Hello and welcome to The Daily Insight.
My name is Dr.
Adam Bledsoe and in today's meditation we'll be focusing on loving-kindness.
Practicing the receiving and giving of loving-kindness can change the way our brain functions.
It can reduce the physical and mental symptoms of stress,
Lowers anxiety,
Improves self-esteem and raises a capacity for forgiveness,
As well as improving connection in relationships.
Today we're going to take a five-step journey offering loving-kindness to ourselves,
A loved one,
People we care about,
Neutral individuals and acquaintances,
People we may feel strife with or challenged by,
And then humanity at large.
So let's begin.
Settling into this meditation by finding a comfortable position,
One where you'll be alert and aware,
Holding yourself in a posture of dignity and comfort,
Your head above your shoulders,
Allowing your shoulders to relax away from your ears and keeping your collarbones open,
Resting your hands comfortably and gently,
Grounding your feet flat on the floor,
Keeping your spine straight,
And then drawing your attention into this room,
Noticing any tension in your body.
And if you can release it by simply moving your posture a little,
Please go ahead and do that.
Bringing your attention in and noticing if your mind is racing or if there's thoughts or feelings,
Recognizing that as normal,
Allowing that to be.
During this meditation,
If we wander off,
We'll just kindly and gently bring our attention back to our focus.
Begin now by bringing your attention into your breath,
Noticing the air pass over the nostrils,
Into the back of the throat where it feels cool,
Filling the lungs as the belly expands,
And then slowly letting the belly relax and the lungs push the air back out through the mouth,
A little warmer than when it came in.
Inhaling through the nose,
Exhaling through the mouth.
Begin by bringing yourself into your mind's eye.
We're going to send loving-kindness to yourself.
Allow this process to happen.
Allow the messages you're sending yourself to sink in and deliver them with meaning and change the way your brain works.
We're going to begin by sending loving-kindness to yourself,
Picturing yourself in your mind's eye.
When you see yourself,
See yourself as whole,
Full,
Complete,
Worthy,
Important.
Imagining the words and the messages you're sending to yourself will penetrate deeply right inside of you,
Into your heart,
And into your mind.
Imagine that they'll change the way you see yourself and therefore the way you relate to the world.
Begin by sending our loving-kindness mantra to yourself.
May I be loved.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I find peace.
Taking a moment to let that land.
Allow that in and repeating.
May I be loved.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I find peace.
And sending that loving-kindness energy to yourself however you see fit.
Maybe placing a hand on your heart or on your cheek in a kind and compassionate way.
Maybe wrapping yourself in a warm glowing energy.
Filling every cell with love,
Kindness,
And understanding.
And then echoing our mantra again.
May I be loved.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I find peace.
Taking a moment to see yourself being worthy of love and happiness.
Being worthy of health and peace.
And seeing yourself in that light.
Being peaceful,
Healthy,
Happy,
And loved.
Bringing your attention into your body for a moment and noticing where you feel that.
Where do you feel in your body when you're delivering loving-kindness and compassion to yourself.
And allowing that in.
Allowing that feeling to multiply and grow.
And bask in it for a moment.
Feeling the glow of the love and the kindness that you deliver to yourself.
As you are worthy and you are important.
Cultivating that loving-kindness for one final moment.
Because in the next process I'll ask you to imagine a loved one entering into your mind.
Whomever pops up first,
Simply allow them to come in.
May not be who you're expecting,
But it's who you're needing.
And take that feeling of loving- kindness that you've perpetuated and cultivated in yourself.
And now send it to your loved one.
Send it wholly and fully.
Allow it to fill them up.
And see them in the light of health,
Happiness,
Love,
And peace.
See them as worthy and important.
And send them our mantra.
May you be loved.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you find peace.
May you be loved.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you find peace.
And wrapping them in the warm glowing light of loving-kindness.
Maybe offering them a gesture or a facial expression or a kind and loving touch.
Seeing them as you see yourself.
Understanding their hurts and allowing for their differences.
Noticing that they too are climbing a mountain as we are.
And they are working hard on this earth to be the best of who they can be.
Even when they make mistakes.
And coming back into your body.
Noticing again in your body where you're feeling the loving-kindness.
And fan that flame.
Grow that sensation and that feeling.
And allow it to permeate within you.
Allow it to go all the way to your toes,
To your fingers,
To the top of your head.
And inviting someone into your imagination,
Into your mind.
Who is just an acquaintance.
Who you may not know very well or feels rather neutral emotionally.
Maybe there's someone you see every day in passing.
Or a neighbor you don't know very well.
Or someone who serves you at a local restaurant or coffee shop.
And take that feeling of loving-kindness and offer it to them fully and completely.
See them as whole and full.
Complete and well.
Let them know that they are worthy and important.
Wrap them in your light of loving-kindness.
And echoing the mantra to them.
May you be loved.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
And may you find peace.
Repeating that one more time in your mind.
May you be loved.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you find peace.
Taking a moment to recognize that this individual too walks the earth as you do.
And they've got their own challenges.
Their own successes.
Their own hurts.
They too are doing the best that they can do.
And sending one more moment of loving-kindness to them.
Echoing the mantra in your mind.
May you be loved.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you find peace.
Bringing your attention inward.
Noticing your breath.
Inhaling.
Exhaling.
Sensing in your body the loving-kindness that's been generating.
And now we're gonna invite an individual who you may have a challenge with.
There may be hurt or strife between the two of you.
And allow that person to come into your mind right now.
Allow whomever that shows up to be the one.
Cultivated that loving-kindness within yourself.
Also has the capacity to allow you forgiveness.
Forgiveness is for yourself.
Allowing yourself to maintain the strength of kindness and understanding that you have brewed within yourself.
And then offer to this other individual.
See them as whole.
See them as worthy.
Recognizing where this may be limited in you or challenging.
And echoing our mantra wholly and fully to them.
May you be loved.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you find peace.
May you be loved.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you find peace.
And delivering loving-kindness to them in whichever way you see fit.
Wrapping them in the glow and warming light of love and kindness and understanding.
Recognizing the common humanity between you and this individual.
Hurts.
Challenges.
Different circumstances.
Different ways of responding to the world.
Seeing this individual as whole.
Healthy.
Loved.
Worthy and important.
And sending our mantra to them for one final moment.
May you be loved.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you find peace.
Bringing your attention back into your body.
Taking a moment now to observe your breath.
Inhaling and exhaling.
Noticing your body.
Feelings of calm and relaxation.
Feelings of worthiness and importance.
Seeing yourself as full.
Seeing yourself as loving and kind and understanding.
Now we're going to offer loving-kindness and connection.
Understanding to groups of individuals on this planet.
Beings.
To all of humanity.
Begin by imagining your entire family and your friends.
All arriving in your mind's eye.
See them all as full and complete and happy.
And bestow upon them our loving-kindness mantra.
May you all be loved.
May you all be happy.
May you all be healthy.
May you all find peace.
Echoing it again to the entire group.
May you all be loved.
May you all be happy.
May you all be healthy.
And may you all find peace.
And imagining now this feeling of lightness and relaxation coming over your body.
As you begin to float up off the ground for wherever you are.
And as you float up over the ground you're light and safe and comfortable and warm.
And you rise out of whatever building or space that you're in.
And you're looking down upon your community now.
And you're offering loving-kindness to your entire community as far as the eye can see.
Sending out the warm glowing loving kindness.
Wrapping your entire community in that energy and that light.
And echoing our mantra in your mind again.
May you all be loved.
May you all be happy.
May you all be healthy.
And may you all find peace.
And seeing your entire community as whole,
Healthy,
Happy,
Worthy,
And entitled to have a good life.
Recognize the challenges and the hurts in all the folks around you.
As you continue to elevate higher and higher off the ground.
And you're starting to see your entire continent.
The entire hemisphere.
Until you're out in the warmth of space.
The blackness surrounds you.
The stars are off in the distance.
You feel the radiant heat of the Sun warm you.
And you're safe and comfortable and warm.
And you're looking down upon the earth and it is spinning slowly.
It's so small in this moment you could almost fit it into your hands.
And you're able to wrap your loving-kindness and your energy around the entire earth.
And you're sending the loving-kindness that you have cultivated from within you to the entire human race.
To every sentient being on the planet.
And you echo with wholeness and completeness your loving-kindness mantra to the entire earth as it spins.
May you all be loved.
May you all be happy.
May you all be healthy.
And may you all find peace.
May you all be loved.
May you all be happy.
May you all be healthy.
May you all find peace.
And you continue for the moment to see the entire earth and its entire population as whole.
As complete.
As worthy.
Important.
Recognizing the differences between all of us and the commonalities between all of us.
And how it's all necessary and all important.
And together it makes a whole.
As is you and so are they.
You are as whole as they are.
And they are as whole as you.
Each of you offering your own unique abilities,
Purposes,
And values.
And all of you carrying hurts and challenges that need healing,
Kindness,
And understanding.
Taking a moment to feel the connection and the bond between yourself and the entire planet.
As you start to slowly lower back to the earth.
You feel gravity just gently pulling on you.
As if you're landing softly on a pillow.
And as you're coming back into our atmosphere slowly starting to see your community again.
Echoing one final time with the depth of connection in every one of yourselves.
May we all be loved.
May we all be happy.
May we all be healthy.
May we all find peace.
And your feet gently land on the ground.
You're warm,
Connected,
Happy,
Feeling full,
And worthy.
And connected to the world at large.
You're bringing your attention back to your breath now.
As we come back into this environment.
This time and place.
Noticing the inhalation and your exhalation.
Gently wiggling your fingers and toes.
And allowing your eyelids to open gently.
Feeling the sense of peace and calm over your body.
Just basking in it for a moment.
Allowing yourself to recognize the feeling and the sensation of being connected.
Being loved,
Loving,
And being worthy and important.
Before you go into your day,
Consider the following question.
Describe one insight that is something that you saw more deeply or clearly.
That you noticed from offering or receiving loving-kindness in today's meditation.
It may be a benefit,
Or a challenge,
A trigger,
Or a breakthrough.
Please take a moment to post that in your comments.
Thanks so much for meditating with me.
This has been Dr.
Adam Bledsoe,
Helping you create the health and life of your dreams.
