Hello friends and welcome to practice.
Today we have a special meditation.
It's a beautiful gift that you give to yourself as well as to others.
The beautiful gift of love and loving-kindness.
Something that costs us nothing but brings us quite often the greatest joy.
Let's begin.
Let's find a comfortable seat.
Just make sure that you're either sitting upright.
I like to have my eyes closed.
I definitely like my phone on do not disturb.
And really just dedicating these times together.
Dedicate this time to yourself.
Just making sure that you're warm.
Maybe your legs are tucked under you.
Sometimes it's nice to move a little bit at the beginning of a meditation just so you find that sweet spot where it just feels right in your body.
Once you feel relaxed and comfortable we're going to practice this beautiful cultivation of positive emotion for ourselves and and others.
The beautiful gift of loving-kindness.
It's the desire for someone to be happy and yourself also to be happy.
It's not dependent on something.
It's not conditional.
It's just a beautiful natural opening of the heart to yourself and to others.
If any thoughts arise as we move through the practice just allow them to just flow through you and just leave.
If you happen to have any emotions that are really strong emotions just I would recommend just breathing.
Emotions are natural.
Emotions sometimes come from nowhere in a meditation so just also be aware that you might get teary,
You might be joyful.
It is what it is just allow it to be.
So checking in with your body and notice how you're feeling right now and letting whatever is here be here.
Let it be here with you.
If your eyes are closed already,
Closing your eyes and begin to take a few deep breaths and really relax your body and your mind.
So as we breathe in together a nice really long slow exhale out.
Next breath in we're going to let go of any tension or stress that you might be holding.
So sweep through the body breath in and then a really easy tension releasing breath out.
Anything you're holding on to loosen,
Untangle,
Let it go and allowing yourself to be fully present in this moment.
Sometimes it's nice to set an intention for your meditation.
Something that you might want to cultivate more.
Sometimes it's nice just to something drew you here today.
Maybe just reflect on that just for a breath.
And as we start now visualize yourself sitting or lying down as you are right now and see yourself in your own mind's eye.
And we're going to repeat the following phrase either silently or you may want to do it aloud.
But bring some sincerity to it really embody it.
And saying these words together.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be safe.
May I live with ease.
Really feel that we're going to repeat these words together.
May I live with ease once again for ourselves.
So that you can allow each of those phrases to sink really deeply into yourself.
May I be happy,
Own that.
May I be healthy,
Wish that for yourself.
May I be safe,
Make that happen.
And just feeling into the warmth and the compassion that you are directing towards yourself now.
And now bring to your mind someone that you really deeply care about.
Someone who fills your heart with love and happiness.
It's the person that makes you smile.
It's the person who challenges you the most.
Just somebody that you deeply care about.
And have a sense that they're in front of you now.
And you can feel into their energy.
It could also be a person who's passed over that you want to send this to.
But as you begin to visualize them,
Feel that warmth,
That beautiful white light of loving connection from your heart to their heart wherever they are in the universe.
Just see them,
Just feel that.
And now sending these beautiful phrases to them,
To directing your loving kindness to them.
Saying their name.
May be happy.
May be healthy.
May be safe.
May live with ease.
And now really feeling into the love and the good wishes flowing with this beautiful reciprocity from your heart to theirs and back.
And notice how you feel right now.
Sometimes there's heat with this.
Maybe there's a small smile on your lips.
A sense of expansiveness as you really embrace this loving-kindness.
Now think of somebody who you have a neutral acquaintance relationship with.
Could be a co-worker,
A neighbor.
Could be the person you buy coffee from every day.
And visualize this person and offer them the same beautiful loving-kindness.
Even if you don't know their name.
May be happy.
May be healthy.
May be safe.
May live with ease.
Extending your compassion to them just as you did for your loved one.
Now consider somebody that you've had difficulties or conflicts with in the past.
This one was going to be the hardest one.
I know it is for me.
But for yourself.
Try to see their humanity.
Just that they're another human being too and offering them your loving-kindness.
Let's do this one together.
I know it will be tricky.
Saying their name and imagining them to somewhere in your mind's eye.
But may they be happy.
May they too be safe.
Just noticing any of the negative emotions that are possible to release here.
And just fostering that forgiveness.
This one you might need to do a couple of times.
Sometimes you might need to forgive them five times,
Ten times,
A hundred times.
But just coming back to all the beautiful positive loving- kindness that we've been cultivating together here.
And just continue with each breath,
Each heart breath,
This beautiful warmth of loving-kindness.
Just keep coming back to the positivity of love for yourself.
Love for the true loves that fill our heart spaces up.
And just observing how your body feels at the moment.
Recognizing that awareness,
That beautiful,
Peaceful,
Still part of you.
And any parts that need witnessing.
Just observing without judgment.
We've got a couple more breaths together.
Keep that beautiful heart space.
Sometimes it's nice to hold into your heart space.
And taking everything from this meditation that you felt nourished you and leaving behind.
