Loving kindness.
Today we'll practice loving kindness.
This practice will generate a wish of wellbeing for ourselves and for others.
You can start by taking a full breath in through the nose and a long slow breath out through the mouth.
Feel yourself seated.
Feel the weight of your body pushing downward towards the ground.
Relaxing your belly,
Dropping your shoulders and softening the muscles of your face.
Gently closing your eyes or looking downward and inviting a sense of ease and wellbeing throughout your body and your mind.
Resting in this moment,
Offering wishes of wellbeing to ourselves.
Today we'll use the following phrases,
Though in the future you may wanna use whatever words are more meaningful to you.
May I be well.
May I be safe and free from suffering.
May I be happy.
Repeat these phrases and invite your heart to open to accept them.
You can repeat these internally or say them out loud.
May I be well.
May I be safe and free from suffering.
May I be happy.
May I be happy.
And bring to mind someone close to you who you care about deeply.
Maybe someone you admire,
Someone who makes your heart smile.
And imagine that person sitting in front of you right now.
And think of what you wish for them.
May you be well.
May you be safe and free from suffering.
May you be happy.
May you be happy.
Expressing whatever you wish for them.
And imagine them receiving your wishes for wellbeing,
Receiving your care.
Now bring to mind someone who's going through a tough time,
Who perhaps has experienced loss or struggling with illness.
Maybe they're having a hard time at work.
Imagine that person sitting in front of you.
May you be well.
May you be safe and free from suffering.
May you be happy.
May you be happy.
May you be happy.
Expressing whatever you wish for them from your heart.
Now bring to mind someone who you regularly see in your life,
But for whom you haven't had much interaction with.
Maybe you've never spoken or gotten to know them very well.
Imagine that person sitting in front of you.
May you be well.
May you be safe and free from suffering.
May you be happy.
May you be happy.
Now bring to mind someone with whom you've had some difficulty,
Some challenging interactions or opposing points of view.
And see if you can offer them the words of loving kindness.
May you be well.
May you be safe and free from suffering.
May you be happy.
And now let's extend your wishes to everyone near you right now.
May they be well.
May they be safe and free from suffering.
May they be happy.
And think of your friends and your family.
May they be well.
May they be safe and free from suffering.
May they be happy.
And now let's extend your wishes to everyone near you.
May they be well from suffering.
May they be happy.
And everyone you know,
Everyone who's a part of your life,
May they be well.
May they be safe and free from suffering.
May they be happy.
And now extending your wishes beyond the place where you are,
Beyond the people you know,
To extend over the entire Earth to all people,
All animals,
All life.
May all beings be well.
May they be safe and free from suffering.
May they be happy.
And feeling this sense of well-wishing extending out from you in all directions.
Notice how you feel in this moment,
The sensations in your body,
And the quality of your mind.
And again,
Wish for yourself,
May I be well.
May I be safe and free from suffering.
May I be happy.
And if you'd like,
You can place a hand on your heart as you say these words to yourself.
May I be well.
May I be safe and free from suffering.
And may I be happy.
Breathing in fully,
Breathing out fully,
Allow yourself to be present,
Complete,
Here.
And whatever your experience was during this meditation,
This practice offers benefits.
Even if you weren't always able to feel the well-wishes or experience some resistance,
That's okay.
Simply come back to your intention,
Your intention to practice and to experience loving-kindness in whatever way you're able to,
And in whatever way feels right for you.
Each time you practice,
You're opening your heart to more care and connection.
Finish with a full deep breath in through the nose and a long slow breath out through the mouth.
May you be well.
May you be well.
