Loving Kindness – A Gentle Beginning
This guided practice offers a soft, spacious introduction to loving-kindness meditation. You’ll be guided to send wishes of peace, happiness, and well-being to yourself and others, allowing compassion to flow naturally. With a calm pace and a soothing tone, this meditation is perfect for nurturing the heart and cultivating a sense of connection, whether you’re new to loving-kindness or returning to it with fresh intention.
Transcript
Find a comfortable meditation posture and take three deep breaths.
With each breath say,
Breathing in,
I know I'm breathing in.
Breathing out,
I know I'm breathing out.
Breathing in,
I know I'm breathing in.
Breathing out,
I know I'm breathing out.
Begin to bring an intention to mind.
It could be to be kinder both to yourself and to others,
Or to accept yourself as I am in life as it is,
Or something else that feels true to you.
Whatever that intention might be,
Repeat it to yourself three times.
And seal it with a falling out breath,
Full deep inhale through the nose.
Sigh and let it go.
Now whisper to yourself either silently or quietly out loud.
May I be well and happy.
May I be free from inimity,
Disease and grief.
May happiness be my guard.
May I be well and happy.
May I be free from inimity,
Disease and grief.
May happiness be my guard.
May I be well and happy.
May I be free from inimity,
Disease and grief.
May happiness be my guard.
We're going to focus on the body bit by bit.
With each body part,
We'll imagine a smile,
A softening,
And a soft,
Gentle,
Apricot pink light,
Loving kindness,
Slowly filling that part of the body.
This has the same quality as hugging a small child in distress,
So as we go,
Imagine that someone who really cares for you is embracing you.
Begin by drawing your attention to your lips,
And either silently or quietly out loud repeat,
Breathing in,
I am aware of my lips.
Breathing out,
I smile at the lips.
Then do the same.
Breathing in,
I am aware of my nose.
Breathing out,
I smile at my nose.
Breathing in,
I am aware of my eyes.
Breathing out,
I smile at my eyes.
Breathing in,
I am aware of my ears.
Breathing out,
I smile at my ears.
Breathing in,
I am aware of my forehead.
Breathing out,
I smile at my forehead.
Breathing in,
I am aware of my jaw.
Breathing out,
I smile at my jaw.
Breathing in,
I am aware of my cheeks.
Breathing out,
I smile at my cheeks.
Breathing in,
I am aware of the crown of my head.
Breathing out,
I smile at the crown of my head.
Breathing in,
I am aware of the back of my head.
Breathing out,
I smile at the back of my head.
Breathing in,
I am aware of the back of the neck.
Breathing out,
I smile at the back of the neck.
Breathing in,
I am aware of my throat.
Breathing out,
I smile at my throat.
Imagine the head and neck filling up with a gentle apricot pink light and the energy of loving-kindness.
Repeat to yourself,
May I be well and happy.
May I be free from inimity,
Disease,
And grief.
May happiness be my guard.
Now bring your attention to your shoulders as you whisper,
Breathing in,
I am aware of the shoulders.
Breathing out,
I smile at the shoulders.
Then do the same.
Breathing in,
I am aware of the upper arms.
Breathing out,
I smile at the upper arms.
Breathing in,
I am aware of the elbows.
Breathing out,
I smile at the elbows.
Breathing in,
I am aware of the lower arms.
Breathing out,
I smile at the lower arms.
Breathing in,
I am aware of the back of the hands.
Breathing out,
I smile at the back of the hands.
Breathing in,
I am aware of the palms of the hands.
Breathing out,
I smile at the palms of the hands.
Breathing in,
I am aware of the fingers.
Breathing out,
I smile at the fingers.
Imagine the head,
Neck,
Arms,
And hands filled with that gentle apricot pink light and the energy of loving kindness.
Repeat to yourself,
May I be well and happy.
May I be free from inimity,
Disease,
And grief.
May happiness be my guard.
Now witnessing your upper chest as you whisper,
Breathing in,
I am aware of the upper chest.
Breathing out,
I smile at the upper chest.
Then doing the same,
Breathing in,
I am aware of the upper back.
Breathing out,
I smile at the upper back.
Breathing in,
I am aware of the abdomen.
Breathing out,
I smile at the abdomen.
Breathing in,
I am aware of the lower back.
Breathing out,
I smile at the lower back.
Breathing in,
I am aware of the pelvic floor.
Breathing out,
I smile at the pelvic floor.
Breathing in,
I am aware of the buttocks.
Breathing out,
I smile at the buttocks.
Imagine the head,
Neck,
Arms,
Hands,
And torso are filled with a gentle apricot pink light and the energy of loving kindness.
May I be well and happy.
May I be free from inimity,
Disease,
And grief.
May happiness be my guard.
Moving to the thighs,
Breathing in,
I am aware of the thighs.
Breathing out,
I smile at the thighs.
Breathing in,
I am aware of the knees.
Breathing out,
I smile at the knees.
Breathing in,
I am aware of the calves.
Breathing out,
I smile at the calves.
Breathing in,
I am aware of the feet.
Breathing out,
I smile at the feet.
Breathing in,
I am aware of the toes.
Breathing out,
I smile at the toes.
Imagine the head,
Neck,
Arms,
Hands,
Torso,
Legs,
And feet are filled with a gentle apricot pink light and with loving kindness.
Now,
Breathing in and breathing out,
I smile through all of my body.
Breathing in and breathing out,
I smile through all of my body.
From the top of my head to the soles of my feet and to the tips of my fingers.
Breathing in and breathing out,
I smile through all of my body.
The whole of my body is filled with loving kindness and a gentle apricot pink light.
May I be well and happy.
May I be free from inimity,
Disease,
And grief.
May happiness be my guard.
Focusing on the center of your body.
At a point just in front of your spine in the center of your chest,
Become aware of the gentle warmth of loving kindness.
Then begin to expand that warmth of loving kindness outwards from the central point.
Repeat to yourself,
Breathing in,
I am aware of a point,
An arm's length in front of my body.
Breathing out,
There is loving kindness and an arm's length in front of my body.
Breathing in,
I am aware of a point,
An arm's length in front of my body.
Breathing out,
There is loving kindness and an arm's length in front of my body.
Then,
Breathing in,
I am aware of a point,
An arm's length to the left of my body.
Breathing out,
There is loving kindness and an arm's length to the left of my body.
Breathing in,
I am aware of a point,
An arm's length to the right of my body.
Breathing out,
There is loving kindness and an arm's length to the right of my body.
Breathing in,
I am aware of a point,
An arm's length behind my body.
Breathing out,
There is loving kindness and an arm's length behind my body.
Breathing in,
I am aware of a point,
An arm's length above my body.
Breathing out,
There is loving kindness and an arm's length above my body.
Breathing in,
I am aware of a point,
An arm's length below my body.
Breathing out,
There is loving kindness and an arm's length below my body.
Breathing in and breathing out,
I am sitting inside an apricot pink bubble of loving kindness,
An arm's length around,
Above and below my body.
Breathing in and breathing out,
I experience loving kindness as warmth radiating from the center of my body,
At my heart,
Out to the limits of this bubble.
While imagining yourself sitting inside this bubble,
Which slightly expands and contracts while you're breathing,
You say,
As I am well and happy,
May all beings be well and happy.
As I am free from inimity,
Disease,
And grief,
May all beings be free from inimity,
Disease,
And grief.
As happiness is my guard,
May happiness be all beings' guard.
As I am well and happy,
May all beings be well and happy.
As I am free from inimity,
Disease,
And grief,
May all beings be free from inimity,
Disease,
And grief.
As happiness is my guard,
May happiness be all beings' guard.
As I am well and happy,
May all beings be well and happy.
As I am free from inimity,
Disease,
And grief,
May all beings be free from inimity,
Disease,
And grief.
As happiness is my guard,
May happiness be all beings' guard.
Then,
Breathing in,
I am aware of the whole of the room.
Breathing out,
I smile at all of the room.
Breathing in,
I am aware of the whole building.
Breathing out,
I smile at all of the building.
Breathing in,
I am aware of the block of houses.
Breathing out,
I smile at the block of houses.
Breathing in,
I am aware of the city.
Breathing out,
I smile at the city.
Breathing in,
I am aware of the country.
Breathing out,
I smile at the country.
Breathing in,
I am aware of the planet.
Breathing out,
I smile at the planet.
Breathing in,
I am aware of the universe.
Breathing out,
I smile at the universe.
May there be happiness.
May there be happiness.
May there be happiness.
Begin to envision that apricot pink bubble shrinking slowly in stages until it is a tiny dot in your heart.
Eventually,
Even the dot disappears and we rest our minds,
Natural,
Spacious,
And unfabricated.
As I am well and happy,
May all beings be well and happy.
As I am free from anemity,
Disease,
And grief,
May all beings be free from anemity,
Disease,
And grief.
As happiness is my guard,
May happiness be all beings' guard.
As I am well and happy,
May all beings be well and happy.
As I am free from anemity,
Disease,
And grief,
May all beings be free from anemity,
Disease,
And grief.
As happiness is my guard,
May happiness be all beings' guard.
Last time.
As I am well and happy,
May all beings be well and happy.
As I am free from anemity,
Disease,
And grief,
May all beings be free from anemity,
Disease,
And grief.
As happiness is my guard,
May happiness be all beings' guard.
May whatever wholesomeness that has been gathered by this practice benefit all beings.
