Hello everyone,
My name is Lisa Bayliss.
Thanks so much for choosing to show up and practice with me today.
I'd like to guide you through a practice called loving kindness for a loved one.
It's a wonderful practice to help us discover how to not only offer compassion and kindness to the people we love,
But also to find ourselves in the circle of compassion.
Also to find a way to bring kindness and care and love into our own self,
Into our own practice.
So please allow yourself to settle into a comfortable position,
Lying down,
Seated,
Whatever is easy,
And you can find a sense of comfort through the length of this meditation.
If you like,
Perhaps putting a hand over your heart or any other location that's comforting towards yourself as that wonderful reminder that we're not just bringing awareness to this practice,
But loving awareness to our experience and to ourselves as we settle into practice.
Perhaps taking a big juicy deep breath and as you exhale allow a sense of ease to travel through your body.
Just allow the whole process of settling and slowing down to be available to you in this moment.
And as you settle into this moment and you slow this moment down,
Perhaps bring to mind a person or another living being who naturally makes you smile.
Someone whom you have an easy uncomplicated relationship with.
Could be a child,
A grandparent,
Whom your cat or your dog,
Whomever as you think of them in your mind's eye naturally brings a smile upon your face.
And if many people or other living beings are arising in your heart,
For this practice I invite you to just choose one.
You can go back and do it again with another being later,
But let's fully envision one of our loved ones in our mind's eye right now.
Letting yourself feel what it's like to be in this person's or this being's presence,
Allowing yourself to truly enjoy their good company,
Creating a vivid image of this being in your mind's eye to the best of your ability.
Don't force it or try and have it be in any way.
Could be an image,
Could be a sense of feeling,
Could just be a warmth or care that you experience when you think of this being.
Now recognize how much this being wishes to be happy,
Happy and free from suffering,
Just like you,
Just like every other being.
And then repeating softly and gently and feeling the importance of these words,
The following phrases.
May you be happy.
May you be peaceful.
May you be healthy.
May you live with ease.
May you be happy.
May you be peaceful.
May you be healthy.
May you live with ease.
You may use your own words to capture your deepest wish for this loved one.
Just continue to repeat some of these phrases in your heart.
At any point,
If you notice,
Your mind starts to wander off.
This is normal.
Our busy brains love to take us away from what we're attending to.
So just gently guide yourself back to returning to these words or phrases,
The image of the loved one you have in your mind.
Truly savoring any warm feelings that may arise.
Take your time and now adding yourself into this circle of goodwill,
Trying to create an image of yourself in the presence of your loved one,
Visualizing you both together.
May you and I be happy.
May you and I be peaceful.
May you and I be healthy.
May you and I live with ease.
May we be happy.
May we be peaceful.
May we be healthy.
And may we live with ease.
And then very gently letting go of the image of this other being,
Perhaps thanking this loved one before moving on.
Thank them for their love,
Their kindness,
Their beingness.
And then allowing the full focus of your attention.
Just rest so gently and directly upon yourself.
Perhaps offering a hand to your heart or elsewhere and just feeling the warmth,
Warmth and gentle pressure of your own hand.
And then visualizing your whole body in your mind's eye.
This one here right now,
Noticing if there's any stress or uneasiness maybe lingering within you.
Allow all of the discomfort,
Distress and challenges to be present.
All of you is welcome here,
Just as you are.
And then offering yourself these phrases.
May I be happy.
May I be peaceful.
May I be healthy.
May I live with ease.
Again,
If you find yourself wandering away from these words,
This experience and your mind is busy,
Very gently offer yourself a big deep breath and a hand to your heart as a way of arriving back into your being,
Your space right now.
And let yourself be guided by these words,
These loving kind words,
Just for you.
May I be happy.
May I be peaceful.
May I be healthy.
May I live with ease.
Perhaps there are other words or phrases that you just need to hear right now.
Words that if they were whispered in your ear,
Your whole body might just say,
Oh thank you.
That's what I needed right now.
Words may sound like,
May I know I'm loved.
May I know I'm enough.
May I know I can do hard things.
May I rest in love.
May I practice peace.
Or maybe like me,
You just simply need the words,
Slow down,
Sweetheart.
You are enough.
Whatever those words,
May you find them.
And as you take a few last deep breaths for this practice,
Allow yourself to rest quietly in your own beautiful body,
Accepting whatever your experience may have been like through this practice,
Allowing yourself to be just as you are,
Even if it's just for this moment.
Thank you so much for practicing with me and have a beautiful rest of your day.
