So this is an exercise in practicing compassionate breathing towards other living beings.
So beginning with finding a comfortable posture,
Inviting a mindful presence,
And allowing a soothing breathing rhythm to emerge.
And returning to these whenever you notice tension or distraction.
So starting with someone who is dear to you or a friend,
And allowing yourself to see this person in your imagination.
And contemplating what kind of suffering,
Pain,
Or difficulty may play a role in their life.
And connecting with the suffering,
Imagining the qualities it may have.
Perhaps it's a visual quality,
Or another sensory quality.
Starting with touch,
Smell,
Or even sound.
Or it might just be a sense or an emotional atmosphere.
And then imagining,
Breathing in this person's suffering.
Welcoming and allowing,
Allowing it to enter through all the pores of your body.
And as it does,
Letting it change into a healing quality,
Which you breathe out towards the person.
So for example,
You might breathe in something dark,
And exhale something light.
Inhale something sticky.
And exhale something airy,
Giving back.
Breathing in smoky,
Breathing out pure.
Breathing cold and hard,
Exhaling warm and soft.
Breathing in and out,
Exhaling warm and soft.
Breathing in and out,
Exhaling warm and soft.
Allowing the imagination to do the work and being mindful of whatever arises.
Whether there's resistance or striving.
Energy is from the threat or drive systems.
Inviting a return to the soothing system.
Allowing the breath to find its calming rhythm.
And then expanding the exercise.
Including other people in this same category.
People who are dear to you.
Good friends.
Even animals and pets.
Exploring,
Adding mindful movement of the arms and hands.
Forgiving and receiving.
Leaving you alone.
.
.
.
Noticing whatever arises.
Perhaps stopping the movement or alternating back and forth,
Sometimes with,
Sometimes without.
Now if you have the space,
You could expand the exercise to someone in the category of neutral people.
Could be someone you just met.
Could be a stranger you noticed.
And imagining that this person too experiences their own share of suffering.
And imagining inhaling their suffering.
Could be a stranger you noticed.
Now if you have the space,
You might practice with a person with whom you have a more difficult relationship.
Realizing that this person too may have their share of suffering.
So imagining them at a safe distance,
Perhaps looking them in the face or their eyes.
And imagining what qualities their suffering has.
Inhaling it.
Transforming it in yourself into a healing quality,
Which you breathe out.
Exhaling it in yourself.
Exhaling it in yourself.
You might also include whole groups of people.
Groups you belong to or hear about on the news.
Could be groups of animals.
And here it's really not about striving.
It's not about being as complete as possible or as big as possible.
It's about practicing relating to suffering,
Whether it's your own suffering or that of others.
So imagining,
Breathing in the suffering of this group and breathing out a healing quality.
Exhaling it in yourself.
Whenever strong emotions or stress reactions arise.
Allowing a mindful pause.
Returning the self-compassion.
Breathing in your own discomfort and breathing out comfort.
Allowing the soothing breathing rhythm to return before you continue.
And here too alternating the practice with mindful movement of arms and hands.
Welcoming the suffering.
Allowing it to transform.
And generously offering healing.
And then the invitation to include all living beings.
All living beings,
Animals,
Plants,
Trees.
It may feel daunting to breathe in the suffering of the whole world.
Be gentle with yourself.
It's really not about working harder.
It's not about striving or taking in what you can't manage or giving away what you can't manage.
Allowing just a manageable proportion of suffering to flow in with the in-breath.
Be transformed.
Getting given back with the out-breath.
Fry and live to distant self-tz.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
