Okay,
Welcome to your Maitri meditation on loving-kindness.
What I love about this meditation is that there's so many variations and this one will be for you to cultivate self-love and appreciation.
So find a comfortable seat.
You can always lie down which is my favorite position or if you want to sit on the ground,
I prefer something under my pelvis.
If you want to sit in a chair,
That's great too.
You just want to scoot forward if you're seated on a prop.
Move the flesh of your bottom back so the sitting bones root to the front of your prop.
Palms down on your legs.
You can close your eyes and if you're in a chair,
Feet hip width or shoulder width,
Soles of feet rooted and if you're on the ground,
Knees as wide as possible.
We want the tailbone to stick out a little bit which will help soften the navel,
Elongate the spine.
Take some deeper breaths.
Let's inhale from soles of feet or toe tips,
Fingertips to crown.
Sit up taller.
Exhale out the mouth and watch tension move down and exit out of the toe tips or fingertips.
Again inhale.
Gather the breath,
Relax the tongue on the exhale.
Good.
And slowing the breath down,
Tracing your awareness through the body.
So every time you breathe,
You're just including all of you,
Whatever is there.
Every exhale release,
Judgment,
Expectation.
And the next time you exhale,
Feel your bones supported by the earth and release that breath.
Your breath will be natural now,
However,
You can always come back to this breath.
So my three meditations,
They're affirmations that you can state aloud or silently and I like to do them by focusing on a part of the body.
And so with your breath natural,
Bring your attention to the lower belly.
Watch how the natural breath passes through the navel and feeling a softness to witnessing the breath.
And I like to use these words to travel on the current of your breath.
And so I'll say an affirmation or statement every breath.
However,
I want it to be natural for you.
So whatever is naturally happening,
Follow that.
Okay,
So feeling the softness in the navel,
Which when you focus your attention below the belly button in the center of the body.
In Chinese medicine,
This is called your lower dantian.
It said that the heart will open and the mind will soften into the heart.
So feeling that breath gently expanding on the inhale,
Right at the navel below the belly button and softening on the exhale.
And our statements will begin.
May I see myself?
May I know myself?
And I'm giving more space right now.
May I love myself to notice what arises after the statement,
Within the statement.
May I see myself?
I'm stating the affirmation on the inhale.
May I know myself?
And then feeling on the exhale.
May I love myself?
And this may I becomes a statement of allowing,
Right?
May I see myself?
Feel it.
Heart open,
Belly soft.
May I know myself?
May I love myself?
Continue we'll move into a little bit more space and silence.
And if you happen to forget,
May I see,
May I know,
May I love myself,
Then it's okay if you just go into feeling the affirmations and the words dissolve.
That's great too.
Just let your breath be soft at the navel.
And feeling the effect,
Maybe there's a soft smile that rises the sides of the lips or like the heart smiling.
May I see myself on the inhale,
The exhale is empty.
May I know myself?
May I love myself?
Continue we'll move into a little bit more space and silence.
And also noticing the space in between the words.
And the four.
And the may I is asking and allowing,
Right?
So if you notice that some skepticism arises,
It's okay,
It's natural.
For me,
Self-love is a forever process,
A day by day,
Moment by moment thing.
So the may I is just an invitation.
May I know myself.
May I see myself.
May I love myself.
May I see myself.
And the next time that you complete the cycle,
So go through one more.
Let the words dissolve into this knowing or like a remembrance in the body.
Like the body knows this truth and feel it.
Taking a full breath in and a full breath out.
Good.
Bring your hands to your heart,
Please.
And let's feel in this knowing with the sound of Aum one time.
Exhale.
Breathe in.
Allowing the vibration to swell in the heart and then bring the hands in prayer thumbs to the eyebrow center.
Gentle bow of the head honoring the tradition.
This is a Buddhist meditation and the sacred space shared.
We say namaste.
Now the head rises,
Place the right hand on the heart,
Left on top,
Right thumb crosses on the left.
This is evil mudra or the wings of the heart.
Jai.
Praise the flow that guides you whether it's your heart,
Your spirit,
Your life.
Let it guide you as you listen to its guidance.
We say jai offlo.
Thank you.
Thank you.
