Welcome to your loving-kindness meditation,
A moment to envelop yourself in boundless compassion,
Rediscover a lost sense of purpose and perspective and shower yourself with self-nurturing.
Find a comfortable seat or a lying-down position where your body is supported as you settle into your body,
Attuned to its sensations and the rhythm of your breath.
The breath,
A common thread among all of us,
Remains a constant.
Envision each pore of your being as a gateway for the breath to flow in and out.
Inhale deeply,
Sensing your body expand and flourish with each breath,
Exhale returning this breath to the shared expanse of air.
With each inhalation,
Welcome greater openness and relaxation.
Embrace the dual flow of bestowing and receiving loving-kindness.
Holding on to these feelings,
Bring to mind a family member,
Friend or pet whom you truly love without limits.
Allow this generous feeling of unconditional love to fill every nook and cranny of your heart and mind.
Imagine this being's face and with a smile,
Invite them in to your willing heart and mind.
Say to them the words of loving-kindness,
May you be safe,
May you be healthy and may you live with ease and happiness.
Now imagine in your mind someone you know who is going through a particularly tough time,
Perhaps a friend,
Family member,
Imagine this person sitting in front of you and invite them into your heart and mind by saying the words of loving-kindness,
May you be safe,
May you be healthy and may you live with ease and happiness.
Now bring forth the image of the people you see every day,
Your neighbor,
Someone at your local store,
A passerby on the street,
These people that you may or may not know.
See their faces and with a smile invite these everyday people into your heart and mind as well without doubt.
Know that there is ample room for compassion for everyone that you come across.
Say to them the words of loving-kindness,
May you be safe,
May you be healthy and may you live with ease and happiness.
Now imagine someone with whom you have a difficult relationship,
As you bring them to mind notice the emotions or sensations that are brought to the surface.
Open the doors to your generous heart and with a smile invite them in without hesitation.
Realize that you are both seeking acceptance and love and say to them the words of loving-kindness,
May you be safe,
May you be healthy and may you live with ease and happiness.
Finally look back to yourself and your loving heart,
Open this channel to receiving loving-kindness from all around you.
Imagine the faces of the people that you sent loving-kindness to,
Staring back at you,
All of the loving-kindness you put out into the world now surrounding you.
Feel this energy all around you,
Now silently in your mind,
Say to yourself the words of loving-kindness,
May I be safe,
May I be healthy and may I live with ease and happiness.
Take a few more moments here to absorb the energy of compassion and love and to feel these same qualities radiating from you,
Just like the beautiful exchange of air into your body and out into space,
Feel the love moving from you like an energetic umbilical cord connecting you to all you come across.
Begin to deepen into your breath,
Deepening into your level of relaxation and when you're ready reconnecting your awareness to your body,
To your space and gently opening your eyes to the moments ahead of you with a renewed perspective and an open heart.
