So just taking a moment to find your place,
Your posture,
And starting to close down the attention from the outside world.
And let every exhale just bring a sense of descending,
Dropping in and letting go,
Recognizing that this is a practice for you,
Just for you,
To come home,
To remember,
And to return to that place that's always there beneath the waves of thought.
And so if you're comfortable too,
Just closing down your eyes on your next exhale,
And just letting the attention turn inwards to the inner landscape.
And we'll begin our time together in this practice with a quote from Mother Teresa.
If we have no peace,
It is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.
We are wired to belong.
Evolutionarily,
It is how we know to survive best.
Yet in the world we live in,
We can start to see independence and self-reliance as a sort of badge of honor.
And whilst beating our own drum and letting love fill us from within and being self-reliant is incredibly wholesome,
We do still need to be nourished and held by those around us.
We all feel this deep,
Deep yearning to be part of community and to connect with others.
So this is a practice to come home to this holding capacity,
To be seen,
To be held,
And to be met by others just as we are,
And to hold,
To meet,
And to see others just as they are.
So as you sit here,
Just come to know that you are sitting here.
Letting the mind and body meet in the same place,
And letting each exhale bring a sense of descending and letting go.
Realizing that your posture will hold you.
And as you sit here and know that you are sitting here,
Just notice if there is any way that your posture could be a little bit more alert or a little bit more at ease.
Aiming to have a balance of a dignity in the spine and the structure of your posture,
But also the softness of the skin and a gentleness,
Not so much trying.
So just a couple more breaths,
Seeing if there is any other way that you could bring more ease or alertness to your posture,
As if sitting in the throne,
Strong and easeful.
And then just starting to become aware of the breath,
Wherever it is most noticeable for you.
It might be coolness at the nostrils,
On the inhale,
Warmth at the nostrils,
On the exhale,
Swirling sensation at the back of the throat,
Or the rising and falling of the abdomen.
Where can you feel the breath the easiest?
And as you sit with the breath in this place,
Just start to sit with the question,
Why were you drawn to this practice of holding,
Of compassion?
What was it that you were seeking in this practice?
And if you were to set an intention for our time together,
What would that be?
Just taking a couple of deep breaths in through the nostrils and out through the mouth,
With that intention in mind and body.
And then when you're ready,
Just bring to mind someone you love dearly,
Someone whom you hold very close,
When you have a relationship that is somewhat seamless,
Flowing,
And not so complicated.
And just let the image of this person become brighter and a little bit more alive,
As if they are standing right there in front of you.
What is it that you are most grateful for about this person?
And just start to feel that warmth develop towards them.
Maybe bringing a light smile to the mouth and to the chest.
And then begin to connect to the measure of suffering that this person experiences.
We all carry a measure of sorrow,
Loss,
Pain,
Fear,
Whether it's physical,
Emotional.
And so just start to bring to mind and heart the measure of suffering that this person,
Whom you love very dearly,
Carries with them.
And to notice how as you simply acknowledge and see this for this person,
The flower of compassion naturally begins to open in your chest.
There's a sense of lightness,
Benevolence,
And holding that starts to emerge.
And so just sit with this feeling as you continue to connect with the measure of suffering and the very human existence of this person.
And then imagining in your mind's eye a slow nod of the head and a blink as if to say,
I see you,
I feel you,
I'm with you.
And then imagine yourself sending this person well wishes.
And you might say statements such as these towards this person.
May you hold yourself in loving compassion.
May your pain and suffering be eased.
So just imagine yourself saying these statements towards this person from your heart to theirs.
Just feeling what it feels like in your body to be seeing them as they are in their very human form and to be sending well wishes of support and holding towards them.
And now begin to sense them looking back at you,
Standing in front of you,
Looking back at you and seeing you in this same way.
Be aware of and compassionate for your suffering and the wholeness of your human experience.
What does it feel like to feel seen and held,
To feel met in all of your joys and sorrows?
Just imagining them looking back at you with a compassionate awareness.
And then imagine them and hear them saying to you,
May you hold yourself in loving compassion.
May your pain and suffering be eased.
And really receive the words and those statements,
Taking a couple of deep breaths,
Feeling what it feels like to receive these well wishes from this person.
And again with a little acknowledgement,
Maybe a small nod towards this person just saying thank you,
I see you,
I appreciate you.
But now coming back fully home to yourself,
Maybe placing your left hand on your heart and your right hand on your navel or just above your belly button.
Starting to become aware of your own suffering and pain and vulnerabilities,
Your own humanity.
Just feeling what sometimes can feel like a heavy existence.
Feeling what might feel challenging.
And with your hand on your heart sending some well wishes to yourself.
May I hold myself in loving compassion.
May my pain and suffering be eased.
And so just sitting with these statements,
Repeating them to yourself and taking a couple of deep breaths to feel what they feel like in your body.
And maybe starting to notice where you feel these statements the most in your body.
And just starting to direct your breaths there,
Savouring this feeling and restoring it so that you know where it resides and you can always go back when you need to.
And then just coming back to a neutral breath,
Maybe taking a couple of deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.
And just seeing how you feel now,
Just checking in.
Imagine holding yourself with such benevolence and accepting all of who you are.
And imagine being with others in this way too.
Being with the lens of a loving kindness.
What it feels like to hold yourself with compassion,
To be seen with compassion and to see others with compassion.
Take a couple of deeper breaths,
Bringing more aliveness and movement back to the body.
And we'll close with a quote from Margaret Wheatley.
When we seek for connection,
We restore the world to wholeness.
Our seemingly separate lives become meaningful as we discover how truly necessary we are to each other.
Slowly taking a deep breath in.
As you exhale,
Blinking open your eyes,
Keeping your gaze low.
And slowly taking your gaze up back towards your day.
And enjoy holding and taking this feeling of seeing,
Holding,
Being seen and held back into your day and back to those who you love around you.
