Make yourselves comfortable where you are,
Standing seated or lying down.
Settle in.
Close your eyes if that's comfortable to you.
Just feel where your body is,
Where you have any creaks or aches or uplift.
I recommend uncrossing your feet and uncrossing your hands and letting your shoulders down so they don't pinch up to your ears.
We'll begin with a few breaths.
Just breathing in.
Notice where your breath starts.
It may not be very deep right now.
You may be coming from something that is harrying.
So just take note of how deep,
Shallow,
Long or short your breath is at this moment.
And then settling into your body and your context.
Slow down your breath qualitatively or even quantitatively by counting and extending the count bit by bit.
So you're probably breathing in through your nose and maybe out through your mouth.
Slowing down the breath and extending it.
Drawing the breath and oxygen into any places that are stiff or sore.
Using it as a sort of intuitive massage.
Sinking and feeling heavy.
Filling up and feeling light.
Continuing to breathe.
Noticing your breath,
Even your pulse.
Alternate between feeling heavy and feeling light.
Settle down.
Extend and drift up.
We're gonna go on a visualization and some of these items might cause you a little bit of anxiety.
So if you feel that clenching,
Just return to your breath or notice your pulse.
Slow down.
First,
I want you to gather in your mind's eye someone for whom you feel resentment for their home.
You might be jealous of the comforts they have.
You may wish you had their security.
If you feel tense when you consider this object or person,
Just note it and keep breathing.
Be gentle with yourself.
Settling in.
Recognize and know that every human being,
Every person,
Even the subject of your resentment,
Feels fear,
Insecurity and discomfort.
Using that empathy,
Formulate a very brief prayer to the subject of your jealousy.
May you be safe,
For example.
Offer them that prayer and let them go.
Return to deep and long breaths.
Slow down your pulse.
Another place we experience covetousness is in love.
Breathing in the broadest sense of love as lust and romance and intimacy,
We can each identify someone who seems more glamorous than we,
More attractive.
Staying calm and with your breath deep,
Draw to mind someone for whom you experience this kind of resentment.
Notice where they seem more effortlessly beautiful,
Where they seem suave.
Or romantic.
Breathing,
If this starts to make you uncomfortable.
Take this awareness.
Every human being has aches and pains and bad hair days and feels insecure about her or his appearance and body.
With that compassion in mind,
Formulate a small prayer for the person whose beauty you admire.
Offer up that prayer and let them go.
And recede in your mind's eye.
Returning to your breath,
In and out.
Conjure up someone whose power you may resent or even fear.
If you feel agitated about that,
Just notice it and come back to your breath.
Breathe in deeply.
Breathe out slowly.
Sit heavy.
Feel light.
And this person whose confidence or control or authority you covet pause,
Notice and know that every person gets knocked about by fate.
And everyone knows unexpected trauma.
And no one is really as confident as they seem.
Never.
As you breathe in and out,
Formulate a small prayer to this person.
May you have courage,
Perhaps.
Offer them that prayer and let them go and fade.
Finally,
We are,
All of us,
Jealous of other people's wealth.
Breathe in and out.
Calling to mind someone whose stuff you want.
They have nice clothes or shiny jewelry or a newer car.
Just notice what you feel and where you feel it.
Pulling yourself down with your breath.
Remember that every human wants more and that no one feels like she or he has enough.
As you breathe,
Create a small prayer for the object of your desire.
The person whose wealth you resent.
Give them that prayer.
And let go.
With our remaining time,
We'll use our breath to let go of any residual wanting and covetousness.
Breathing in and letting go.
Breathing in and letting go until you hear the closing bells.
