Opening the heart to warm benevolence.
Meditation.
So we're invited to construct a posture that is comfortable and at ease.
Ensuring there's no kind of energetic blocks.
There's like a free flow of energy about your body and your heart.
And Rao's an intention for this practice.
Perhaps an intention.
It involves happiness and well-being of all beings including yourself.
Yet create the intention that is right for you,
Is suitable for you in this moment,
And settle into your body.
Settle into this present moment,
Putting aside worries and concerns and roles and responsibilities.
Putting aside,
As best you can,
Thoughts about the past,
And plans for the future.
I'm coming to this moment,
The reality of this moment,
By connecting to present moment realities,
Present moment experience.
And right now you can hear sounds.
Your eyes are open,
You can see sights.
And you can feel your body sitting here.
Let all those experiences just come and go,
Including whatever thoughts seem to arise in your mind.
Let them come and go.
And as best you can,
Relax.
Relax into your body.
And feeling your body,
You can be aware of the breathing,
The rising and falling of your abdomen,
Or the expansion and contraction of your whole body.
Or the sensations at the nose tip.
As air comes in and out.
Letting the breath be,
Or letting the breathing be completely natural.
Without trying to make it slow or fast or rhythmical.
Just letting it settle into its own natural rhythm.
And begin to relax your body,
If you can,
In synchrony with the breathing.
And as a caveat,
If you find breathing disruptive in any way,
Being aware of the breathing makes you anxious in any way,
Simply be aware of sounds.
The sound of my voice,
The sound of the external environment.
Otherwise,
The breathing be in the background.
And relax.
Perhaps you can begin relaxing your body at the top of your head.
In your forehead.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Feeling the sensations in your forehead.
And relaxing tension.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Relaxing whatever tension you're feeling in your face.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Relaxing tension,
Whatever tension you're feeling around your head.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Relaxing tension around your jaw,
Mouth,
Neck.
Moving awareness down your shoulders,
Biceps,
Forearms,
Hands.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Relaxing your shoulders and your arms.
Hands.
Bring your awareness to the top of the chest,
Upper back.
And slowly scanning with awareness through your torso.
Breathing in the background.
It's like on the out-breath,
There's a complete release.
A release of tension,
Both in body and mind.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Relaxing.
Moving awareness down your back,
Through your torso down to your abdomen.
Pelvis,
Buttocks,
Lower abdomen.
Genitals.
Thighs.
Being aware of physical sensations.
And releasing as best you can,
Whatever tension you may be holding on to.
And when thoughts arise,
Let them come and let them go.
Release them as well.
Let your awareness move down your knees,
Calves,
Feet.
And the whole body.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Letting the whole body relax.
Letting the mind release the burdens we're carrying around that create tension.
Coming into this moment.
Serene.
Peaceful.
Let energy flow freely.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Serene.
Calm.
Relaxed.
Energy flowing freely.
With the breathing.
Now,
You're invited to bring awareness to your heart center.
The place of our spiritual heart.
Situated in our bodies,
Around our chest.
But not really anywhere other than itself,
Its spiritual heart.
It feels like it's in our chest.
And if you want,
You can place a hand over your chest,
If that helps you.
Or one or both hands,
The palms of your hands over your chest.
And you're invited to connect.
The recognition of warm benevolence.
Warm friendliness.
Loving kindness.
Connect with the sign of this quality.
If you wish,
You could think of someone or some being or something that naturally brings a smile to your heart.
Notice your heart's response.
It could be a child,
It could be a teacher.
It could be a friend,
Relative.
Dog,
Cat,
Pet.
Whatever it is.
Notice your heart's response.
And send that being wishes of goodwill.
And perhaps,
If you see this being,
If you're a visual type,
You might see the being reciprocating in kind.
Smiling back or wagging its tail or giving you a hug or expressing their warm affection towards you.
Expressing their kindness towards you.
And notice how this sign of warm benevolence,
Warm friendliness grows in your heart.
And if there's no growth,
Please,
Be kind with yourself and just accept the natural ebbs and flows of the heart-mind.
And know that there's love there somewhere.
In whatever way,
Allow this quality to grow.
To be nourished with your gentle attention.
Open your heart to the experience of kindness.
If you can,
Let go of whatever resistances there may be.
Disarm the barriers.
And let it in.
And let it flow.
Spreading throughout your body.
Touching every cell.
Every aspect of your being.
Softening.
Healing.
Relaxing.
Making whole.
Let it suffuse your body.
Suffuse your mind.
Saturate you.
Softening and healing.
Allow this experience to extend beyond the boundaries of what we normally call this body.
Outwards.
So the barriers dissolve.
And in doing so,
What we notice is the love that's outside,
Seemingly outside ourselves,
Begins to flow in.
And merge.
We can open our hearts to memories of love given to us.
Or love perceived,
Warm benevolence perceived.
Opening our hearts to this quality.
And for some it may be visual.
It may seem like a beautiful white light.
Or a soft radiance.
Luminous.
And whenever we get painful memories,
Whenever we get ego clinging,
Whenever we get the pain of past wounds arise,
As best we can,
Simply release them.
Into this infinite space of accepting unconditional love.
And in that space,
The suffering is transformed and liberated.
So you're invited to now abide in this space.
This abode of unconditional positive warm regard,
Benevolence,
Kindness,
Compassion.
In silence.
For a few moments.
