Practicing love,
Kindness,
And compassion.
Begin by finding a comfortable place where you can sit or lie down and remain alert and comfortable for an extended period of time.
Gently close your eyes and notice any sensations in your body and invite the release of any tension from your neck,
Shoulders,
And jaw.
Now move your attention to your breath.
Breathing in,
Notice the feeling of the breath moving into the body.
You can think to yourself,
Breathing in,
Breathing out,
Again notice the sensation of the breath moving out of the body.
And you can think to yourself,
Breathing out.
And in any time during this exercise you notice feelings,
Sensations,
Or thoughts arising,
Just notice them and return to the exercise.
After several rounds of noticing the breath and your feelings settled in,
Bring to mind someone you love.
It could be a pet,
It could be somebody close to you,
A family member,
Or a loved one.
In any case,
It's somebody who brings up for you an easy sense of love and connection.
Holding that vision in your mind,
Think along with the breath.
Breathing in,
May you be well.
Breathing out,
May you be happy.
Breathing in,
May you be safe.
Breathing out,
May you be free.
Breathing in,
Well.
Breathing out,
Happy.
Breathing in,
Safe.
Breathing out,
Free.
Well.
Happy.
Safe.
Free.
Repeat this at least three times,
Noticing any feelings or thoughts that arise and returning your attention to the image of your beloved,
To the sensation of your breath,
And returning to the phrases.
Now picture yourself with the same sense of love and kindness that you so easily sent to the other person or the pet that you love.
This may come easily for you,
Or it might be a little more challenging.
It's okay either way,
Just notice.
Holding yourself in mind,
Think along with the breath.
Breathing in,
May I be well.
Breathing out,
May I be happy.
Breathing in,
May I be safe.
Breathing out,
May I be free.
Breathing in,
Well.
Out,
Happy.
In,
Safe.
Out,
Free.
Well.
Happy.
Safe.
Free.
Repeat this at least three times,
Noticing any feelings or thoughts that arise,
And returning your attention to the image of yourself,
The sensation of your breath,
And the phrases.
Now think of somebody who you might be in conflict with,
Someone for whom sending compassion might not be your first thought.
Once you have their image in your mind,
Think along with the breath.
May you be well.
Breathing out,
May you be happy.
Breathing in,
May you be safe.
Breathing out,
May you be free.
In,
May you be well.
Out,
May you be happy.
In,
May you be safe.
Out,
May you be free.
Repeating this at least three times,
Notice any feelings or thoughts that arise,
And return your attention to the image of this person,
Your breath moving in and out of the body,
And these phrases.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be safe.
May you be free.
Now expand your awareness to include all beings on Earth,
And breathing in,
Think,
May all beings be well.
Breathing out,
May all beings be happy.
Breathing in,
May all beings be safe.
Breathing out,
May all beings be free.
In,
May all beings be well.
Out,
May all beings be happy.
In,
May all beings be safe.
Out,
May all beings be free.
May all beings be free.
Well.
Happy.
Safe.
Free.
Repeating this at least three times,
Notice any feelings or thoughts that arise,
And return your attention to the image of all beings,
To the breath moving in and out of the body,
And to the phrases.
Once you've completed this round,
Return your attention to the breath,
And continue noticing any feelings,
Thoughts,
Or sensations that arise,
Until you've completed this session.
You may also choose to dedicate an entire practice session to practicing compassion in any of these domains.
Many trainers suggest starting with sending compassion to yourself for several weeks before taking on the domains of others and all beings.
Simply follow the instructions given,
But stay with one image and set of phrases for the duration of your practice.
Thank you,
And from everyone at Be Mindful,
Be well.
