So,
I'd like to offer a loving kindness meditation that we can do together,
But it's something that you can practice on your own as well when you're feeling overwhelmed or angry or whatever you're feeling.
So,
Take a moment sitting comfortably on a chair or a cushion or laying on the floor wherever is most comfortable for you and really feeling the contact points of your body and the surface where it's resting,
So it may be your feet on the floor or your bottom on the cushion or chair and sitting upright and yet relaxed.
And if it feels comfortable,
Closing your eyes or gazing softly at the floor or a point in front of you and taking a moment to give yourself permission to be here,
Right here,
Right now for this meditation.
Let's begin by taking a slow,
Deep breath in,
Filling the lungs and the chest and the belly and exhaling out slowly,
Releasing some of the tension you might be feeling in your body.
And if it feels comfortable,
Placing a hand on your heart and offering these words to yourself.
May I be safe.
May I be peaceful.
May I be happy and may I live my life with ease.
May I be safe.
May I be peaceful.
May I be happy and may I live my life with ease.
May I be safe.
May I be peaceful.
May I be happy and live my life with ease.
And now,
Bring to mind someone that you know and love and care deeply about.
And if you can,
Really imagine seeing their face and looking into their eyes and saying to them,
May you be safe,
May you be peaceful,
May you be happy and may you live your life with ease.
May you be safe.
May you be peaceful.
May you be happy and live your life with ease.
And now,
I'd like you to picture someone that you encounter in your daily life that you don't know very well.
And maybe it's just the person you cross paths with on your walks lately or a person who works in a store that you go to frequently or occasionally,
Somebody that works at the post office,
Whatever it is,
Someone that you don't know very well.
Picturing their face and saying to them,
May you be safe,
May you be peaceful,
May you be happy and may you live your life with ease.
May you be safe.
May you be peaceful.
May you be happy and may you live your life with ease.
And now,
Picturing someone that you know who is struggling,
Who's really having a hard time,
Who maybe isn't doing so well and offering these same words.
May you be safe.
May you be peaceful.
May you be happy and may you live your life with ease.
May you be safe.
May you be peaceful.
May you be happy and live your life with ease.
And now,
Bringing to mind your community where you live and thinking about all the people in your community as a whole and offering those words.
May you be safe.
May you be peaceful.
May you be happy and live your life with ease.
May you all be safe.
May you all be peaceful.
May you all be happy and may you all live your lives with ease.
And now,
Thinking about the world,
Our whole world as a community that we're all in this together and that this is hard for everyone and sending this message out to the world.
May we all be safe.
May we all be peaceful.
May we all be happy.
And may we all live our lives with ease.
May we all be safe.
May we all be peaceful.
May we all be happy and live our lives with ease.
May we all be safe.
May we all be peaceful.
May we all be happy and may we all live our lives with ease.
And now,
Taking a moment to take a slow,
Long,
Deep breath in.
And exhaling out slowly.
Bringing some movement into your feet and your hands and your body,
Stretching if you need to,
Moving in a way that feels comfortable to you,
And opening your eyes when you're ready.
For me,
Loving kindness meditations really helps me stay connected to the world,
To my community,
To the people in my world that maybe are struggling along with me.
It helps me feel a sense of belonging in the struggle.
So I hope that was helpful for you.
I hope that if those words didn't resonate with you,
You can find words that feel more appropriate to where you are in this moment,
And offering that to your community,
To yourself,
To the world.
