Close your eyes.
Find a posture that allows the body to be at ease.
Allow yourself to feel supported and held by the floor,
Chair,
Cushion,
Or whatever you're sitting or lying on.
Focus on breathing at the belly.
Feel the expansion and contraction as each breath fills the body.
Allow your breathing to create space around you.
Today we'll be doing a loving kindness metapractice centered specifically around racism.
Think of a person,
Animal,
Or spirit that symbolizes pure love in your life.
This can be a spiritual teacher,
A parent,
A pet,
Or God.
Visualize this being standing before you,
Sending you their love.
Allow yourself to receive that,
To feel their warm wishes,
And joy surrounding you.
Bask in it.
Let it fill you until you're overflowing with warmth and love.
Now I invite you to visualize in your mind's eye yourself standing before you.
Notice your expression,
Your appearance,
Your energy.
Silently repeat the following well wishes and direct them toward yourself.
May I be safe from harm.
May I awaken to our shared humanity.
May all of my emotional wounds heal.
May I be at peace.
Now,
In your mind's eye,
I invite you to visualize people who are often overlooked,
Ignored,
Or hurt because of racism,
Whether overt,
Whether violent,
Or systemic.
With sincere attention,
Silently repeat the following for those people.
May you be safe from harm.
May you awaken to our shared humanity.
May all of your emotional wounds heal.
May you be at peace.
Now,
In your mind's eye,
Standing before you,
Visualize those who intentionally cause harm and discriminate.
May I notice their energy,
Their expression,
What symbols they hold or wear.
If any discomfort arises,
Just breathe into it.
By joining them,
You may also visualize those who unintentionally contribute to systemic racism and discriminate.
Notice their appearance and expressions.
Their energy and intention.
For both of these groups,
Silently offer the following well wishes.
May you be safe from harm.
May you awaken to our shared humanity.
May all of your emotional wounds heal.
May you be at peace.
Be aware of any tendency that you may have to think badly of those groups.
Take a deep breath and on the exhale,
Let that go.
Lastly,
Bring to mind your community,
Your city,
Your neighborhood,
Your state.
Bring to mind communities suffering acutely right now like the black trans community,
Those who are wrongfully convicted,
Families who have lost loved ones to racial violence.
Offer them the same well wishes.
May you be safe from harm.
May you awaken to our shared humanity.
May all of your emotional wounds heal.
May you be at peace.
Extend that intention and light.
All around your community,
All around our global community.
Whenever you're ready,
Bring the attention back into the body.
Notice your breath.
Become aware of sounds around you.
And open your eyes.
Thank you.
