Hello and welcome.
There are parts of ourselves that we may find difficult.
The perfectionist,
The controller,
The critic,
The judge.
Often we may shove this part of ourselves away.
We may reject this part of ourselves out of shame or guilt.
Those parts are often reflected in the world and our relationships.
We may experience others judgment,
Harsh criticism,
Shaming.
This practice of loving-kindness allows us to come into our hearts and make peace with the critical part of ourselves.
And as we connect to this critical part of ourselves,
Sending loving-kindness to this part,
We can begin to make peace with the people that we may experience in this same way.
The people who we find judgmental,
Critical,
Controlling.
From this place of loving-kindness we can begin to heal,
To forgive,
And to come into a place of wholeness,
Accepting all parts of ourselves and all parts of others.
Our practice today will be connecting to this critical part.
So find yourself a comfortable seat or lying down.
Roll your shoulders a few times to relieve any tension that you may be feeling.
Center yourself in your breath,
Taking a deep breath in and a deep breath out.
Take another deep breath in and sigh with a deep breath out.
Find a natural steady rhythm with your breath and close your eyes if you feel comfortable and safe to do so,
Or just find a soft gaze looking at the horizon.
As you breathe here,
Feel your body wherever you are seated or lying down.
Feel the support of the chair or the ground.
Feel yourself be supported right here,
Right now.
And with your next breath,
Let your mind drop into the center of your heart.
Breathe here.
Invite in the most loving,
Kind part of yourself.
Let them be with you on this journey today.
Have them rest in your heart space.
Breathe here gently with presence.
And with each breath,
Just feel the warmth and holding of this loving presence.
Now connect to the critical part of yourself,
The one that judges,
The perfectionist,
The critic.
With this loving presence at your heart,
Send this message of loving kindness to the critical part of yourself.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be free from suffering.
May I be at peace.
May I be loved.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be free from suffering.
May I be at peace.
May I be loved.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be free from suffering.
May I be at peace.
May I be loved.
Continue to breathe and stay with this loving kindness,
Sending it to this critical part of yourself,
Being present,
Open,
Willing.
Begin to transition and bring to mind someone who has been critical with you,
Who you feel has judged you,
Someone who easily comes to mind with safety.
Maybe imagine them sitting in front of you if that feels comfortable.
Breathing into your heart with this loving presence,
Send this message of loving kindness to them.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be free from suffering.
May you be at peace.
May you be loved.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be free from suffering.
May you be at peace.
May you be loved.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be free from suffering.
May you be at peace.
May you be loved.
And staying connected to your breath,
Breathing here for just a few moments,
Breathing in and out this message of loving kindness.
Begin to transition and bring to mind all beings in this world.
You can even imagine whole communities or countries or just imagining the entire planet.
Center your breath in your heart and send this message of loving kindness to all beings in this world,
Including yourself.
May we all be happy.
May we all be healthy.
May we all be free from suffering.
May we all be at peace.
May we all be loved.
May we all be happy.
May we all be healthy.
May we all be free from suffering.
May we all be at peace.
May we all be loved.
May we all be happy.
May we all be healthy.
May we all be free from suffering.
May we all be at peace.
May we all be loved.
And staying here in this presence of loving kindness for all beings in the world,
Including yourself,
All parts of yourself,
And all parts of everyone around the world.
Noticing what you notice,
The body,
The heart,
With this practice of loving kindness.
And taking a deep breath in through the nose and a deep sigh out.
And slowly bringing one hand to the heart and one right on top of the other at the heart space.
And just breathing into the hands here.
And slowly tuck the chin in towards the chest.
Acknowledging yourself for showing up to this practice of loving kindness for yourself and others,
All parts of yourself and all parts of others.
And slowly releasing the hands back down and opening the eyes and just taking in your environment,
Your space.
Noticing any shifts from the beginning of this practice.
And thank you for joining on this practice of loving kindness.
May you be well.
