Welcome to the loving kindness meditation for those who are self-isolating.
For this meditation,
Let's position ourselves seated on a chair or a cushion.
And straighten your back and stretch out your spine.
Let your head just float atop your neck.
Stretch your face muscles.
Unhinge your jaw.
Let your shoulders relax.
And your arms just dangle with your hands resting on your thighs.
And you can either close your eyes or just gaze downward.
Feel yourself present in this moment.
Take a deep breath.
Feel your belly and your chest.
Just hold it for a moment and let go.
Release.
Relax your muscles.
And let's do that one more time.
Take a deep breath.
Feel your belly and your chest.
Hold it for a moment or two and then let go.
Your being in self-isolation right now is already a wonderful act of loving kindness.
Thank you.
Let us begin our loving kindness meditation now.
And as we say these words,
Bring yourself to mind and bring unconditional love to yourself.
May I be safe and free of fear.
May I be happy and loved.
May I be happy and loved.
May I be strong and healthy.
May I live in ease and in peace.
And as you recite these words in your head,
Recite them genuinely.
Loving kindness begins with you within you.
May I be safe and free of fear.
May I be happy and loved.
May I be strong and healthy.
May I live in ease and in peace.
Now think of the people who are in their home with you.
Perhaps your partner or spouse,
Roommates,
Children,
Parents.
Bring to mind their faces and say to them,
May you be safe and free of fear.
May you be happy and loved.
May you be strong and healthy.
May you live in ease and in peace.
Living in close quarters can be difficult in this time.
So truly bring your loving kindness to them.
May you be safe and free of fear.
May you be happy and loved.
May you be strong and healthy.
May you live in ease and in peace.
Think of those in your immediate community.
The people in your building or on your block or nearby and hold them in your heart.
May they be safe and free of fear.
May they be happy and loved.
May they be strong and healthy.
May they live in ease and peace.
Think of individual people if you can.
Imagine their faces.
May they be safe and free of fear.
May they be happy and loved.
May they be strong and healthy.
May they live in ease and in peace.
And just come back into your body and relax your muscles if they've gotten tense.
In this moment you are safe and everything's okay.
Now bring to mind our first responders,
Doctors,
Nurses,
And techs,
And EMTs.
May they be safe and free of fear.
May they be happy and loved.
May they be strong and healthy.
May they live in ease and in peace.
Perhaps you know one of these first responders and you can bring their face to mind and tell them.
May they be safe and free of fear.
May they be happy and loved.
May they be strong and healthy.
May they live in ease and in peace.
Now bring to mind all those people who are still working,
Those in grocery stores and driving trucks and making bread,
Those who are in pharmacies,
Factories,
Making sure we have our medicines,
All those people who go out every day so that we can be safe.
May they be safe and free of fear.
May they be happy and loved.
May they be strong and healthy.
May they live in ease and in peace.
Think of the faces you know,
The stores you go to,
The people at the gas station.
Think of them and say,
May they be safe and free of fear.
May they be happy and loved.
May they be strong and healthy.
May they live in ease and in peace.
Now think of our leaders,
Our town and city,
County,
State,
Federal.
Think of these leaders.
May they be safe and free of fear.
May they be happy and loved.
May they be strong and healthy.
May they live in ease and in peace.
Perhaps bring one leader to mind and maybe even one you don't agree with,
Who may need these wishes more than others.
May they be safe and free of fear.
May they be happy and loved.
May they be strong and healthy.
May they live in ease and in peace.
Think of the world,
Our earth,
The blue marble,
Where there are no boundaries,
Where nothing separates us except for the waters we share.
See all the people.
Maybe bring someone to mind who's far away.
We're all in this together.
May we be safe and free of fear.
May we be happy and loved.
May we be strong and healthy.
Maybe live in ease and in peace.
This virus has brought us together and given us an understanding that we are all the same.
May we be safe and free of fear.
May we be happy and loved.
May we be strong and healthy.
May we live in ease and in peace.
May we be safe and free of fear.
May we be happy and loved.
May we be strong and healthy.
May we live in ease and in peace.
Thank you so much for sharing in this meditation with me.
And thank you for taking care of yourself and your families and your community and the world.
