This is the Giving and Receiving Compassion Meditation and it's adapted from the Mindful Self-Compassion Program.
To begin,
Please find a comfortable upright seated position letting your eyes close either partially or fully.
Taking a few easy breaths.
And if you like,
Putting a hand over your heart or in some other soothing place.
Doing this as a reminder to bring not just awareness but warm,
Loving awareness both to yourself and to your experience.
Now beginning to focus your attention on your breath and noticing the sensations of breathing in and the sensations of breathing out.
Realizing the rhythm of your breathing.
And maybe allowing yourself to be gently soothed on the inside by the rhythm of your breathing.
And now turning your attention toward your in-breath.
Letting yourself really savor the sensation of breathing in.
Noticing how your in-breath,
Your inhale,
Nourishes your body.
Noticing how each inhale brings to your body something that you need.
Breath after breath,
Receiving something that you need.
And then as you breathe,
You're breathing in something good for yourself.
Imagining that you're doing that,
Whatever you need.
This might be a quality of warmth or kindness,
Compassion,
Love.
You can just feel and sense that you're breathing this in.
Or you can imagine that you're breathing in a word or an image or maybe even a quality of light or a color.
Breathing in something that you need.
And for now,
Shifting your focus to your exhale,
Your out-breath.
And feeling the sensations as your body breathes out.
Maybe feeling the ease of exhalation.
And perhaps noticing the way that your body lets go a little bit.
It releases just a little bit of tension with each exhale.
And then please call to mind someone you love or someone who's struggling and needs compassion.
And as best you can,
Visualizing this person clearly in your mind.
And then begin directing your out-breath to this person,
Offering this person the ease of breathing out.
Offering them the letting go that happens with each exhale.
And if you like intentionally sending warmth or kindness,
Something good,
Something that this person might need with each out-breath.
So whatever this person might need,
Whatever your breath can carry to them.
And again,
You can just feel it or you can use a word or an image or a quality of light or a color to carry this to them.
And now returning your awareness to both your in-breath and your out-breath.
And now breathing in compassion for yourself and breathing out compassion to the other person.
In for me,
Out for you.
One for me,
One for you.
Just letting your breath do all the work,
Letting your breath carry the compassion in and letting your breath send the compassion out.
Compassion flowing in.
Compassion flowing out.
Just allowing your breath to flow in and out like the gentle movement of the ocean.
A limitless boundless flow.
Compassion flowing in and compassion flowing out.
Letting yourself be a part of this limitless boundless flow,
This ocean of compassion.
And then for now,
Letting go of this focus on the breath and just resting quietly in your own experience,
Noticing how you feel and remembering that there's no particular way that you're supposed to be feeling in this moment and that however you feel is okay.
And then as you feel ready,
Gently opening your eyes.
Inhaling and places lightly on the forehead Paris.
