This is a loving-kindness or metta meditation.
Loving-kindness meditations help us develop a greater sense of love and compassion for ourselves as well as for other people.
In this particular meditation,
There will be a focus on compassion and love for people who are suffering from injustice or some other kind of suffering.
Let's get started by getting ourselves comfortable in a seated or lying down position.
And then let's take a deep cleansing breath to help us focus.
Let's breathe in through the nose,
Hold it for a second,
And then out through the mouth nice and slowly.
Okay,
I'd like you now to imagine you're looking at yourself in the mirror and say to yourself,
I hope you are healthy and safe.
I hope you have peace and joy in your life.
I hope you are free from pain and suffering.
I hope you feel loved.
I hope you are healthy and safe.
I hope you have peace and joy in your life.
I hope you are free from pain and suffering.
I hope you feel loved.
Now,
Imagine you're with somebody that you love.
It could be a family member or a friend or maybe even a pet.
Look at them and say,
I hope you are healthy and safe.
I hope you have peace and joy in your life.
I hope you are free from pain and suffering.
I hope you feel loved.
I hope you are healthy and safe.
I hope you have peace and joy in your life.
I hope you are free from pain and suffering.
I hope you feel loved.
Now,
Imagine somebody who's an acquaintance,
Somebody you don't know that well.
It could be somebody from work or somebody who lives in your neighborhood.
Imagine you're with that person.
Look at them and say,
I hope you are healthy and safe.
I hope you have peace and joy in your life.
I hope you are free from pain and suffering.
I hope you feel loved.
I hope you are healthy and safe.
I hope you have peace and joy in your life.
I hope you are free from pain and suffering.
I hope you feel loved.
Now,
Think of a group of people that experiences an injustice or you know to be suffering.
It could be a group that experiences racism or a group of people that maybe experienced an earthquake or natural disaster recently or people who live in poverty.
Imagine that group of people and now say to them,
I hope you are healthy and safe.
I hope you have peace and joy in your life.
I hope you are free from pain and suffering.
I hope you feel loved.
I hope you are healthy and safe.
I hope you have peace and joy in your life.
I hope you are free from pain and suffering.
I hope you feel loved.
Let's take another deep cleansing breath in slowly through the nose,
Hold it and then out through the mouth nice and slowly.
I hope you have a wonderful day full of peace and joy.
