Welcome to loving kindness meditation.
You can choose to sit comfortably,
Close your eyes.
As always when we meditate together you have the ability to do so in a chair in a reclined position.
Whatever you feel allows you to not be distracted by the body.
Do that now.
And now that you have established your seat,
Close the eyes if they are not already closed and just start to relax your whole body.
You want to keep your eyes closed throughout the whole visualization and bring your awareness inward.
No straining or concentrating.
Just relax and gently follow the instructions.
Take a deep breath in and a breath out.
Keeping your eyes closed think of a person close to you who loves you very much.
It could be someone from the past or the present,
Someone still in life or who has passed.
It could be a spiritual teacher or guide.
Imagine this person standing in front of you and as you imagine this person standing in front of you,
Feel them sending you their love.
This person is sending you wishes for safety,
For your well-being and happiness.
Feel the warm wishes and love coming from that person towards you.
Now imagine that you are surrounded on all sides by all the people who love you and who have loved you.
Picture all of your friends and loved ones surrounding you.
They are standing,
Sending you wishes for your happiness,
Well-being and health.
Mask in the warm wishes and love coming from all sides.
You are filled and overflowing with warmth and love.
Now picture a person that you love,
Perhaps a relative or a friend.
Begin to send the love that you feel back to that person.
You and this person are similar.
Just like you,
This person wishes to be happy and have a good life.
Send all your love and warm wishes to that person now.
Repeat the following phrase silently.
Just as I wish,
May you live with ease.
May you be happy.
May you be safe and healthy.
We'll do this two more times,
Repeating the following phrase silently.
Just as I wish,
May you live with ease.
May you be happy.
May you be safe and healthy.
Just as I wish,
May you live with ease.
May you be happy.
May you be safe and healthy.
Now think of an acquaintance,
Someone you do not know very well and toward whom you do not really have any particular feeling.
It could be a neighbor or a colleague or someone else that you see around but do not know very well.
You and this person are alike in your wish to have a good life.
Like you,
This person wishes to experience joy and happiness in his or her life.
Send all your wishes for well-being to that person,
Repeating the following phrase silently three times.
Just as I wish to,
May you live with ease.
May you be happy.
May you be safe and healthy.
Just as I wish to,
May you live with ease.
May you be happy.
May you be safe and healthy.
Just as I wish to,
May you live with ease.
May you be happy.
May you be safe and healthy.
Now think of someone that you may not get along with.
It may be someone that you have long-standing difficulties with.
Bring this person to mind and be honest about what you feel.
There may well be feelings of discomfort.
Notice any tendency you may have to think badly of that person or to deepen the conflict you have with them.
For example,
By getting into imagined arguments with them.
And allow these tendencies to fall away.
Instead,
Wish them well,
Repeating the following phrase silently three times.
Just as I wish,
May you live with ease.
May you be happy.
May you be safe and healthy.
Just as I wish,
May you live with ease.
May you be happy.
May you be safe and healthy.
Just as I wish,
May you live with ease.
May you be happy.
May you be safe and healthy.
Now expand your awareness and picture the whole globe in front of you as a little ball.
Send warm wishes to all living beings on the globe who like you want to be happy.
And repeat silently three times.
Just as I wish to,
May you live with ease.
May you be happy.
May you be safe and healthy.
Just as I wish to,
May you live with ease.
May you be happy.
May you be safe and healthy.
Just as I wish to,
May you live with ease.
May you be happy.
May you be safe and healthy.
Take a deep breath in,
Breath out.
Another deep breath in,
And let it go.
Be here and notice the state of your mind.
Notice how you feel practicing this meditation.
When you're ready,
Slowly begin to stretch,
Like all the fingers and toes,
And open your eyes.
Thank you so much for joining me for this loving kindness meditation today.
