Just Like Me Compassionate Mindfulness Meditation

Experience a journey of self-discovery and interconnectedness with this soothing guided meditation. As you breathe deeply, focus on your breath, allowing your heart to open and your compassion to flow. Imagine extending warm, loving energy to loved ones, friends, people you may know, and even those with whom you may have conflicts. Through compassionate meditation, you will recognize and acknowledge your capacity for compassion and empathy, fostering a deeper connection to yourself and the world around you.

Music: Here with You by Moments (via Soundstripe)
Photograph: Zen Meditation Garden by Kikkerdirk (Getty Images, via Canva)

Transcript

Hello,

This meditation is called Just Like Me.

It's a powerful meditation and it works just as well with people we don't know as it does with our friends,

Spouses,

Family.

It's a traditional practice and it creates compassion and understanding.

If you're ready,

Find a place to sit quietly,

Wherever you may be.

Begin to draw your attention inward,

Breathing in and breathing out.

Take several cycles of your own breath and begin to quiet your mind.

Notice your body,

Down from your head,

Through your shoulders,

Down your torso and noticing your legs,

All the way to the soles of your feet,

Connected into the earth.

Now,

Bring someone to mind and see a picture of them in your mind's eye.

Acknowledge them.

Acknowledge that they are simply human,

Just like you.

And as you repeat these phrases,

While at the same time thinking of them,

Pause at the end of each phrase to reflect and remember that we are all human.

This person was born into this world just like me.

This person has a body and mind just like me.

This person has experienced suffering just like me.

This person has been sad,

Angry or hurt just like me.

This person is sometimes scared and worried just like me.

This person wants to be loved and understood just like me.

This person wants to be seen and heard just like me.

This person wants to be safe and healthy just like me.

This person wants to belong just like me.

This person wants to be happy just like me.

Now,

We begin to wish that person well,

Even if it might feel hard to do so.

And by doing this,

We can cultivate a feeling of loving-kindness.

When we wish well to others,

It can inspire us to feel even better about ourselves.

I wish for this person to be free from pain and suffering.

I wish for this person to be safe from harm.

I wish for this person to have health and well-being.

I wish for this person to move through life with ease.

I wish for this person to be happy because this person is a fellow human being just like me.

Continue to take a few more rounds of breath.

Breathing in and breathing out in your own way.

And just be with this awareness that you have cultivated.

Thank you so much for joining me today.