Find a place to relax,
Preferably lying down on your back.
Stretch your arms out by your side,
Palms facing up,
And have your legs stretched out slightly open,
And allow the feet to fall out to the side.
Make any minor adjustments,
Just settle into the posture.
Relax the head,
The face,
The jaw and the eyes,
Allowing the eyes to slowly shut.
Feel the contact of the back of the head,
The surface you are resting on,
And relax the back of the neck,
The shoulders and arms,
The forearms,
The hands,
Allowing the fingers to fall out of the sockets,
To just unfurl.
Now,
Take your attention to the chest,
And relax that too,
Seeing if you can feel the breath causing subtle movements in the chest.
Now,
Take your attention down into the abdomen,
Feeling it rise with the in-breath,
And fall with the out-breath,
Allowing the breath,
Not forcing it,
Just allowing it to be natural.
And then take your attention to the buttocks,
And feel them soften into the surface you are resting on.
Feel the contact of the back of the thighs and calves as they meet the floor or bed,
And the ankles,
Allowing them to relax,
And relaxing the feet and toes.
Now,
Take your attention down into the abdomen,
Feeling it rise with the in-breath,
And fall Anything that doesn't serve you,
Any tensions or thoughts,
To just drift away on the out-breath.
So just resting,
You deserve this rest.
So allow it to happen.
You don't have to fix anything,
There's nothing to do,
Just rest,
Rest in kindness.
And if you find there's any remaining tension,
I invite you now to soften,
Not to force it out of the body,
But to just soften around it,
Bringing kindness to it.
And say to yourself,
There is nothing to hold on to,
I am safe in this moment.
And now bring your attention to your heart center.
Feel the breath at this point in the body,
As if breathing in through the heart center.
And imagine a warm rising sun,
Beaming into the heart center on the in-breath,
Warming up this area,
Bringing light into the heart.
And allow the out-breath to release anything that doesn't serve you.
And we'll begin the phrases,
The loving kindness phrases.
So say after me,
In your own time,
Slowly,
May I be happy.
And say this internally,
You don't speak it with the lips,
But with the heart.
May I be happy.
Living lots of space around the words,
Allowing them to penetrate the deepest part of your being,
A deep,
Sincere wish,
A prayer for your happiness.
And the next one,
May I be well.
Drawing in the warmth of that sun into the heart,
And on the out-breath,
The phrase,
May I be well.
May I be well.
And then the next phrase,
May I be safe and protected.
May I be safe and protected.
And the last phrase,
May my heart and mind awaken and be free.
May my heart and mind awaken and be free.
And now,
Allowing the phrases to melt away,
And just coming into contact with the heart centre,
Feeling whatever is present here.
Maybe there's a sense of joy,
Of warmth,
Maybe there's a deep peace.
Allow any of these positive qualities to bloom,
To increase,
Even if it's only the tiniest glimmer,
Allow it to increase.
And maybe,
And maybe you don't feel anything,
The heart feels numb.
But know that if that is the case,
You need this practice to heal,
To open the heart again,
To begin to feel again.
So there's nothing lost in being numb,
It gives us something to work with.
Just keep repeating the practice,
It's the intention that will slowly open you to great joy and set you free.
And now,
Just resting,
Letting go of any effort to feel anything or be anything,
Just relax.
And shortly,
We will bring this practice to a close.
So just opening up the ears to sound,
And seeing if there's an opportunity in sound for gratitude,
Perhaps the song of a bird.
And put your palm,
The palm of your hand on your chest,
And say to yourself,
Either aloud or in your mind,
In this world may I find true happiness.
And really feeling that go in,
Feeling the warmth coming from the hand,
Deepening the experience of the heart.
And again,
In this world may I find true happiness.
Say it with deep intention,
Really mean every word,
In this world may I find true happiness.
And now you can put your hand back by your side,
Move the body,
Easing any tension that may be present.
And when you're ready,
Roll onto your side,
Into the fetal position,
And give yourself a hug,
A gentle hug.
And slowly,
In your own time,
However feels comfortable for you,
Sit up and open your eyes.
Repeated practice of this will open your heart.
So if you felt nothing,
Don't be dismayed,
Just keep practicing.
And if you did feel the power of loving kindness,
That warmth,
Know that by practicing further,
Daily,
That will increase,
As will your joy.
Thank you.
