Welcome to this loving kindness meditation.
This meditation can be done in any position and it begins by taking a moment to be aware of any thoughts or feelings you may be experiencing right now.
Feeling how things are for you right now.
And when you are ready,
Beginning to bring awareness to the body.
Feeling your feet.
Your legs.
Your hips.
Your lower and upper body.
Your arms.
Your shoulders.
Your neck.
Your head.
And now just beginning to feel the movement of your breath.
The actual sensations of breathing.
Reminding yourself that you are here,
Alive and whole.
And when you are ready,
You might bring to mind the image of a person who you know or who you have known in your life to be loving and kind to you.
Someone who easily invokes feelings of warmth and love.
This could be a spouse or partner,
Parent or family member,
A mentor or close friend.
Someone who's been good to you.
It helps you to feel safe and whole,
Whose caring easily emanates from them to you.
And if a person past or present doesn't come to mind,
Maybe someone who you know to be inspirational.
Someone it's easy to imagine sending wishes of well-being to.
Wishing them well.
And if it feels right,
Just saying to them,
May you be happy,
Healthy and whole.
Pitching them,
Receiving your wishes.
May you have love,
Warmth and affection.
May you be protected from harm and free from fear.
May you be alive,
Engaged and joyful.
May you experience inner peace and ease.
Taking just a few minutes now to feel how it is to wish these things for them.
Letting yourself have the sense of the wishes for well-being emanating from you to them.
Connecting you to them.
Sensing also how it feels inside of you as you send these wishes of well-being to this person you love or care about.
And when you're ready,
Seeing if you can imagine this person or figure,
Wishing the very same things for you.
Knowing that they have your well-being in their heart.
Imagining them saying to you,
May you be happy,
Healthy and whole.
May you have love,
Warmth and affection in your life.
Imagining them close to you.
Feeling their presence and unconditional love for you as they continue to say,
May you be protected from harm and free from fear.
May you be alive,
Engaged and joyful.
May you experience inner peace and ease.
Letting those feelings wash over you,
Feeling their unconditional love and caring for you.
Letting the feelings of love and safety grow in you.
Knowing there is nothing you have to do to deserve these feelings and wishes.
They are given freely,
Without condition.
Seeing if you can connect to the meaning of these phrases,
Even if you might not feel all the safety and warmth right now.
And now seeing if you can have some of these wishes for yourself.
And hearing yourself say to yourself,
May I be happy and healthy and loved.
May I be safe and protected.
May I be alive and free.
May I experience inner peace and ease.
You may have loved ones for whom it's also easy to have these wishes for.
Maybe a child or a family member,
A dear friend or even a loved pet.
And if it feels right,
Just saying to them in your own way,
With your own words.
May you be happy and healthy and loved in your life.
May you be safe and protected and not suffer.
May you be alive and joyful.
May you have inner peace and ease.
It might even be possible to expound even further out to acquaintances,
People you know of but don't have a strong personal relationship with.
Be the people you see around town,
Your neighbours,
Saying to these people.
May you be happy and healthy and loved.
May you be safe and protected,
Free from suffering.
May you be alive,
Engaged and joyful.
And may you have inner peace and ease.
And if you feel strong and secure and you're comfortable with this,
You might try extending these wishes to someone who's difficult for you right now.
Not necessarily the most difficult person in the world,
Just someone who there's been some sort of frustration or misunderstanding.
In doing this,
It might help to remember that,
Just like you,
They want to be loved.
And just like you,
They want peace in their life.
And you could say to yourself,
Just like me,
They want to feel happiness and joy.
Just like me,
They want peace and ease.
Just like me,
They want to be loved and to know their loved ones are safe and healthy.
And just like me,
They are doing the best they can with what inner and outer resources they have.
And if this feels possible to you,
Silently saying to them,
May you feel peace and ease.
Remembering that if this were really true for them,
That they would certainly be easier to get along with.
May you have love and warmth in your life.
May you be happy,
Healthy and whole.
Even if this is difficult,
There's value in noticing what it's like to extend this wish.
Just recognizing that you are not condoning their actions,
But seeing in them a human being with some of the same needs as you.
To be loved.
To be safe.
To be at peace.
And if this is possible,
Remember the circle that began with yourself and the persons you loved the most.
Family,
Friends.
Extending the circle now to include all the many people you don't know who may live far away in other countries or cultures.
The animals and plants.
All of the life on our planet and beyond.
Including ourselves.
Saying,
May we all be happy and healthy.
May we all be safe and protected.
May we all live together in peace,
Ease and happiness.
And now,
As this loving kindness meditation comes to an end.
Taking time to appreciate and feel what has been generated through this practice.
And even if there have been difficult parts of this practice,
Knowing that this practice has the potential to increase your sense of aliveness,
Connection and belonging.
And when you're ready,
Letting yourself feel again your physical presence.
The sensations of your body.
Your feet.
Your hands.
Your neck.
And head.
Beginning once again to notice the movement of your own breath.
Bringing aliveness and nourishment to your body as a whole.
Just as your wishes of good will bring aliveness and nourishment to those around you.
Remember that you can take this feeling of loving kindness with you throughout your day.
And internalize how this loving kindness meditation feels.
Returning to those feelings by shifting your focus and taking a few deep breaths.
Thank you for taking the time to share your energy and love with me today.
Wishing you a beautiful rest of your day.
