Hello and welcome.
My name is Jen,
And I am so glad you're here.
Today I'm going to be guiding a loving-kindness meditation.
In which We.
Send.
Thoughts and energies of goodwill toward ourselves,
People we know.
And other beings everywhere out in the world.
The purpose of doing this is to increase our sense of openness,
Connectedness to others,
And our sense of interconnectedness with all beings everywhere.
And it comes from the knowing that when other people are well.
It increases the well-being of all people everywhere,
Right?
Kindness begets kindness.
With that said,
Some people,
Myself included sometimes,
May struggle with this kind of meditation because it may seem like when we are sending loving kindness to others,
Certain groups of people,
Or attempting to send loving kindness to all people everywhere,
Like we have to have warm,
Fuzzy feelings toward everyone,
Or we have to like everyone,
Or we have to approve of the actions of others.
It's not about that.
It's really just about understanding that sending positive energy and well wishes to others is a good thing for ourselves,
For our own hearts,
And for the well-being of others everywhere.
So with that.
Getting into the practice,
Let's first find a comfortable seat.
Sitting upright with our backs straight,
If that works for us today,
But not too rigid.
Just attentive and upright.
And if it feels good or comfortable today,
Either closing the eyes or softening the gaze.
And in this practice,
I am going to repeat a series of phrases.
And as I do that,
You can either.
Repeat them out loud or in your head.
And you can either use the same exact phrases that I am using or come up with your own if there are different words that resonate more with you today.
And again,
Not putting pressure on yourself to feel any particular way.
Just putting our energy and attention behind the phrases.
So starting with ourselves.
Wishing for ourselves.
May I feel joy.
May I be well in mind and body.
May I be safe.
And may I live with ease.
Just being with whatever is present.
Noticing what comes up as we send these well wishes to ourselves.
May I feel joy.
May I be well in mind and body.
May I be safe.
May I live with ease.
Next,
Bringing to mind.
Someone whose presence in your life is very pleasant.
Someone who is easy to love.
Sometimes this person is referred to as a benefactor.
In this type of meditation,
Someone who has shown you kindness.
And been a force for good in your own life.
Picture that person sitting right in front of you.
Feel what it's like to be in their presence.
To look at them.
And send them the kindnesses.
May you feel joy.
May you be well in mind and body.
May you be safe.
And may you live with ease.
Next,
Letting go of the image of that person.
And bringing to mind.
Someone neutral.
In your life.
Maybe someone you see.
Sometimes but don't know very well.
Maybe the person who delivers your mail.
The barista at the local coffee shop.
Someone at work.
Who you interact with casually but don't really know.
Bringing that person to your mind's eye.
And in the same way imagining them sitting right across from you.
Feeling what it's like to be in their presence.
To see them.
And to send them the well wishes.
May you feel joy.
May you be well in mind and body.
May you be safe.
May you live with ease.
Now bringing to mind someone you may have some challenges with.
Doesn't have to be the absolute most difficult person in your life.
We don't have to start there.
But someone with whom you may have a bit of a challenging relationship.
Someone you have some difficulty with.
Bringing that person to mind.
Imagining that they're right in front of you.
Taking in the details of what they look like.
What it's like to be in their presence.
And sending them the well wishes.
May you feel joy.
May you be well in mind and body.
May you be safe.
May you live with ease.
Next,
Bringing to mind a person or group of people.
Who maybe needs a little extra love right now.
Could be someone in your personal life who you know is going through a hard time.
A group of people either that you know personally or have heard about.
Who may be suffering.
Who need.
A little extra warmth and love.
Bring them to mind.
Send them the wishes.
May you feel joy.
May you be well in mind and body.
May you be safe.
May you live with ease.
If you find at any point that your mind is wandering off,
Getting distracted,
Knowing that that's normal.
Just bringing it right back to the intention.
And the phrases.
And now shifting our attention to.
Envisioning a group of people who are helpers.
Who try to reduce the suffering of others,
Who try to make the world a better place.
You very well may be one of these helpers.
Bringing to your mind's eye.
All the helpers.
And sending them.
The well wishes.
May you feel joy.
May you be well in mind and body.
May you be safe and may you live with ease.
And lastly,
Expanding our awareness.
To send our loving kindness to all beings everywhere.
All of the people that we know.
All of the people that we've not yet met.
All of the animals and the plants and the beings large and small,
Seen and unseen.
Undiscerning.
Just like the sun doesn't decide which people it is going to shine down upon.
We.
Indiscriminately send our loving-kindness to all beings everywhere.
Sending the well wishes.
May you feel joy.
May you be well in mind and body.
May you be safe.
And may you live with ease.
Now just noticing what's here for you.
Thoughts,
Feelings.
Sensations.
As you send your loving kindness to all beings everywhere.
Again,
Not necessarily.
Meaning.
That you approve of the actions of all people,
But rather acknowledging that greater kindness to all of us,
Helps all of us.
As we get ready to close the practice,
Maybe setting an intention.
Possibly to notice how this practice affects the rest of our evening or day.
Maybe setting an intention to come back to this practice.
Or maybe thinking about ways that we can show this loving kindness.
Even in the small ways that we interact with others.
In a moment,
I will ring the bell three times.
Which will conclude our formal practice.
For today.
But remembering that this is an awareness,
This is a spirit of kindness that we can take with us.
Long after we hear the sound of the bell.
Thank you for your practice.
You you
