Today we're going to practice a form of unconditional positive regard that in Buddhist lineage is called metta and it is a practice of loving kindness.
And traditionally metta can be practiced in a few ways,
Directing loving kindness to ourselves,
Directing loving kindness to others,
Directing loving kindness to people that we perhaps find challenging or people that we don't know very well.
But today's practice of loving kindness or metta,
Today we're going to direct to ourselves.
You may have heard the saying that you can't pour from an empty cup in that if we ourselves are feeling lacking in this loving kindness,
It's very difficult to offer it to anyone else.
So part of today's practice is to nourish and acknowledge ourselves with an unconditional positive regard so that in turn we are better able to serve others in our community and in our lives that we care about and maybe those that are a little more challenging to love but often in my experience the people that are more challenging to love are the ones that perhaps need it the most.
So before we begin our practice,
We'll take a few moments to settle the physical body,
To prepare ourselves for a deeper level of stillness so that we can really bring our focused attention and intentionality to this practice.
So again,
If it feels good for you to be seated upright with a relatively tall spine,
If that's something that you can find physical ease and comfort,
Then go ahead and do that.
If you feel more comfortable in these practices of stillness to be lying down,
Then go ahead and do that.
But we want to find a position where we're not distracted by physical sensations,
But instead we can settle the physical body so that we can begin to tap into those deeper levels of awareness.
So I'll give you a few moments now to create a comfortable seat or to find a lying down position of ease and comfort.
And as you settle your physical body into stillness,
Perhaps bringing the eyes to close,
To let our focus really drop inside.
And this aspect of loving kindness that we're offering to ourselves today lives in the physical space in the center of the chest where our heart resides.
So perhaps with the eyes closed,
We could bring our physical awareness into the center of the chest to simply let it rest in the space of the heart as we offer ourself this acknowledgement,
This loving kindness.
And to help us settle the body,
We'll take a few breaths together,
A long breath in through the nose,
Down into the belly,
Into the chest,
Hold,
And then release.
And again,
A long breath in through the nose,
Down into the belly,
Up into the chest,
Hold,
And then release.
One more just like that.
And then settle into an easy,
Natural breathing pattern rhythm.
And with your eyes closed and your awareness centered at the space of your heart in the center of your chest,
Can you visualize yourself sitting or lying down,
Almost like you're watching from outside yourself.
And as you look back at yourself through this lens of loving kindness,
We offer up these wishes of unconditional positive regard for the human that you see before you.
And you'll repeat the words that I say silently to yourself.
May I be happy.
May I be well.
May I be safe.
May I be free from suffering.
May I live my life with ease.
May I be happy.
May I be well.
May I be safe.
May I be free from suffering.
May I live my life with ease.
May I be happy.
May I be well.
May I be safe.
May I be free from suffering.
May I live my life with ease.
Let these wishes,
These intentions settle into the space of the heart.
This loving kindness that we offer to ourselves as a form of acknowledgement,
As a way to fill our own cup.
These intentions for ourselves that we offer up,
Letting them land,
Remaining here in stillness for a few more moments,
Letting the intentions resonate.
And with your awareness still firmly in the heart space in the centre of the chest,
Beginning to reawaken the body from that still space by taking a few deeper breaths,
A long breath in through the nose,
Filling the belly,
Filling the chest,
Hold at the top,
And then release.
Repeating that two more times.
And as we allow these deeper breaths to reawaken the body,
Whether you are seated or lying down,
Bringing some gentle movements back,
Perhaps a gentle roll of the head from side to side,
Thumbs rubbing the fingertips,
Perhaps a big stretch to lengthen the sides of the body,
The waist,
To invite in more lung space,
More breath,
More energy,
Before slowly opening your eyes.
And as you move through the rest of your day,
The rest of the week,
The rest of the month,
Holding these good wishes in your heart space,
This sense of safety and health and happiness,
And allowing that to resonate and radiate from you out into the world.
