Loving Kindness (Longer Practice)

This longer loving-kindness practice begins with showering oneself with loving-kindness and then adapts the traditional loving-kindness practice to include loved ones, neutral parties and eventually all inhabitants of the world. This is a great practice to engage in once you have spent some time cultivating loving-kindness for yourself.

Transcript

Welcome.

Take a moment to express some gratitude to yourself for taking the time and making the time to engage in this loving kindness practice.

I invite you to get into a comfortable position whether that is seated on the floor on a meditation cushion or in a chair with your feet grounded to the earth or laying down.

Take a few moments to just get as comfortable as you can and begin relaxing your whole body.

If it feels safe I invite you to close your eyes throughout the whole exercise and tune your awareness inward.

Gently relax and follow my instructions.

Bringing awareness to your breathing,

Take a deep breath in and a deep breath out.

In and out at your own pace.

Ten deep breaths.

Now bring to mind a person close to you who loves you very much.

It could be someone from the past or present,

Someone still in this life or who's past.

It could be a spiritual teacher or a guide but imagine that person standing right beside you sending you their love.

This person is sending you wishes for safety,

For your well-being and happiness.

Feel the warm wishes of love coming from that person towards you.

Feel their warm wishes resourcing you.

Now bring to mind the same person or possibly another person who cherishes you deeply.

Imagine that person standing beside you as well and sending you wishes for your wellness,

Your health and happiness and feel their kindness and warmth coming to you,

Resourcing you,

Embracing you and holding you.

Now imagine that you are surrounded on all sides.

A circle is around you with all the people who love you and have loved you and want the best for you.

Picture your friends,

Your family.

All of them are standing around you embracing you with their love and their wishes for your happiness,

Well-being and health.

Really bask in those warm wishes and love coming from all sides as you feel yourself being filled and overflowing with warmth and love.

Now bring your awareness back to the person who you first thought of,

That first person that came to mind.

Begin to send the love that you feel back to that person and know that you and that person are similar.

Just like you,

This person wishes to be happy.

So send all of your love and warm wishes to that person as you silently repeat the following phrases.

May you live with ease,

May you be happy,

May you be free from pain.

Now even if this person is no longer living,

You can still send their spirit,

This warmth and your loving care.

May you live with ease,

May you be happy,

May you be free from pain.

May you live with ease,

May you be happy,

May you be free from pain.

With each word,

Feel as if this loving energy is emanating from your heart to this person,

To their spirit,

To their soul.

May you live with ease,

May you be happy,

And may you be free from pain.

And now bring your awareness to the person standing around you,

The second person you thought of,

And begin to direct the love within you to that person.

Send all of your love and warmth to that person and know that you and that person are alike and just like you,

That person wishes to have a good life.

And I invite you to silently say the following phrases in which each word,

May this sense of warmth and love emanate from your heart.

Just as I wish to you,

May you be safe,

May you be healthy,

May you live with ease and happiness.

Just as I wish to you,

May you be safe,

May you be happy,

May you live with ease and happiness.

Just as I wish to,

May you be safe,

May you be healthy,

May you live with ease and happiness.

Now picture another person that you love,

Perhaps a relative or a friend,

And know that this person like you wishes to have a happy life.

Send warm wishes to that person and repeat the following phrases silently.

May your life be filled with happiness help and well-being.

May your life be filled with happiness,

Help,

And well-being.

May your life beRT with happiness,

Help,

And well-being.

And now bring to mind someone who you may not know very well.

Someone whom you have no particular feeling about.

You feel neutral if anything towards this person.

And just note that you and this person are alike and that you both wish to have a good life.

So bringing this person to mind,

It could be anyone from the grocery store clerk at the checkout to your mailman.

Anyone who you know but who you may not know well.

And send all your wishes for well-being to that person,

Repeating the following phrases silently.

Just as I wish to,

May you also live with ease and happiness.

Just as I wish to,

May you also live with ease and happiness.

Just as I wish to,

May you also live with ease and happiness.

Just as I wish to,

May you also live with ease and happiness.

Just as I wish to,

May you also live with ease and happiness.

Now bring to mind another acquaintance to whom you feel neutral.

It could be a neighbor or a colleague or anyone else that you see around but don't know very well.

And note that like you,

This person wishes to experience joy and well-being in their life.

So send all your good wishes to that person and repeat the following phrases silently.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be free from all pain.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be free from all pain.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be free from all pain.

And now expand your awareness and picture the whole globe in front of you as a little ball.

That same visual of seeing the earth from outer space.

And send warm wishes to all living beings on the globe on earth who like you just want to be happy.

So now expand your awareness and picture the whole globe in front of you just as you see the earth from space.

Touch in deeply and send warm wishes to all living beings on the globe who like you just want to be happy.

And silently repeat the following phrases.

Just as I wish to,

May you live with ease,

Happiness and good health.

Just as I wish to,

May you live with ease,

Happiness and good health.

Just as I wish to,

May you live with ease,

Happiness and good health.

Now take a deep breath in and breathe out.

And another deep breath in and out and let it go.

Notice the state of your mind and body and how you may be feeling after this meditation.

And whenever you're ready,

You can gently open your eyes.

And know that throughout the day,

You can practice loving kindness.

It doesn't have to be a formal practice and you can literally see someone walking past you and just say,

May you be well,

May you be happy,

May you be healthy.

A friend of mine,

Margaret Cullen,

Calls it sneaky kindness.

So folks don't need to know you're wishing them good thoughts or wishing them well.

But just orienting ourselves toward really holding the well-being of all in our heart.

May you be well,

May you be happy,

May you be free from suffering.

May you be well,

May you be happy,

May you be free from suffering.

Reviews

Loved it! Thank you!

I went into this meditation feeling anxiety and afterwards felt calm and well-being. One of my favorite loving kindness meditations. Beautiful. Thank you, Meena. 🙏💖