Hello,
And thank you so much for being here with me to embark upon this meditation together.
I encourage you to find a position that feels comfortable to you in this moment.
Oftentimes we're so used to moving through our day on autopilot that we often don't realize when our body is experiencing discomfort or what comfortability really looks like.
So really give yourself permission to make any adjustments that you need to in this moment,
Even just to bring 2% more comfort to your body right now.
And once you feel comfortable,
I invite you to cast your eyes gently downwards or even closing them if that allows you to feel more present and connected to your body in this moment.
And we'll begin by focusing on our breath,
This amazing resource that we have at our disposal at any given time to bring us back to the present moment,
To bring a sense of calm and groundedness to our body.
And oftentimes we don't even realize that we're not fully breathing.
Our breath might be shallow,
Or we might even hold our breath when we're experiencing an enormous amount of stress as we often do.
And so we'll now spend some time here practicing an intentional breath work pattern.
So slowly inhaling,
Noticing how your belly expands as you breathe in this full manner.
And slowly exhaling,
Sighing out through the mouth.
And taking another deep inhale in.
And slowly exhaling it out.
And now I invite you to spend some time scanning your body for any tension,
Tightness,
Pressure,
Anything that doesn't feel good to you in this moment or that may no longer be serving you.
And to do this,
We'll begin by bringing our attention to the very tip top crown of your head,
Working your way down.
And as you cover every aspect of your body,
Inspecting for any of that tightness or tension,
If you encounter it silently or out loud,
Saying the word release and doing this as many times as you need to,
To release all of that tension or pressure and spending a few moments doing that now.
And pop out.
And now that you've spent some time releasing and allowing more freedom or spaciousness in the body,
Again returning to your breath and just noticing the quality of it.
Maybe it feels a bit more deep,
A bit more fulfilling.
And spending some time here in silence,
Just focusing on that breath and being present with yourself.
And if at any time the mind wanders,
Just knowing that that is completely normal,
Simply observing it,
Trying not to cast judgment or criticism against yourself,
And bringing your attention back to your breath.
.
And again,
If the mind wanders,
Just bring it back to your breath.
Love and compassion are one of the best gifts that we can offer ourselves and to every other being around us.
And so now we'll spend some time doing just that.
You might put one or both hands on your heart,
If that feels helpful for you,
Whatever you can do to really be present with these words.
And you can either say these words after me silently or out loud.
May I be filled with loving kindness.
May I be happy and healthy.
May I feel connected and calm.
May I be free from suffering.
May I live in peace.
And spending a few moments here,
Allowing those words to sink into your body and filling the physical positive effects of giving yourself that loving compassion.
.
And now bringing to mind,
Someone that is near and dear to your heart,
Someone that you love and feel very fond of.
You can imagine their face or maybe even that they're sitting in front of you.
And saying these words to yourself or out loud.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be happy and healthy.
May you feel connected and calm.
May you be free from suffering.
May you live in peace.
And spending a few moments here,
Allowing the impact of giving that loving compassion to a loved one to really heighten in your physical body.
.
.
And now bringing to mind,
Someone that you feel neutral towards.
So this may be a co worker.
Maybe someone that works at your local grocery store.
Someone that you may know on the periphery,
But don't have a lot of strong feelings towards.
And imagining their face or maybe that they're sitting in front of you.
And offering these words to them.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be happy and healthy.
May you feel connected and calm.
May you be free from suffering.
May you live in peace.
And spending a few moments here,
Allowing the impact of those words to sink into your physical body.
And now bringing to mind,
Someone that you have had a difficult relationship with or difficult interactions with in life.
It can be someone from your past or someone that you're currently still struggling with.
And if it feels like it's too much to imagine being near them.
Maybe imagining some sort of barrier or force field around you.
It's okay to have boundaries and to protect ourselves while still being able to offer love and compassion to others.
And now saying these words to them.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be happy and healthy.
May you feel connected and calm.
May you be free from suffering.
May you live in peace.
And spending a few moments here,
Allowing the impact of those words to sink into your physical body.
Now imagining that in front of you or all around you is every living being that inhabits this planet.
Feeling how connected it feels to know that you are not alone.
And offering these words to every living being on the planet.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be happy and healthy.
May you feel connected and calm.
May you be free from suffering.
May you live in peace.
And spending a few moments here,
Allowing the impact of those words to sink into your physical being.
Simply notice now how your body feels now that you've been able to extend this loving compassion to yourself and every other being on the planet.
Taking one final deep breath in.
And slowly exhaling out through the mouth.
Bringing some gentle movement back into your body to signal that it's time to come back into the present moment.
Opening your eyes at your own pace.
Thank you so much for meditating with me,
And I hope you have a beautiful rest of your day.
