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Finding a comfortable position and taking your seat.
Establishing a posture that feels stable and supported.
Connecting with the weight of the body sinking down.
And the height of the body moving up.
Exploring the possibility of a strong back and soft front.
Acknowledging our experience as we begin this practice.
Sensations in the body.
Thoughts and emotions that are here right now.
Welcoming and opening to our experience.
Allowing it to be just as it is.
And then moving the attention to the breath.
Noticing where you feel the breath movements in the body.
And following the sensations and rhythm of the breath.
Welcoming and receiving the air with the in-breath.
Letting go and offering the air on the out-breath.
Connecting to this cycle of receiving and giving.
I hope it helps creating some intentionality with the breath.
Deepening the in-breath.
Lengthening the out-breath.
Creating a stable breathing rhythm.
And as we sit in this way,
Embodying a mindful presence.
Being aware of the space inside us and around us.
Beginning now to work with compassionate breathing for others.
So beginning by imagining a benefactor or someone who is very dear to you.
And visualising this person in your mind's eye.
Seeing them in front of you.
And reflecting on what kind of suffering may play a role in their life.
Connecting with this pain or difficulty.
Imagining the qualities it may have.
It may be that a visual or tangible sense is prominent.
Or it may be more of an emotional atmosphere.
And then imagining,
Breathing in this person's suffering.
Welcoming and allowing it to enter through all the pores of your body.
Letting it be transformed into a healing quality.
Should you breathe out towards this person?
Letting your imagination do the work.
It may be that you imagine breathing in something dark or hot or sticky.
And breathing out something light,
Cool and airy.
Or you may breathe in something cold and dark.
And breathe out something warm and soft.
Approaching the practice playfully.
Letting your imagination do the work.
And then you can expand the practice if you choose to a neutral person.
Seeing this person in front of you.
Imagining their pain and difficulty.
Exploring how it is to breathe this suffering in.
Letting it to be transformed in the spaciousness of your heart.
Breathing out healing,
Softening energy.
Knowing this for a few breaths.
And knowing that you can always return to the body.
To the contact of the body against the surfaces supporting you.
To the movements of your breath.
The sensations of the air coming in and flowing out.
Letting go of the imagination practice if you need to recenter.
Otherwise you may explore expanding the practice to a difficult person.
Or groups of other people or animals.
Choosing what feels right for you in this moment.
Being gentle with yourself.
It is not about striving to take in or give away what you cannot manage.
It is not a practice of grandiosity but rather in humility.
Knowing your imagination is doing the work.
Allow your mind and heart to open from the calmness of the body.
Exhaled by a mindful presence and the ebb and flow of a soothing breath.
And now if it feels right,
Exploring,
Offering this practice to all beings.
Acknowledging our common humanity and the suffering we all experience.
Breathing in the difficulties.
Breathing out.
Healing presence.
Imagining a manageable proportion of suffering.
Breathing in with every in breath which is transformed and healed on every out breath.
This is not about working harder and it may feel daunting to breathe in the suffering of the world.
So being playful as we explore.
Breathing in and allowing a transformation which we then breathe out.
Outed in this practice by the stable base of our posture.
By the soothing breath and the spaciousness inside and outside.
With every in breath we are interconnected with all other living beings.
With every out breath we are interconnected with all other living beings.
Our imagination has no limits and our hearts can be as wide as the world.
Breathing in and allowing a transformation which we then breathe out.
So now bringing this practice of compassionate breathing to a close.
Letting go of the imagery and visualisations in front of us.
And coming back to a sense of the body sitting here,
To the sensations present in the body.
To the sensations of the breath as the air enters and leaves.
Letting go of the imagery and visualisations in front of us.
Letting go of the imagery and visualisations in front of us.
