Hey,
There,
It's Michael and welcome to a moment to pause,
Breathe,
Reflect.
In this meditation,
We'll practice loving kindness or Metta.
If you're not familiar with loving kindness,
It's a staple of our pause,
Breathe,
Reflect movement.
In it,
I'll share some sayings and I invite you to repeat them back as you see fit.
It's a beautiful practice to ripple love and kindness,
Not only to ourselves,
But to those around us and those all over the world.
So whenever you're ready,
I invite you to find that position that feels loving and kind.
Chin up,
Crown on,
Alert,
But with some ease.
And as we settle in,
I'm going to close my eyes,
But know that you're always at choice.
So you do,
You can leave your eyes open or have a soft gaze and we'll drop in.
It's finding the natural rhythm of our breath as we begin to align our mind,
Our body and heart.
And if you like,
You can take a healthy breath in,
Breathing up fully through your nostrils,
Full breath in,
Holding it at the top and let the exhale go,
Sighing it out and allow yourself to sink a little bit deeper into your cushion or chair,
Allowing your body to relax and settle into this moment.
If you like,
You can turn your attention to your body,
Bring some ease to your jaw,
Relaxing your shoulders and putting on your best Mona Lisa because love and kindness always ripples a little bit further,
A little bit wider when we're smiling.
And then turn your attention back to your breath.
Notice how you rise with each inhale and ease with each exhale,
Breathing in love and kindness with each breath out,
Rippling it out into the world.
And we'll begin our practice by thinking of someone who is close by,
Perhaps someone who's made an impact in your life over the last few days as a way of expressing gratitude will ripple love and kindness their way.
May you be safe.
May you be healthy.
May you allow your days to unfold with grace.
May you live in harmony and at peace.
May you feel heard.
May you feel seen.
May you feel loved.
And with our next breath in,
We'll turn our attention to someone who may be struggling in this moment for whatever reason.
And as a way of expressing compassion will ripple love and kindness their way.
May you be safe.
May you be healthy.
May you have the strength to endure.
May you know that this moment too shall pass.
May you feel heard.
May you feel seen.
May you feel loved.
And with our next breath in,
We'll turn our attention to Mother Earth,
To our fellow humans and all her creatures will ripple love and kindness her way.
May you be protected.
May you live in harmony and at peace.
May you be resilient.
May your strength be respected.
May you feel heard.
May you feel seen.
May you feel loved.
And last but certainly not least,
We'll ripple love and kindness from ourselves to ourselves because we know how vital it is to pour from a full cup as we support others.
May I be safe.
May I be healthy.
May I allow my days to unfold with grace.
May I live in harmony and at peace.
May I feel heard.
May I feel seen.
May I feel loved.
And as we round out this pause,
Breathe,
Reflect moment,
I invite you to bring your hands to heart center or place your hands over your heart as we reflect on how we can ripple a little bit more love,
A little bit more kindness as we travel together.
How can we be loved?
How can we be kind?
And perhaps the best place to start is to start with you.
Because there's so much wonderful within you that deserves love,
That deserves kindness.
And whenever you're ready,
You can start working your way back to your environment.
You can open your eyes if you've had them closed and wiggle those beautiful fingers and toes.
I hope you enjoyed this pause,
Breathe,
Reflect moment.
Thank you for rippling love and kindness out into the world.
Until we practice again,
Remember,
If you have a challenging moment or two that makes you human,
Slow it down,
Come back to your breath and know that you got this and we got you.
And don't forget to have fun storming the castle.
I look forward to the next time we practice together.
Until then,
Let's ripple something worth rippling.
