Compassion & Loving Kindness

Compassion is a practice, and we can build our capacity to think and act compassionately through both meditation & visualization and conscious actions. This is a brief meditation to help you tune into your own heart center and vault of compassion and then practice sharing it with yourself and others.

Transcript

A little Metta meditation, Loving kindness meditation to start off the day. Just brief as we're getting ready to go into this long haul. Find a comfortable seat. Let your spine lift up tall and straight in a relaxed way. Close your eyes, Rest your hands and palms. Take a couple of deep slow breaths through the nose. If you like, You can exhale through your mouth. Imagine releasing any stress and tension. Just a couple deep breaths in through the nose and out. Settle into your seat now. Bring your attention to the beating of your heart, Sitting back deep in your chest. Let your breath be easy. Let your attention be soft. Just feel that rhythm, That beating there in your heart. Right around your heart center, Your heart chakra, The center of energy that deals with compassion and love, Empathy, Forgiveness, Understanding. We're just going to go through a couple of very quick mantras. You can rest your attention at the heart or you can bring it down to your belly. The lowest part of the belly, You may feel a little more grounded there. Let your breath be free and easy. The first one we're going to start with is for ourselves, Sending love and compassion to ourself right now with all that we're going through. So I invite you to think about just one thing that you are proud of or that you love about yourself. Something that you appreciate about yourself. Just choose one. For example, I got up and went for a run this morning. I feel pretty proud about that. It's a good start to the day. I'm going to focus on that. That's enough. So allow that feeling of pride or success or satisfaction, That self love feeling. Let it well up in you and repeat to yourself mentally three times. I am well. I am healthy. I am happy and I am free. I am well. I am healthy. I am happy and I am free. Three times to yourself. You may feel your heart, Your chest lifting a little as you say it. Perhaps your face turning into a slight smile. Now you're going to bring to mind someone that you care for. This could be a family member, A friend, A teacher, Just one person. Choose any and see them. See their face there in your mind's eye. Say it like a photograph. And now as if you were in direct communication with them, You're going to send that same message to them. You are well. You are happy. You are healthy. You are free. Three times imagine that message channeling directly to them that positive energy, Filling them up and creating happiness within them right now as well. You are well. You are happy. You are healthy. You are free. You can use any words that you like. Once you've done that, I want you to bring to mind someone that you have no real feelings about either way, A neutral person. This could be someone that you see when you're walking to work, Someone that you've seen on TV, Someone that you don't have a strong positive or negative feeling about. Just choose someone. Place their image as best you can in your mind's eye and then send your mantra, Your affirmation, Your message of peace to them now. See them receiving it right now. And now finally, We'll move into the last being mindful to be compassionate to yourself if it feels challenging, Especially today. That's fine. So go ahead and picture someone that you have a difficult relationship with or negative feelings about. It doesn't have to be the big one. Just choose one person. It's just a practice. Try to see them there in your mind's eye as if they were sitting across from you and three times mentally sending out your message of peace. Whatever one you're using or what we started with, You are well, You are happy, You are healthy and you are free. Send them a message of compassion. If it's challenging, That's okay, Just do your best. Now let that image dissolve. Bring your hands one on top of the other on your heart and feel that beating there against your palms again. Take a deep breath into your hands and exhale. Let them come back down to your lap. Open up your eyes slowly. Namaste. Thank you for joining me. I am probably going to be popping on here a little bit later to teach a grounding session, A grounding meditation that I find really helpful. So I hope you'll join for that later on. Hopefully I'll just repost the recording as well. So as you're practicing this version of metta meditation, Like I said, You can write down any three or four affirmations that you like. Make sure they mean something to you. They should feel sincere and easy to remember. Just repeat those starting with yourself and then with someone that you care for and then a neutral person that you don't feel either way about. And then if you have it in you right now, You can try to practice sending this loving kindness to a difficult person as well. I'll see you later. Have a good day.

Reviews

Thank you for your patient and clear explanation of a powerful meditative approach. Short but transformative.