this meditation twice now. And both times I cry and have such a releasing experience. Between the music and the meditation coach himself - this is the most fulfilling meditation I have had in my journey this far.

Beautiful , Davin, but if the music track could be quieted just a bit it would be easier to hear your warm voice.

Wonderful blend of your words and voice. Beautiful.

Amazing guidance 💗 thank you!

Excellent metta meditation.
Really sets up stepping into the feeling of compassion in an accessible way.
I will use when my metta feels brittle 🙏🏼❤️

So beautiful, thank you so much for this blessed meditation.🙏💚✨

Much needed meditation for me today. Thanks you for this.

A moving practice

Thank you, dear man, for your guidance and wisdom!🌈🕊🌈

Beautiful- thank you.🙏 also so grateful for your songs - I listen every day on rising to both ‘Morning Song’ and ‘Song of My Soul’. So appreciate your gifts to our world.

Thank you for this meditation.💜🙏💜🕊🕊🕊✨

I loved the messages in this and the affirmations were powerful. Thank you!

Beautiful. Thank you.

Fantastic meditation. Really great content and mad music. Loved the RuPaul quote. Amen!

Would just love to listen to those vocals! I loved the meditation and vocals but found that together, the vocals over powered the meditation and made it hard to concentrate on the words. (For me.) Will try out your other tracks. Thanks for your beautiful voice and message!

Absolute brilliance- I’m going to do it again with my other son as the focus.....Namaste ✌🏼

Absolute brilliance- I’m going to do it again with my other son as the focus.....Namaste ✌🏼

This was good, and I will definitely come back to it again. It's a rather hard day for me, and staying with the metta recitation was challenging, but I still received an overall feeling of peace and lightness of spirit thanks to your music and kind words. Thank you.

A beautiful practice Davin! Truly heart opening. Remembering to be compassionate towards oneself is indeed a life’s practise. Beautiful music, your vocals and your soothing words all contributed to this beautiful journey. 🙏🏽💚💚

Celebrating the day you were born and the gifts you share so freely, I am changed by you and your creations, 🙏🏻