Hi there everybody and welcome.
We're going to do a short meditation to invite some kindness into our spaces,
Into our bodies,
Our homes,
Our hearts,
Minds,
Communities.
We know that with a lot of turmoil and stress and trauma in this world,
It's important to be able to be a resource for ourselves and a refuge right here in the present moment.
And so I would love to guide you in a brief meditation.
If you would please find yourself a comfortable position where you can be upright and alert as well as at ease.
And it's okay to do this lying down as well.
So whatever the body needs right now,
You might play around with leaning forward,
Leaning back,
Finding a center of gravity and coming into stillness now.
Stillness can take a little while to create here,
But just as you're invited in,
You might notice the settling that begins to happen in the body as well as the mind.
Right now,
Seeing what's going on for you in this present moment.
And can you show up just as you are without adding any extra layers of judgment or shame or guilt,
Frustration.
It's okay if those are here also.
Seeing how it can allow our experience to unfold without intervening or manipulating it.
Really just witnessing here.
And whatever state you find yourself in,
Whether that's happy,
Sad,
Relaxed,
Chaotic,
I invite you to take your hand and to place it somewhere on your body that feels good to you,
Such as your heart space on your chest,
Your belly.
You could place it across your body on your other arm,
Maybe on your face or head.
Now,
Just allowing yourself to resonate here with this gesture of kindness.
Whatever other feelings or thought formations come up,
If there's anxiety or worry or despair,
Seeing if you can extend this gesture of kindness to all parts of yourself that are showing themselves right now.
Right now it's winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
And an image that might help us to connect with this quiet kindness might be a snowfall.
Sitting here now,
You might imagine the gentleness of a quiet snowfall.
Maybe the feeling of kindness that you've initiated extends throughout your body and even outside of your body,
Connecting with the winter and the quiet.
You might even imagine this kindness extending itself organically,
Naturally,
Easily,
Reaching out to somebody that you love and you care about.
It could be a place,
An animal,
A person.
Appreciating now in this present moment,
Right here in this body,
This mind-heart space.
May we be happy.
May we be safe.
May we share in kindness with each other.
May we be free.
