Meeting Ourselves & Others With Kindness

A traditional 5 stage loving-kindness practice, getting curious about what happens when we turn to meet ourselves and others with an intention of kindness. Please note this was recorded live with some background noise.

Transcript

Okay,

So just settling back into your posture and if you feel comfortable closing the eyes.

And noticing what it's like to pause.

How is it to pause?

Feeling the ground beneath us once again.

Really trusting the earth to hold us here,

To hold the weight of the body,

To take the weight of the body.

While at the same time the upper body is rising up into space.

And on the in-breath you could really imagine yourself taking up the space that you're occupying right now.

So not sort of holding back or bracing against being here,

But just really being here,

Really sitting here now.

And in your own time finding the breath.

How is the breath just now?

So as we drop into ourselves more fully.

As we come into relationship with whatever thoughts and emotions are hanging around this morning.

Whatever mood we might be in.

One thing we can get curious about is how are we with that?

And if there's any sense of rigidity or resistance to what you're experiencing just now.

Just seeing if you can soften into a different way of meeting yourself in this space.

So is it possible to bring an attitude of acceptance to what's here now?

And love for the being that is experiencing that,

Yourself.

Perhaps remembering why you came here this morning.

And appreciating yourself for doing something good for yourself today.

That part of you that wants you to be happy and well.

And appreciating them.

Thank you.

If there's anything in your experience that feels pleasant to you.

Maybe it's just the sense of peace or calm that comes from sitting and bringing attention to yourself.

Could be a sense of warmth somewhere in the body.

Tingling energy or energy moving in some way.

Just really opening to that.

Allowing yourself to have that experience quite fully.

And enjoying it.

So just for a few minutes.

Tuning into the breath.

If you get distracted at all during this practice,

The breath is a very helpful anchor to help bring us back into present moment awareness.

It can tell us a lot about where we've been.

If there's any tension or holding,

The breath can help us to ease that stress in the body.

And then I'd like to invite you to just very gently bring to mind a good friend.

Someone you genuinely like.

Just allow them to come into your mind as if they were walking through the door of the room.

How is that?

Letting yourself feel what it's like to imagine being in this person's presence.

The effect they have on you.

Just appreciating them.

Appreciating the life that they live.

The suffering that they experience and also the joy that they experience.

Remembering that they too just want to be happy and well.

This is what connects us.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Turning into the part of yourself that wants your friend to be happy and well.

The strength of that intention.

Thank you.

And once again returning to the breath.

Allowing your friend to fade into the background.

And then I invite you now to bring to mind someone who you don't know very well,

But you have enough of a sense of that you can remember them.

So this could be a neighbor or a colleague or someone in a shop that you go to regularly.

So here's a person who has a life just as complex as yours.

Who feels things as deeply as you do.

Who suffers and has joy in their life.

Just like you.

Just really letting yourself take all that in this person that you don't know.

The fact that they too just want to be happy.

How is it to be with that?

Can we also wish this person well?

Even though we don't know them very well.

Can we want their happiness too?

Thank you.

If things start to get foggy or you're distracted just coming back to the breath as an anchor.

And then in your own time bringing to mind this person.

You might even find it helpful to imagine them sitting here with you.

Wishing them well.

So returning again to the breath and the body.

You might want to particularly focusing in on the heart center.

Just how it is now.

Letting that person fade away.

Taking a few breaths into yourself.

Now the invitation if you're up for it is to bring to mind someone who you're having some difficulty with.

Who you're finding a bit hard to interact with at the moment.

So again this could be a colleague,

Could be a friend,

Family member,

Neighbor.

First just notice what it's like to bring them to mind.

How is that?

What happens?

Can you be kind towards yourself in that experience?

And open to what else might be possible.

Remembering that this person also has a very complex life.

Feels feelings just like we do.

Makes mistakes just like we do.

And they also deeply want to be happy,

Want to be free from suffering.

Just like we do.

You might notice contraction or holding somewhere.

Just breathing into that.

If it gets too difficult you could just let go of that person,

Go back to the breath.

If you're up for it,

Just getting curious about what's here.

What is here between you and this person?

The felt sense of that.

Can you meet whatever that is with kindness and curiosity?

Would it be like to also wish this person well?

Would it be like to also wish this person well?

That they find happiness.

Once again returning to the breath and the body.

You can let that person fade into the background of the mind.

Turning into what's here in the heart now.

And then for a few breaths just recalling your good friend as well as the person you don't know very well and the person you find difficult.

And just imagining sitting with all three of them.

Sitting together.

A group of people who just want to be happy.

And from there bringing to mind those of us who are sitting here this morning.

Turning into this particular gathering of people.

May we all be well and happy.

And stretching our awareness to include people all around us.

So living in homes in this area.

Walking on the streets.

Working in shops,

Restaurants,

Cafes.

All these beings all around us just living their lives doing the best they can.

Bringing to mind friends and family.

Colleagues,

Neighbors.

May they all be happy and well.

Including everyone in our awareness and in our wish.

Our deep wish for happiness,

Wellness.

And in your own way,

In your own time you can expand that wish even further to all people everywhere.

This whole planet breathing together.

Living together.

You could even include animals if you'd like.

May all beings everywhere be happy,

Well,

Free from suffering.

May all beings everywhere be happy,

Well,

Free from suffering.

For the last few moments of this practice returning to your own sense of self sat here.

Breath in the body.

Points of contact grounded,

Rooted into the earth.

Sounds all around us coming and going.

If you'd like you could even rest back a bit in the posture.

Open the eyes if that feels comfortable.

You could put the hands palm up on the lap just to encourage a sense of openness and receptivity.

Just absorbing the benefits of the practice.

Sensing into how it is now.

Sensing into how it is now.

Sensing into how it is now.

Reviews

Wonderful! Such a gentle and spacious approach! I loved this. Thank you so much 🙏🥰

Beautiful pacing and a natural relaxed style. I appreciated some of the background noises to help me feel more present to the live guided practice. Thank you.

I love this. I meditate with it most days and I feel the benefits ripple out into the world.

A fulfilling and rewarding experience…ThankyouandBless 🧸

Thanks for your gentle and clear encouragement to turn inwardly and outwardly towards kindness. I found your subtle reflective questions opened up awareness of my actual felt experience.

Great balance of guidance and plenty of spaciousness, kept me with the meditation throughout. thank you

Healing, releasing. Very kind and supportive, thank you so much.

Thank you Singhasri, such a lovely practice! I really enjoyed it!

Thanks, excellent practice

Love the tone of realness in your voice. Lovely to bring animals (brought my pets) into it at the end: it made me smile. Wasn’t in a bright mood to begin with and felt that was ok, that i could just start from there and welcome that, allowing the intention of well-wishing to arise on its own, softly.
Thank you.

I like the timing and gaps. Being familiar with this process I include many people who fit the categories as well as including all beings and plants on the planet.

I appreciated the silence between the affirmations. I feel calm. Thank you for this meditation. Namaste

Beautiful loving kindness practice with lots of space for silence. 🙏🏼

Wonderful! Very different from all the other loving kindness meditations I’ve listened too.