This is a meditation on cultivating an attitude of kindness.
This is really important for our meditation practice.
And one that we can develop through meditation and then bring into the rest of our lives.
So just begin in a comfortable seated position.
Ideally with your back straight and upright so that you feel alert.
Alert and attentive but also relaxed and easeful.
If you are unable to sit upright,
Just lie where you are or stay in a position that is comfortable for you.
We will start by just taking three big deep breaths.
Inhaling,
Filling our lungs and then exhaling,
Almost sighing as we exhale.
Do this a couple of times more.
Almost exaggerate it so we really breathe in deeply and then exhale fully.
This just helps us to slow down and recognize we have stopped.
We are taking a few moments to sit still and be quiet.
We can relax.
And just return to a natural,
Comfortable rhythm of breathing.
We can begin our kindness meditation by recollecting or remembering a time when somebody has been especially kind to us.
It may have been something spontaneous or something planned.
And the person may have been a complete stranger or they may have been a family member or colleague,
Somebody we love.
They may have made a big gesture or it may have been something small.
But just that there was an attitude of kindness behind what they did for us.
It could have been something as simple as holding a door or passing us something when they saw we needed it.
They may not even have realized that they were doing something special or particularly kind but that it affected us in some way.
So just see if you can bring a memory like this to mind.
It can be something really simple or something small.
Let me just pay attention to how we feel when we remember that.
That sense of kindness.
How did it affect us?
How do we feel in our bodies when we think of that?
Then if we can notice that feeling of what receiving kindness is like,
Can we stay with that feeling?
If we recollect that experience,
Can we stay with that feeling in our body?
And then we think,
Okay,
Can we have that same attitude of kindness towards ourselves?
Can we be kind towards ourselves in a way that brings that feeling into our own lives?
Can we treat ourselves in a way that a good friend would treat us or a close family member or a loving partner?
A respectful colleague or a complete stranger who's just kind.
Can we have that same attitude of kindness towards ourselves?
So just staying with that simple feeling.
Just that simple kindness.
Just reflecting upon it.
Then we think,
Oh,
Can I bring that same attitude of kindness towards the important people in my life,
The people whom I love,
Whom I hold dear?
Can I treat them with that same attitude of kindness so that they can experience this same sense?
So we begin like this.
If we develop this kind of meditation,
We can bring it more into our lives so that we can have that same sense of attitude of kindness towards all beings.
To begin with,
We start with ourselves and we start with the people whom we love.
That's the easiest way to do it.
We can really develop it very strongly.
Just this simple attitude of kindness.
There's actually a strength in it.
It doesn't mean that people are going to take advantage of us,
But we can just have that strength within us to be kind to ourselves and kind to others.
We can really develop that in ourselves and we can stay a lot with that feeling.
It's very pleasant.
So,
This is something we can cultivate in our meditation.
It will help to sustain a meditation practice because meditation can sometimes feel difficult.
If we can have that kindness,
It will help us with our patience and perseverance.
We can bring that into all aspects of our lives.
