Welcome to this short compassion meditation with Emily from Emily Rose Yoga.
Take a moment to find a seat.
You can sit on a chair or on the floor.
Make sure you can lift your spine up tall.
So you find a sense of dignity in your seat but also a sense of ease.
Let the shoulders relax.
If you feel comfortable to close your eyes just let them softly close.
The face can relax and the hands can rest gently in your lap or on your knees.
Take a moment to feel where your body is in contact with the ground or the chair or prop underneath you.
So you feel grounded and then let your attention lift up the spine slightly to the space just below your navel,
To the very center of your body.
You might bring your hand to rest it at that space for a moment just to feel your breath there and get a sense of your own strength and vitality and the life within you in that space.
And then you can bring someone to mind for whom you easily feel feelings of love.
And so that could be a dear friend,
A partner,
A family member,
A child or a pet.
Picture them in your mind's eye and feel the natural caring for them from your heart.
Notice how you hold them and then be aware of any pain,
Sorrow or suffering that may be present in that being's life.
And notice how your heart opens to wish them well,
Extend comfort to them and to meet their pain with compassion.
Not to try to fix them or to change things but simply the natural response of the heart to extend them comfort.
Try not to overthink this but feel it in your body.
And then repeat some phrases in your mind and you can use the phrases that I give you or you can modify them for something that resonates for you.
May you be held in compassion.
May you be free from pain or sorrow.
May you be at peace.
May you be held in compassion.
May you be free from pain and sorrow.
May you be at peace.
And continue to repeat those phrases with the visual of this being in your mind.
No need to do anything except open the heart and extend the hand of compassion.
You can let the image of that person go,
That being go and then turn your attention towards yourself.
It might help you to imagine you're looking at yourself in a mirror or perhaps looking down at yourself from above.
And just in the same way that you were able to view the dear friend,
The being that you easily felt feelings of love towards,
Can you view yourself in that same way?
Bringing to mind any pain or suffering that might be present in your own life.
However big or small that might seem.
And again without trying to fix things,
This exercise is simply an opening of the heart and extending of the energy of compassion.
You can repeat the phrases again.
May I be held in compassion.
May I be free from pain and sorrow.
May I be at peace.
Notice how that feels in your heart.
Whether there's a resistance there.
And if you feel nothing then notice that too.
No judgment,
No expectation.
A simple awareness of what's here.
As you repeat those phrases.
Then you can start to expand the circles of compassion from yourself,
Perhaps into the room or the building that you're in currently.
And then out into your wider community.
Into the land,
The piece of land on which you find yourself.
And out further into the world.
The whole planet.
Without being overwhelmed,
Be gentle.
We're not trying to give up our own energy or centeredness but only to meet the suffering of the world with a compassionate heart.
May you all be held in compassion.
May you all be free from pain and sorrow.
May you all be at peace.
You might know any benefits or any insights that this practice has had.
And as it comes to a close perhaps offering those up as a benefit to all beings.
You can start to bring your attention back to the feeling of the breath at the belly again.
As you draw your attention back into your centre.
When you feel ready you can gently blink open your eyes and move into the rest of your day.
Thank you so much for practicing with me.
And I wish you well.
Namaste.
