This is a loving kindness meditation.
You will get to take the time to nurture loving compassion towards yourself and extend it to others.
It has been scientifically proven that loving kindness meditations in particular help to create more vagal tone.
This increases the body's immune resilience,
Reduces inflammation,
Regulates and slows the heart rate,
And improves our ability to respond to stress by reducing anxiety,
Chronic pain,
And increasing recovery time.
As well,
When we take the time to nurture warm feelings towards strangers and those whom we have difficult relationships with,
We're paving the way for our ability to be open and increasingly able to position ourselves with an open and soft heart,
Even towards those who we perceive to have done us wrong in some way.
We get out of our own narrow,
Judgmental,
Me-against-you perspective and open to the healing realm of forgiveness,
Understanding,
And compassion.
Start by making yourself comfortable.
It's not necessary to sit tall with no back support,
So if you prefer,
Lean against a wall or a backrest.
Close your eyes.
Begin to settle your body by scanning for whatever is most obvious.
You may notice tension or tightness,
Or you might notice your breath.
Take some time to explore whatever is there,
Whatever you are noticing,
And have the intention to arrive into your body.
Begin to deepen your breath.
Bring awareness to your belly,
And have the intention to let go of any holding around your abdomen.
As you relax your abdomen,
You may notice that naturally it begins to receive more breath,
Effortlessly,
With ease,
Receiving more and more breath into the abdomen.
Encourage your abdomen to expand deeply,
Larger and larger with each consecutive inhale,
And let all of the air go on each exhale.
Deep breath in and complete breath out.
Again,
Deep breath in and complete breath out.
Again,
Deep breath in and complete breath out.
Notice your awareness is now extended to encompass mind and body together,
A harmonious interconnectedness between the mind and body,
Both communicating with each other now.
Begin to call upon a feeling of compassion for yourself.
You may notice your attention being drawn to your heart when you think of the quality of compassion.
Feel yourself growing into acceptance of whatever is going on for you in your life right now.
Acceptance of difficult thoughts and feelings,
Acceptance of physical pain or discomfort.
Say to yourself,
Yep,
This is what's there right now for me,
And it's okay.
Everything is coming and going,
And this is what is there for me right now,
And it's okay.
Cultivate a feeling of compassion for your present moment,
Current day experience.
See yourself as doing the very best with what you have and soften into self-compassion and kindness.
Say to yourself,
I wish myself happiness.
I deserve to be happy.
I wish myself good health.
I deserve good health.
I wish myself peace.
I deserve peace.
I'm letting go of resentment.
I'm letting go of resentment and disappointment.
And I'm opening to the opportunity that lays before me.
I'm handing over my fear,
Handing over my worry,
Handing over my pain,
Trusting in the unknown future.
Sit with that for another 30 seconds.
Continue cultivating these compassionate thoughts towards yourself.
I wish myself happiness.
I wish myself good health.
I wish myself peace.
Now begin to bring to mind people you feel close with,
Whom you have tender feelings towards.
Your family members,
Your close friends,
Your partner,
A spiritual teacher or mentor.
Cultivate the same feeling of tenderness and care towards either one person or you might scan through a few different people.
Creating feelings of compassion for their happiness and health.
Repeating mentally,
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you have deep heartfelt peace.
Continuing to cultivate these compassionate thoughts towards your loved ones.
Now bring to mind a person whom you have a neutral relationship with,
Perhaps an acquaintance,
A coworker,
A neighbor or a student.
Do the same process for them,
Repeating mentally.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you have deep heartfelt peace.
Take your time with it.
Feel it in your body.
Your deepest extension of goodwill from deep inside your body to theirs.
You might notice a lightness in the creases of your eyes or a smile turning the corners of your mouth upward.
Now think of someone whom you have difficult feelings with.
You can choose just one person or you might do the process for a few different people.
Just go with whomever comes to you first.
And avoid judging yourself for having this challenge with this person or these people.
From the bottom of my heart,
I wish you happiness and health.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
And may you have deep heartfelt peace.
May your challenges provide you with an opportunity to grow.
And may you find it easy to share your kindness with others.
Sit with it for a while,
Feeling truly a feeling of forgiveness,
Knowing that this person or these people too are doing the best that they can with what they're capable of in this moment now.
And that they too deserve peace and happiness.
Say to yourself,
I'm handing over my resentment.
My heart is lighter when I forgive and cultivate compassion.
My compassionate heart.
I extend compassion for you too.
Notice your body.
Come back to scanning for tension or tightness.
Take a deep breath in and have the intention to let go of resentment on your exhale.
You may need to do this a few times.
Before finishing this meditation,
Take another minute to cultivate heartfelt compassion towards yourself.
Repeat to yourself,
I love myself as I am in this moment now.
I love myself as I am in this moment now.
I love myself as I am in this moment now.
Take a deep breath in and a deep breath out.
And again,
Deep breath in and a deep breath out.
You can take another few moments or perhaps a few minutes to stay seated and just observe,
Recognizing your breath,
Remaining spacious,
Observing your thoughts without judgment.
Take as long as you need.
Embodying a kind,
Evolved heart.
Embodying that as you go into the rest of your day.
Thank you.
