Welcome to this special meditation for Passover.
Begin with a deep breath in and a deep breath out.
Let the body relax into the chair.
And we honor the practice by tuning into our awareness.
We honor the practice by focusing on the breath for a couple of minutes.
Bring your attention just to your nose.
To allow you to be aware of your body be aware of your emotions,
Be aware of the present moment as it is with what it holds.
Just pay attention to the breath entering the body.
Place all the richness of your awareness on that place where the breath enters the nose.
If the mind has wandered,
Bring it back to the breath.
Infusing your awareness with tenderness for the breath.
Feel the breath with affection.
This breath that gives you life day by day.
This breath that allows you to live and serve others.
Fill your awareness with gratitude to be alive.
And now imagine that you could breathe right into the heart.
Breathe right out of the heart.
Sending the breath into the chest lungs and heart and breathing out of the lungs heart and chest.
Enjoying this breathing with and from the heart.
Your strength comes from the heart.
And we will start with a freedom meditation for yourself.
So put a hand on the heart.
Say for yourself that I honor my inner world.
I live from my highest values and that's freedom.
May I live out my own destiny.
And make my own decisions.
And do what I believe and what resonates for me.
And everything I do.
May I make myself.
Future generations,
And all my ancestors proud.
May this heart feel settled and strong.
May I be at peace and at ease.
Acknowledging that freedom is also inner freedom.
Following your own deepest intentions.
And may I also have the freedom to connect and enjoy and love.
May I have the freedom to enjoy lightness apart.
May I have the freedom to notice beauty,
The beauty that is around me in me,
And in other people.
May I have the freedom to cultivate the garden that I most want to cultivate.
May my actions,
My thoughts,
And every word I say,
Contribute to that inner and outer freedom.
And now that you've done this freedom meditation for yourself.
Bring to mind,
A loved one,
Or someone you want to direct this compassion to Come into this person.
Someone you feel warmth toward.
Imagine this person in front of you,
And look at this person through eyes of gentleness.
Allow yourself to see this person with gentleness.
And imagine this person truly happy.
Imagine this person smiling,
Beaming.
Bring that image into your heart.
And say for this person.
I know you have a whole cosmos within you.
I know there is a universe within you.
I honor your world.
I may not know it fully but I honor it.
May you be free.
I don't want anything from you,
And I want everything for you.
May I contribute to your inner and outer freedom.
May you make your own decisions in ways that resonate for you.
I accept you as you are.
I send you love as you are.
May you be happy.
May you have the freedom to enjoy lightness of heart.
May you find safety and peace.
May what I do and say,
And even think,
Contribute to your freedom inside.
And may you live with so much joy that you bring joy to your community,
To yourself,
To those who come after you,
And even to those who came before you.
And notice what it's like to wish for the freedom of your loved one.
True love,
True compassion is accepting someone as they are and wishing well for them as they are.
And in that lies your own freedom and their freedom.
And can you send this wish even further out?
Thinking of all the beings in the world.
Each being wanting freedom in their own way.
Each person craving more freedom in one way or another.
Setting the intention,
May what I do contribute to freedom in the world.
May I help people sense their own freedom.
And imagine the world full of everyone from one year olds to 105 year olds.
Men,
Women,
People all through the world.
Can you say for all of them,
Some you've never met,
Some you have met,
Say for all of them,
I honor your world.
May you be free.
I don't want anything from you.
And I want everything for you.
May I contribute to freedom in the world.
May each being be able to do what resonates in their heart and have their home.
Live out their destiny and make the decisions that feel right to them.
And just imagining this fragile blue globe,
The earth.
And sending the wish of freedom to the entire earth.
Sending the wish of happiness to the entire earth.
Including those who are there now,
Including those who come after.
Wishing freedom,
Happiness,
Peace to every creature.
And with this intention coming back to your day,
With this intention coming back to your life,
Knowing that you have so much to contribute in terms of creating more freedom on earth.
And take a deep breath in.
And a deep breath out through the mouth.
And when you feel ready,
Open your eyes,
Coming back.
