Welcome to compassion meditation.
Find a comfortable way to be.
If you are sitting in a chair,
Place both feet on the floor and your hands in your lap.
Sit up as straight as you comfortably can.
You can lie down during this meditation.
If you are lying down,
Place your arms and hands on the floor beside your body.
Keep your legs uncrossed.
Gently close your eyes.
If you aren't comfortable closing your eyes,
Gaze softly in front of you.
Settle into the present moment in the space you're in.
You may notice subtle sounds around you,
Or the feeling of air moving against your skin,
Or smelling different smells.
Notice the sensation of taste in your mouth.
Focus your attention around your head and neck.
Release any tension around your eyes and soften your jaw.
Allow your attention to move to your shoulders.
Drop your shoulders and release any tension in your upper back.
Allow your attention to focus on your breath.
Notice your chest rising and falling with each breath.
Focus on your heart center as you breathe.
Now that you're more settled and relaxed,
Allow your heart to open.
Scan your heart and mind and acknowledge any feelings or emotions you have.
With each breath,
Breathe into your heart center a sincere wish to be safe,
Peaceful,
And to experience compassion for all beings.
Slowly begin offering compassionate phrases to yourself.
We are seeking to unblock our heart's potential for compassion.
Your phrases can be one of the following.
May I care about the suffering of others.
May my heart be filled with compassion.
May I respond to pain with empathy.
If these phrases don't work for you,
Create your own phrases to work with.
While offering these phrases,
You will find that you get distracted.
You may even begin to doubt the meditation itself.
When you find yourself distracted,
Just gently draw your attention back to the phrases.
May I care about the suffering of others.
May my heart be filled with compassion.
May I respond to pain with empathy.
Repeat these phrases over and over to yourself like a mantra.
You you you Continue offering these phrases to yourself.
May I care about the suffering of others.
May my heart be filled with compassion.
May I respond to pain with empathy.
You you Bring your attention back to your breath and body.
Relax into the posture you're in.
Now bring to mind someone whom you care for or who has been helpful to you.
This could be a friend,
Family member,
Or pet.
Repeat to yourself the following phrases.
May you care about the suffering of others.
May your heart be filled with compassion.
May you respond to pain with empathy.
Offer these phrases to the person you care for.
You you you Continue offering the following phrases.
May you care about the suffering of others.
May your heart be filled with compassion.
May you respond to pain with empathy.
You you Bring your attention back to your breath and body.
Relax and release any tension you may feel in your body.
While doing this practice,
Don't expect to immediately feel compassion or peace.
Sometimes while doing this work,
Our minds push back with judgment.
This practice takes time and patience.
Be kind to yourself during this process.
Now bring to mind someone who you don't know well.
This could be someone you passed on the street or in a place of business.
Keeping in mind that all beings share the desire for happiness and freedom,
Offer that person the following phrases.
May you care about the suffering of others.
May your heart be filled with compassion.
May you respond to pain with empathy.
You you you you you you Now bring to mind a person toward whom your feelings may be mixed,
Both loving and dislike.
Remembering that all beings share the desire to be free and happy,
Offer that person the following phrases.
May you care about the suffering of others.
May your heart be filled with compassion.
May you respond to pain with empathy.
You you you you you you Now expand your practice to include a difficult person in your life.
This may be someone whom you dislike or who you are resentful.
Keeping in mind that all beings have the desire to be met with love and compassion,
Offer that person the following phrases.
May you care about the suffering of others.
May your heart be filled with compassion.
May you respond to pain with empathy.
You you you you Now open your heart and expand the field of compassion to include every being in your immediate vicinity.
Expand your field of compassion to include all living beings in your town or city.
Send your thoughts of compassion out in all directions.
Radiate your heart to all beings in existence.
With a friendly intention,
Repeat the following phrases.
May all beings care about the suffering of others.
May all beings be filled with compassion.
May all beings respond to pain with empathy.
May all beings care about the suffering of others.
May all beings be filled with compassion.
May all beings respond to pain with empathy.
May all beings care about the suffering of others.
May all beings be filled with compassion.
May all beings respond to pain with empathy.
When you are ready,
Open your eyes and come back to the space you are in.
Thank you for joining me,
And thank yourself for taking the time you needed to be here.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
If you found this meditation helpful,
Please consider donating.
