This is a meditation for cultivating the giving and receiving of compassion.
I first heard this compassion meditation given by Kristin Neff,
So I'd like to credit her for this meditation.
Use this meditation when you or someone you know is hurting.
To begin,
Close your eyes if you're comfortable and settle into a comfortable posture,
Either sitting or lying down.
Come home to your body.
Notice your seat on your chair or your feet on the floor.
Feel your body.
Now notice any internal sensations that may be arising right now.
The beating of your heart.
Feel the pulsing energy,
Tingling,
Or warmth in your hands or your feet or elsewhere in your body.
Now bring loving awareness to your experience.
Make a caring gesture.
You might want to put both hands on your heart.
Notice how your body responds to the physical touch.
Now move your attention to your breath.
Take a few deep breaths,
Slow inhalations and exhalations.
As you do so,
Allow yourself to release tension as you exhale.
Now let your breathing return to a normal,
Natural rhythm.
Your mind will probably wander immediately.
When it does,
Call back your attention to your breath gently and firmly over and over again.
Let your awareness rest on your breath,
Breathing in and breathing out.
Pay particular attention to the in-breath.
Notice you are giving yourself the oxygen you need.
Notice you are nurturing yourself with each in-breath.
Perhaps if you're aware of any ways in which you are struggling,
You may breathe in other qualities,
Like kindness or love or compassion.
Breathe in these qualities with each in-breath.
If you might find that there is a word that rests easily in each in-breath,
It might be love or compassion or kindness.
Or perhaps more generally,
You might want to just breathe in a warm golden light,
A radiant loving energy.
Allow yourself to receive with each in-breath something good for yourself.
Now release your focus on the in-breath and focus on the out-breath.
As you breathe out,
Bring to mind someone you know or are aware of who is struggling right now and who needs compassion.
Allow an image of them to form in the mind's eye.
Direct your out-breath to this other person.
Breathe out to them what they need in this moment,
Kindness,
Love,
Compassion.
This may take the form of a word on your out-breath or a feeling,
Maybe an image of golden light going out to others.
Breathing something good to this person on each out-breath.
Now bring both together.
Acknowledge that you struggle and so does this other person.
Breathing in something good for yourself and breathing out to the other.
In and out.
One for me,
One for you.
One for me and one for you.
If your mind starts to wander,
You can refresh the image you have of yourself and the other.
Bringing your hands to your heart if you wish.
Breathe in compassion for yourself,
Breathe out compassion for the other.
If you are struggling,
Feel free to breathe in more for yourself,
Perhaps three for me and one for you.
Conversely,
If the other person is drawing your attention more strongly,
You can focus more on the out-breaths.
Send them compassion that they need.
Otherwise,
Just letting your breath flow easily,
Equally,
In and out.
Like the waves of an ocean,
In and out.
A limitless,
Boundless ocean.
Enough for me and enough for you.
Imagine an ocean of compassion.
Let yourself be fully absorbed by the breath.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Breathing in,
Compassion out.
No limits,
No boundaries.
You can hold your own suffering fully and the suffering of this other,
Letting it ride like the waves of an ocean,
In and out.
If other beings come to mind who are suffering,
Or groups of beings,
From this place of limitless boundless compassion,
You can breathe out to them as well,
Always including yourself with each in-breath.
There is no need for separation.
Let this ocean hold it all.
All suffering in love and compassion.
Now come back to your body.
Allow yourself to feel whatever it is that you are feeling to be exactly as you are.
