I invite you into this meditation on loving kindness.
You can do this meditation either sitting down in a chair or lying down on a bed or a couch.
Whatever feels comfortable for you.
I invite you to just close your eyes and become aware of your body sitting in a chair or lying down right where you are and just breathing.
And taking a moment to notice any thoughts or feelings,
Just acknowledging how you are right now.
And begin to notice your body,
Feel your feet,
Your legs,
Your hips,
Your lower body,
Your upper body,
Your arms,
Your shoulder,
Your neck,
Your head.
And beginning to feel the movement of your breath and noticing that you are here,
You are alive.
Not focusing on anything that you might want to change about yourself,
But just being aware you are right here.
And so perhaps you began to send your own self.
Well,
Let's just,
May I be happy,
May I be at peace,
May I be free from suffering.
And perhaps you also send these kind of wishes to your inner child.
Maybe you recall a time when as a child you were feeling vulnerable or hurt or small.
And you say to your inner child,
May you be happy,
May you be at peace,
May you be free from suffering.
And perhaps you bring your awareness and your attention to your own children and you send these same kind wishes to your child.
May you be happy.
May you be at peace.
May you be free from suffering.
And when you're ready,
Maybe you think of someone in your present or your past who's just been kind to you.
Maybe a spouse or a partner or could be a family member or a close friend to someone who feels good to you,
Who's been good to you.
Or maybe it's just someone who inspires you.
Maybe you don't know them,
But they inspire you and you can imagine yourself sending them kind of wishes.
May you be happy.
May you be at peace.
May you be free from suffering.
And if it feels comfortable to you,
Maybe you see if you can extend these good wishes to a friend or a neighbor and see yourself extending them to,
Extending these wishes to them.
May you be happy.
May you be at peace.
May you be free from suffering.
Sometimes it's possible to expand the circle out even further to people you see around,
But maybe not know.
Maybe someone at the grocery store that you see,
But don't necessarily have a personal relationship with them.
But you,
You see these people and you extend kind of wishes.
May you be happy.
May you have peace.
May you be free from suffering.
Maybe these wishes don't effuse the same warmth and love as when you give them to someone you know.
Perhaps you just notice that offering them anyway expands your connection and your sense of aliveness.
And if you're feeling,
If you're feeling strong enough and secure enough,
Maybe just try extending these wishes to someone who might be difficult for you right now.
Maybe not the most difficult person in your life,
But maybe it's just someone with whom there's a frustration or misunderstanding.
But perhaps you just notice that maybe just like you,
They just want to be loved.
You can extend kind wishes to them.
May you be happy.
May you be at peace.
Remembering that if this is really true for them,
They might be easier to get along with.
May you be free from suffering.
And even if this is hard to extend to these people,
Perhaps you just notice that there's value in extending them anyway.
And perhaps you,
You recall where the circle began with yourself and people you love but know and you extend the circle out even further to people maybe you don't even know.
People in far out,
Far off countries or other cultures.
And you extend to them.
May you be happy and at peace and free from suffering.
And perhaps you could even imagine yourself extending these wishes to include the animals and the plants and all life on our planet and beyond.
May we all be happy and safe,
At peace and free from suffering.
And so as this,
This meditation begins to close,
Perhaps you just take a moment and notice what it feels like to have generated these well wishes through this practice.
And perhaps maybe there were parts that were challenging,
But maybe just notice that through the practice you can expand your sense of aliveness and connection and well being.
And so as you're already,
Maybe you bring your attention once again to your body,
Seeing and noticing the sensations of your body,
Feeling your feet and noticing your legs and your torso and your shoulder and your neck and your head.
Noticing the movement of your breath and bringing your awareness to how your breath brings nourishment to your whole body.
Just as your good wishes of well beingness brings aliveness and nourishment to those around you.
Thank you.
