So go ahead and find your seat.
Take a deep breath in through your nose.
And an open mouth exhale.
Take two more breaths like that.
Deep breath in.
Open mouth out.
And on this third one,
Breathe in the energy that you need for your day.
And breathe out anything that is blocking your energy.
And now start to settle into the natural rhythm of your breath.
Just in and out of your nose without any control,
Without any effort.
And take this moment right now to notice the quality of your breath.
Just taking some awareness into our body gives us great awareness for the rest of our day.
Noticing if your breath is short or shallow or maybe it comes easy this morning.
The practice is not judging it and not changing it,
Just noticing.
And bring your awareness down to your feet.
And take a long full body inhale so that breath travels all the way up above the crown of your head.
And now send that breath all the way back down to your feet.
And can you start to create this full body breathing for yourself,
Turning it into a rhythm that gently flows in and out of your nose.
And each time your mind starts to wander,
Because that's what our mind does,
It's natural.
Bring your awareness back down to your feet and start again with an inhale.
Open to whatever is to be experienced in the body in this moment.
In this practice,
We'll be cultivating loving kindness.
We all have within us this natural capacity for loving kindness.
Friendship that is unconditional and open,
Gentle and supportive.
Loving kindness is a natural opening of a compassionate heart to ourselves and to others.
We begin by developing loving kindness towards ourselves,
Allowing our hearts to open with tenderness.
You can always bring two hands to your heart to help you focus and bring energy in.
Now allow yourself to remember and open up to your basic goodness.
You might remember times you have been kind or generous.
You might recall your natural desire to be happy and not to suffer.
If acknowledging your own goodness is difficult,
Look at yourself through the eyes of someone who loves you.
What does that person love about you?
Or you may recall the unconditional love you felt from a beloved pet.
As you experience this love,
Notice how you feel in your body.
Maybe you feel some warmth or heat in the face,
A smile or a sense of expansiveness.
This is loving kindness,
A natural feeling that is accessible to all of us,
Always.
Rest here in this feeling of open,
Unconditional love for a few breaths.
Letting yourself bask in the energy of loving kindness,
Breathing it in and breathing it out.
Inviting feelings of peace and acceptance.
Beginning now to wish yourself well by extending words of loving kindness to yourself.
I'll be offering as a guidance the phrases that I've chosen to use in my own practice.
You're invited to alter these phrases and choose whatever words express your wishes of loving kindness towards yourself and towards others.
And now offering these words in your mind for yourself.
I'll say a phrase and then give you time to repeat this phrase to yourself.
Feeling the breath,
Feeling the energy.
May I be filled with loving kindness.
May I be held in loving kindness.
May I feel connected and calm.
May I accept myself just as I am.
May I know the natural joy of being alive.
And now start to open the circle of loving kindness by bringing to mind someone who is dear to you.
Someone you care about and who's always been supportive.
Reflect on this person's basic goodness,
Sensing what it is in particular that you love about this person or this animal.
In your heart,
Feel your appreciation for this loved one.
And we'll begin our simple offering.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be held in loving kindness.
May you feel my love now.
May you accept yourself just as you are.
May you know the natural joy of being alive.
Sit in this love,
In this breath.
Let that love radiate out.
And now bring to mind a neutral person.
Someone you see regularly but you don't know well.
Might be a neighbor.
Someone at your favorite coffee shop.
Bring this person to mind and repeat the words of loving kindness.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be held in loving kindness.
May you feel my love now.
May you accept yourself just as you are.
May you know the natural joy of being alive.
Sit in this energy of sharing love with someone that you don't know very well.
And know that this love can return to you.
And now if it's possible for you,
Bring to mind someone who you've had a difficult relationship with.
Perhaps it's someone you don't like to feel sympathy or compassion for.
Seeing if it's possible to let go of feelings of resentment or dislike for this person.
And reminding yourself to see this person as a whole being,
Deserving of love and kindness.
As someone who feels pain and anxiety.
Someone who also suffers.
Extend to this person the words of loving kindness.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be held in loving kindness.
May you feel my love now.
May you accept yourself just as you are.
May you know the natural joy of being alive.
Now allow your awareness to open out in all directions.
Yourself,
A dear one,
A neutral person,
And a difficult person.
And all beings,
Humans and animals living everywhere,
Living in richness,
Poverty,
War,
Peace,
Hunger,
And abundance.
Aware of all the joys and sorrows that all beings experience.
Repeat with me,
May all beings be filled with loving kindness.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings awaken and be free.
May all beings be happy.
And now bringing this practice back to ourselves,
Extending kindness,
Radiating from your heart.
Sit here for a few more breaths,
Basking in the energy of loving kindness that may have been generated.
Trust that your loving kindness reaches who it needs to reach.
Accepting yourself as you are and accepting others as they are as well.
Bring your palms together at your heart.
Deep breath in.
Deep breath out.
And release your fingers and press open palms up to the ceiling.
Take a few stretches.
And then open your eyes when you are ready.
Sending all of you so much loving kindness.
