Finding a comfortable position,
Either seated upright or laying down,
Letting the body be in a restful and comfortable position where you can find ease.
And closing the eyes or allowing the eyelids to lay heavy.
Taking a few deep breaths in through the nose and out the mouth,
And then bringing the breath back to a natural flow and rhythm,
And scanning the body for any areas that you might be able to release a little more tension,
To soften,
Relaxing the eyebrows,
The jaw,
Maybe the throat,
The shoulders,
Letting the belly hang,
Releasing any tension in the arms or legs,
The fingers or toes,
And bringing the attention to the space around the heart,
And breathing there for a moment.
We'll begin by offering words of loving-kindness to ourselves,
And for some people,
It's helpful to see with your mind's eye where you are in space,
Sitting or laying right now,
And directing these words to yourself in this moment.
For others,
It may be helpful to bring to mind the image of you as a small child,
Maybe even an infant,
And to offer these words.
May I be happy and have peace.
May I be healthy and strong.
May I be safe and protected.
And repeating these words or whatever phrases feel authentic to you,
Directing them to yourself again.
And then bringing to mind the image of a being with whom you have a loving,
Uncomplicated relationship with.
So it might be a grandparent or a dear friend,
But sometimes a pet or an animal is the most accessible for a loving,
Uncomplicated relationship,
And with the image of that being in your heart and your mind,
Wishing loving-kindness for them too.
May you be happy and have peace.
May you be healthy and strong.
May you be safe and protected.
And repeating the phrases again.
As you go through the practice,
You may notice at times the mind wandering and noting that that's okay.
And when you start to notice the mind start to wander,
You can use it as an opportunity to come back to the awareness of metta.
You can return to the breath.
You can return to the space around the heart.
Maybe even placing your hand over your heart if that feels helpful.
And now bringing to mind and heart the image of someone that you're acquainted with but maybe don't know so well.
So maybe it's someone that you often see at the grocery store or a neighbor that you haven't gotten to know very well yet.
Someone that you have warm feelings towards but don't know so well.
And with that person in your mind's eye,
Directing loving-kindness towards them too.
May you be happy and have peace.
May you be healthy and strong.
May you be safe and protected.
And repeating those phrases,
Directing towards this acquaintance.
And then finally,
Bring to mind someone that you have a challenging relationship with.
Try not to pick the most challenging,
But someone that there's some conflict,
There's some tension maybe.
And with that person in your heart and mind,
Directing metta towards them too.
May you be happy and have peace.
May you be healthy and strong.
May you be safe and protected.
Noticing if this one feels a little more challenging.
As you direct metta,
You might notice changes in the body sensations.
They might feel like a constricting or closing of the heart.
And if that does happen,
Noticing it without judgment,
Without labeling it as good or bad.
But noticing,
Huh,
Constricting,
Closing,
And breathing into that space.
And if it feels too challenging,
You can always pause and say,
I'll come back to that one another time.
And if it feels accessible now,
To again repeat the words of loving kindness to that person you have a challenging relationship with.
We'll offer metta loving kindness to all beings.
So expanding the reach from beings or people that you know outwards to all people,
All plants and animals.
All beings.
May all beings be happy and have peace.
May all beings be healthy and strong.
May all beings be safe and protected.
And again,
Repeating to all beings.
And taking some moments now to notice how you feel.
Notice if there are any emotions,
Any sensations in the body.
And being with them for a moment as you breathe.
And offering yourself gratitude for this practice.
