Let's go ahead and get started.
Coming into a comfortable posture and a start,
Notice your body.
Notice any tension in your body.
And allow yourself to move.
You might rock your head.
Roll your shoulders.
You can do some movement for your spine.
Very hard to come to a meditative state if our body's not comfortable.
So really allow this moment or two.
To make sure that you're as supported as possible.
Shifting your focus now into your heart,
Into your mind and taking a moment here as well to notice.
To notice how you're feeling right now.
What thoughts,
What emotions might be arising.
Each time a new emotion arises,
A new thought comes.
Acknowledge it.
And use your exhale to let that go.
Based on what's coming up for you in your body,
In your mind.
In the rest of your day.
Ask yourself,
Where do you want to put your focus?
Where do you want to put your energy?
Another way to ask that,
How do you want to feel at the end of the day?
And based on what's coming up for you.
Allow that to happen.
To become an intention.
It might be a word,
A sentence.
A mantra.
Allowing yourself to repeat that as many times as is needed.
You can allow your intention to drip to the back of your mind.
And now bringing your full focus to your breathing.
Your inhale.
And your exhale.
At first,
Noticing how the body changes with each inhale and exhale.
The expansion,
The lift with each new breath.
The release,
The letting go.
With each exhale.
Keeping your focus on your breath.
Again,
Your inhale and exhale.
And now we'll start counting the breaths.
And we'll do it like this.
Inhale 1.
Exhale 1 Inhale to release.
Exhale 2.
And so on.
Once you get to 10,
Starting again at 1.
And anytime you notice you've lost count,
That's okay.
Starting again at one.
If you find the counting helpful.
You're welcome to keep your focus on that.
Or if you'd rather.
You can allow the counting to dissolve.
Bringing your full focus back to your inhale and exhale.
Noticing where your mind might have gone to.
And here again,
You have a choice.
Bringing your focus back to your breathing.
Or if you rather,
You can shift your focus to your third eye.
The third eye is that space right above the bridge of the eye,
In between the eyebrows.
When you bring your focus there,
A couple things might happen.
You might feel nothing.
But sometimes when we start bringing our focus to our third eye.
You might start to notice sensations.
Vibration,
Heat,
Coolness.
Some people start to see colors,
Shapes,
Words.
You might even notice your other senses getting involved.
Again,
It's okay if you experience nothing.
You're still meditating.
And if you are experiencing anything with a third eye,
That you'd rather not.
Just use your exhale to let that go.
And you can always shift your focus back to the breathing.
If you notice your mind wandering.
That is normal.
But bringing your focus back.
To either your breathing,
Or your third eye.
Remember also,
It's okay to move.
If you're uncomfortable.
Adjust.
And then welcome back in some stillness.
Once again,
Checking in.
Noticing where your focus is now.
And it's your choice.
You're bringing your focus back to your breathing.
Or back to your third eye.
From here,
Shifting your focus again into your heart center.
And taking a moment just to notice how you're feeling.
Thoughts,
Emotions.
Sensations.
Each time you notice something new,
Use your exhale to let it go.
And with your inhale.
Perhaps you notice something new,
Something different.
Now in your heart centre.
You're going to bring to mind a person or an animal friend that you love very much.
Really picture them.
Notice how they're feeling,
Notice how you're feeling,
To have them in your heart center.
And we're going to send them some wishes.
Repeating in your own mind.
While picturing that loved one.
May you be happy.
May you be at ease.
May you be free.
From suffering.
Still picturing them,
Let's repeat that.
May you be happy.
May you be at ease.
May you be free from suffering.
Feeling your heart space expand.
And now.
Picture all of your loved ones.
Might include family,
Friends,
Places,
Animals,
Coworkers,
People you met once but loved instantly.
All these people.
Feel them in your heart space,
Past,
Present,
Future.
And repeating once more.
May you be happy.
May you be at ease.
May you be free from suffering.
All the people you love in your heart.
As we repeat a second time,
Maybe there's some new animals,
People that enter your heart space so that they too get this blessing.
May you be happy.
May you be at ease.
May you be free from suffering.
Feeling your heart space expand even more.
And now all those people and beings that you feel neutral about.
Might be folks that you meet in passing.
Animals,
You give one pet two.
Folks at the store or the cafe.
Really picturing them.
And knowing that all these people All these animals have the same wishes as our loved ones,
As ourselves.
And holding them all in our heart space,
We'll offer them these blessings as well.
May you be happy.
May you be at ease.
May you be free from suffering.
And all those people,
Strangers,
Acquaintances,
Holding them in your heart.
May you be happy.
May you be at ease.
May you be free from suffering.
Our heart space expands again.
This time bringing in those people we have challenges with.
Past,
Present,
Future.
This is a hard one.
Notice what happens,
How you feel.
It's natural for there to be resistance here.
That's okay.
If there's anyone you don't want to invite in the heart space,
You have that choice.
But see,
These are people too,
Wanting the same things,
Just perhaps not knowing how to get them.
So holding them the best we can in our heart space and wishing to them May you be happy.
May you be at ease.
May you be free from suffering.
May you be happy.
May you be at ease.
May you be free from suffering.
Our heart space expands again until you feel the whole world in your heart space.
The animals,
The humans,
The plants,
The earth itself.
We say to the earth and all the beings on it,
May you be happy.
May you be at ease.
May you be free from suffering.
May you be happy.
May you be at ease.
May you be free from suffering.
Then,
Finally,
In your heart space,
Picture yourself.
Might be present you,
Past you,
Future you.
Might be all versions of you in your heart space.
And wishing ourselves the same things that we wished for others.
May I be happy.
May I be at ease.
May I be free from suffering.
If you have a hard time with the I,
You can say you,
But really picture the you in your heart.
May I be happy.
May I be at ease.
May I be free from suffering.
You can allow that visualization to drift away with your exhale.
And then bringing your focus to either your breathing.
.
.
Your third eye.
Or if you rather,
You can keep your focus on your heart space.
Whichever choice you choose,
Just bringing your full focus there.
And each time you notice your mind wandering,
Returning again to that place of focus.
One more time,
Noticing where your mind might have gone to.
Oh,
Not judging that.
But now bringing your focus back.
Just hear breathing.
Back to your inhale.
And your exhale.
And through the breath.
Starting to become aware again of your body.
Of your expansion with the inhale.
Of your release with the exhale.
And then one more time,
Returning to your heart center.
Noticing how you are feeling right now.
And asking yourself.
How do you want to move into the rest of your day?
Or,
How do you want to feel at the end of the day?
Notice what arises with those questions.
And based on what's coming up,
Allow that to become a new intention.
An intention to carry you throughout the day.
Once you have that,
You can bring hands into prayer or onto the heart.
Repeating it to yourself a few times.
Knowing whether it's big or small,
Let's come to you at this moment for a reason.
And that reason is because you can accomplish it.
No matter how big,
How small it seems.
