Arrange yourself in a posture that is dignified and comfortable.
Settle into an awareness of the physical sensation of sitting.
Just notice the body,
Its weight on the cushion or chair.
Settle in for this practice of loving kindness.
To begin,
Recognize that loving kindness is a natural quality that exists within all of us.
It is a part of who we are,
Although we may not always recognize it or remember.
It is a state of gentle caring that we will be cultivating toward ourselves and others.
Throughout this meditation,
Notice what arises for you,
Thoughts,
Emotions,
Physical sensations.
Be aware of what you tend to gravitate towards,
States that may be pleasant and draw you toward them.
Also notice those states that you wish to avoid or push away,
Resisting them because they are unpleasant.
Being with whatever arises with an attitude of openness and acceptance of what may be occurring for you in each moment.
And now allow the attention to rest on the breath in the center of the chest,
The heart center.
Breathe in and out gently,
Slowly,
Quietly.
Taking energy into the heart center and letting go of any tension or stagnant energy.
Allowing this focus on the heart center to be the beginning of the loving kindness practice.
Gently and easily breathing in and out of the heart center and opening to the possibility that you,
As you are in this life and in this moment,
That you can feel safe.
That you can feel a sense of security and protection from harm.
We offer this first loving kindness phrase,
May I be safe and protected from harm.
Allow this to rest in the center of the chest,
In the heart center.
Gently breathing in,
May I be safe and protected from harm.
May I be safe and protected from harm.
Breathe this in from the top of the head to the tips of the fingers to the soles of the feet,
Filling your entire body.
May I be safe and protected from harm.
Breathing this phrase to yourself or something similar that speaks to you.
May I be safe and protected from harm.
Now opening to the possibility that you,
As you are in this life and in this moment,
That you can be happy,
Peaceful,
And calm.
That you can feel a sense of security and protection from harm.
We offer the second loving kindness phrase,
May I be happy,
Peaceful,
And calm.
Saying this phrase to yourself or something similar that speaks to you.
May I be happy,
Peaceful,
And calm.
Smiling down to the heart center.
Allowing the heart to open to the feeling behind this phrase.
May I be happy,
Peaceful,
And calm.
And spreading this sense of calm happiness from the top of the head to the tips of the fingers to the soles of the feet.
Filling your entire body.
May I be happy,
Peaceful,
And calm.
May I be happy,
Peaceful,
And calm.
Now,
Opening to the possibility that you,
As you are in this life and in this moment,
That you may live a life filled with kindness and ease.
We offer this third loving kindness phrase,
May I live with kindness and ease.
And saying this phrase to yourself or something similar that speaks to you.
May I live with kindness and ease.
And breathing that sentiment into the heart with each repetition.
Gently breathing in.
May I live with kindness and ease.
And now expanding this feeling of simple,
Easy kindness from the top of the head to the tips of the fingers to the soles of the feet.
Filling your entire being.
May I live with kindness and ease.
May I live with kindness and ease.
Now that you have allowed yourself to cultivate a sense of loving kindness for yourself,
Settling into these feelings of safety,
Happiness,
Contentment,
And ease.
Imagine someone in your life,
Someone you admire,
A mentor,
Teacher,
Parent,
Or someone you feel grateful toward.
They could be alive or someone that has passed.
Become a clear image or sense of this person and begin sending feelings of loving kindness toward them.
Connecting to your heart center,
Offering these feelings and phrases toward your identified person.
May you be safe and protected from harm.
May you be happy,
Peaceful,
And calm.
May you live with kindness and ease.
Repeating these phrases one more time.
May you be safe and protected from harm.
May you be happy,
Peaceful,
And calm.
May you live with kindness and ease.
Now letting the image or the feeling of that person go and now extending these feelings to someone else,
Someone you care deeply about,
A friend,
Partner,
Family member,
Or child.
Imagine or sense this person connecting to your heart and sending feelings of loving kindness in their direction.
Sending these feelings and phrases toward your identified person.
May you be safe and protected from harm.
May you be happy,
Peaceful,
And calm.
May you live with kindness and ease.
Repeating these phrases one more time.
Again connecting to the heart.
May you be safe and protected from harm.
May you be happy,
Peaceful,
And calm.
May you live with kindness and ease.
And letting go of that image,
Sinking back into the heart,
And extending these feelings out in all directions toward other members of your community.
Imagine a line of energy connecting your heart with all of those around you,
Everyone you touch,
Everyone you have contact with.
And imagine or sense all of those individuals as a whole.
Sending feelings of loving kindness out in all directions.
Offering these feelings and phrases toward your community.
May you all be safe and protected from harm.
May you all be happy,
Peaceful,
And calm.
May you all live with kindness and ease.
And one more time,
Connecting to your heart,
Connecting to these lines of energy,
Connecting everyone in your community.
May you all be safe and protected from harm.
May you all be happy,
Peaceful,
And calm.
May you all live with kindness and ease.
As we allow these feelings of loving kindness to be a part of ourselves and extend beyond ourselves to others,
Invite these feelings to return to your own experience of this moment,
Feeling the possibility in your life for safety,
Happiness,
Health,
Joy,
And ease.
May I be safe and protected from harm.
May I be happy,
Peaceful,
And calm.
May I live with kindness and ease.
