Hello and welcome to one of my most favorite practices,
One on metta or loving-kindness.
So just get comfortable.
Any posture will do for this.
Just find comfort.
And then soften your gaze or close your eyes.
Just allowing yourself to enjoy and inhale and exhale.
Just letting go.
Allowing yourself to let go of whatever was going on before this,
That was then.
Allowing yourself to let go of whatever you need to handle after,
Time for that later.
Letting yourself settle into this beautiful,
Peaceful moment just while we do this for today,
For right now.
Allow yourself the freedom and flexibility of being here in the moment.
Nothing to worry about or to do just for this little bit while we do this today.
So start by imagining someone you love and recalling all the positive feelings you feel for them,
That sense of warmth,
Loving-kindness.
Whoever comes to mind is just right.
You'll wanna imagine a loved one,
But it can be a pet.
It could be someone who's no longer with us.
Just choosing someone where the relationship is uncomplicated and it's easy to have those feelings of warmth and kindness just by thinking of this person.
And now I want you to imagine this special being in front of you,
Smiling your way.
And then I want you to imagine being able to share these phrases of loving-kindness with them,
Imagining an invisible connection between you two from your heart to theirs,
Saying to them,
May you be well,
May you be peaceful,
May you be happy,
May you be happy.
May you be healthy and strong.
And just really feel this sense of loving-kindness and the strength of this invisible bond between your hearts.
And then imagine this loved one is holding up a mirror and able to reflect back that same quality of loving-kindness right back to you,
Saying to you,
May you too be well,
May you too be peaceful,
May you too be happy,
May you too be healthy and strong.
Allow yourself to feel this love and support.
Really feel that love flowing from them.
Notice how they want the same thing for you.
And now that your heart is tender and you've felt what it's like to send love and receive love from someone you care about,
You can begin to send loving-kindness to yourself directly,
Saying,
May I be well,
May I be peaceful,
May I be happy,
May I be healthy and strong.
May I be healthy and strong.
Let that really sink in.
May I be well,
May I be peaceful,
May I be happy,
May I be peaceful,
May I be happy,
May I be healthy and strong.
Allow yourself to really receive your own compassion and care,
Feel this warmth and support in every cell of your body.
Relish in it and enjoy the feeling of being on your own side and truly caring for yourself.
Then sending these well-wishes to all beings everywhere,
Allowing yourself to both give and receive in equal measure,
As you say the following phrases,
May we all be well,
May we all be peaceful,
May we all be peaceful,
May we all be happy,
May we all be healthy and strong.
Feel that connection as you beam out this loving-kindness let that feeling soak in.
Allow yourself to enjoy the feelings of warmth you've created.
And when you're ready,
You can gently open your eyes.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day.
See you back again soon.
