As part of this meditation,
We're going to think about three people in our life.
Someone you love,
A neutral acquaintance,
And a person with whom you've had some difficulty with.
It's often challenging for people to show love and kindness towards themselves.
So this is where we'll start.
We'll start by directing love to ourselves and then move outward into our field of relationships.
Sit comfortably.
This means both literally,
Physically in your body,
With your spine upright,
Your jaw relaxed,
And your face relaxed.
And symbolically,
Be at ease in your mind.
We're not trying to force anything special to happen.
Just relax and be at ease.
Close your eyes.
Feel the natural state of your body.
Notice the natural state of your breath.
Not judging it,
Not controlling it,
Just allowing it to be.
The rising and the falling of your breath.
Easy and as it is.
Picture yourself from an outside perspective.
Picture your body.
Imagine the outline of your body and see your face clearly.
As you see yourself,
Direct some loving attention towards yourself.
In your mind,
Repeat these simple phrases.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be free from pain.
May I live my life with ease.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be free from pain.
May I live my life with ease.
Expand your breath and awareness towards someone who is close to you.
Someone you love.
Someone you care for.
Whether that person is still here or has gone out of your life,
Picture their face.
Imagine they are sitting with you right now.
Direct that same intention of loving kindness towards them.
And in your mind,
Repeat after me.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be free from pain.
May you live your life with ease.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be free from pain.
May you live your life with ease.
Now picture an acquaintance in your life.
Someone you know but you don't have a deep relationship with.
Picture that person and see their face.
Remember all beings everywhere want to be happy and so does this person.
So we wish for them the same love,
Freedom,
Happiness,
And joy that we wish for ourselves.
In our mind,
We repeat the same simple phrase.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be free from pain.
May you live your life with ease.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be free from pain.
May you live your life with ease.
Now picture someone in your life that you've had some difficulty with.
Someone you've had an argument or a disagreement with.
Picture their face.
As we send them compassion,
We're not saying that we excuse any behavior or that we feel anything different than what we truly feel.
Instead,
We're just recognizing the feeling of oneness in our desires.
That all beings everywhere want to be happy.
So does this person.
Visualize yourself alongside this person,
Putting yourself at equal footing with them.
And in our mind,
We repeat the same simple phrase.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be free from pain.
May you live your life with ease.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be free from pain.
May you live your life with ease.
Now expanding ourselves a little bit further,
Going out from the people that we know to all beings everywhere.
This means every living being.
In our mind,
Repeat the same simple phrase.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be free from pain.
May you live your lives with ease.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be free from pain.
May you live your lives with ease.
Wherever there's an area in your life,
Some relationship,
Whether it's with yourself or with others,
And you felt a strain,
Direct that phrase towards this part of your life,
Towards that relationship.
Sit in silence and feel that intention.
Now you can gently let go of the intention.
Slowly come back to your body,
Noticing the sensations in your body.
You can slowly wiggle your fingers and your toes.
And when you're ready,
Always in your own time,
You can slowly open your eyes.
This is how we meditate at home.
We don't worry if the mind has wandered.
It's okay.
It's normal.
Whenever we noticed our mind has wandered,
We simply come back to our loving intention.
Smile to yourself for taking the time for you.
And thank you for meditating with me.
