And so we'll begin loving kindness for ourselves.
It's fine if you want to close your eyes for this.
So remember the phrases,
I bet I'll say them.
May I be safe.
And as you're saying these phrases,
Feel true love for yourself if you can.
Just simple affection.
I like to imagine hugging myself and feeling the joy of that connection.
So you can either say this in the first or second person.
You can either say,
May you be safe,
Even though you're saying it to yourself.
Or you can say,
May I be safe.
May I be well.
May I be at peace.
May I be joyful.
May I be joyful,
Happy.
So these phrases are all to help us to feel affection,
Loving connection with ourselves.
So you might say them again and again to yourself.
You might imagine holding and hugging yourself.
Anything to help to feel this loving affection for yourself.
And any little bit of that that you can feel,
Savor it.
Make yourself porous to it.
Soak it up.
We all yearn for this.
Now thinking of someone who you easily feel affectionate connection with.
Maybe it's your cat.
Maybe it's a human.
So there they are right in front of you.
You might imagine holding each other.
And you might say these phrases.
May you be safe.
May you be well.
May you be at peace.
May you be happy,
Joyful.
Feel the deliciousness of connection,
Affectionate connection.
And maybe there's somebody else you can feel this with.
So do this with them.
Holding each other.
And you're saying these phrases to them.
They're basking in your loving kindness.
And you're enjoying showering them with it.
May you be safe.
May you be well.
May you be at peace.
May you be joyful.
So maybe there are more people in your life you'd like to shower this on.
Maybe there are people in this room.
So pick somebody and do this with them.
Okay.
Again,
You're showering them with this loving kindness.
They're savoring it.
Taking it in.
And we're feeling good too.
And now we're definitely practicing this with our fellow practitioners here in this room.
Okay.
We would normally be way too shy to show this much affection.
But how wonderful that in this way we can.
And of course all of us want this.
Because it's our true state.
And because this is the birthright of everyone,
We let the tide roll out in all directions.
And we're sending out these good wishes and this loving connection to everyone in Oakland.
Everyone in California.
Everyone in North America.
Everyone in the whole world.
And we even want this for the non-humans.
Everyone.
Mm.
So we savor for a moment the feeling of this whole loving ocean.
And now we'll change gears for just a brief time and do Samatha paying attention to breath.
So again,
We're in marionette position in our spine.
The jaw is relaxed.
Chin just a bit down.
The pelvis tilted a bit forward.
And our attention is on the experience of breath.
Eyes are slightly open,
Gazing down.
Mouth slightly open as we breathe through our mouths.
Mm.
And one more luxurious breath.
The Lamous Carlyle B
