Compassion practice led by Gita.
Please find your posture comfortable and upright.
Let your eyes close or gaze down,
Whichever you feel comfortable at this moment.
When you hear the sounds of the bell,
Listen with all of your attention through the end.
Start to feel the relaxing effects of gravity.
Let your body get heavy.
Feel the points that are touching the earth and let them take the weight of the body.
Take a few deep breaths,
Feeling any ease or relaxation as you exhale.
Let any excess tension in your body drain down and out into the ground.
As your body settles,
Feel the sensations of your whole body sitting and breathing.
Now we're going to practice heartfulness,
Sending kind thought to ourselves and others.
I would like you to think of someone you care about,
Who naturally makes you smile.
Choose someone you see regularly.
Try to see their face,
Their image in your mind.
Maybe picture them doing something they enjoy.
They are feeling happy.
See their face,
See them smiling.
If you can't actually picture them,
Just have a sense of what it feels like to be around them.
Notice how it feels,
Imagining how it is to be with them.
Notice the emotional sensations you feel inside as you see them.
Now let's start to send some good wishes to them and simply repeat after me,
Silently into your mind,
These phrases.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be peaceful.
You can also put your hand on your heart center and repeat these phrases in your mind,
Silently sending thoughts of goodwill.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be peaceful.
May you be safe.
And if you notice the mind is lost in thinking,
That's totally okay.
This is the nature of our minds.
See if you can gently let go and come back to their image and start offering these kind wishes again.
And notice how you feel after you send these well wishes to a person or even your pet.
Whoever you like,
You love and care.
May you be kind to yourself and accept yourself the way you are.
May you be joyful.
And now let their image fade in your mind and just come back to your breathing,
To this moment.
And this time we're going to send the same kind wishes to ourselves.
So you can keep your hand on your heart if you wish.
Repeat these phrases after me,
Silently into your mind.
May I be healthy.
May I be happy.
May I be peaceful.
Repeat these phrases or use your own phrases,
Silently sending thoughts of goodwill to yourself.
May I be kind to myself and accept myself just as I am.
May I give myself the compassion I need.
May I be safe.
May I be joyful.
And if you notice the mind is lost in thinking,
Again that's okay.
You can simply notice that and gently come back to send these well wishes to yourself.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be loved.
And take a moment to notice what you feel when you send these well wishes to yourself.
Then come back to your breathing.
Notice your whole body sitting.
Notice the touch point of your body with the chair or the cushion.
And whenever you're ready you can slowly open your eyes and finish this practice.
Thank you for your practice.
