This is a 15-minute compassion meditation practice.
Begin by taking your meditation seat.
You don't have to be seated.
You can be standing or lying down if you choose.
If you are seated,
Sitting up nice and tall and straight,
Feet on the floor,
If you can,
Invite the hands to stillness on the legs or lap,
Wherever they happen to land.
You don't need to hold them in any particular way,
But you can if you like.
The eyes can be open or closed.
If you do have them open,
Just a soft gaze,
Not having to look at anything.
And gently check in,
Noticing the body's position.
Any sensations that might be showing up,
Contact with the chair or floor.
And turning attention to emotions,
Noticing what's in your heart right now.
Not having to filter or judge what shows up,
But just noticing what's here right now.
And also taking a look in the realm of thinking,
Noticing thoughts as they show up,
Make themselves known,
And move on.
You may find sometimes that distractions will draw attention away.
Sounds or thoughts or emotions or sensations,
Whatever it happens to be,
Might appear and momentarily grab attention.
Just acknowledge those moments when they happen and come back to here and now.
Start to warm up your awareness of home base,
A comfortable experience that anchors you in the present moment.
Maybe the breath,
Wherever you feel it the most in your body,
Movement in the belly or chest or back.
Perhaps by your nose a warmth and a coolness as you breathe in and breathe out.
Or if you find breathing is not comfortable for you,
You're not alone.
You could choose something else.
Listening to sounds or silence.
Or just directing your attention to the tips of the fingers or the bottoms of the feet.
Home base is a comfortable experience.
Take your time.
Find one that is supportive for you in this moment.
Listening to mind a person or a being that you care about,
That cares about you.
This may be a person,
It may be a pet.
Choose an uncomplicated relationship,
One that might bring a gentle smile to your face.
And perhaps noticing that the complex relationships tend to show up.
And choose,
Choose an uncomplicated relationship.
Maybe with an acquaintance,
The person who makes coffee at the drive-thru that you see every day.
Might be a beloved pet,
Maybe with you in this moment or maybe from the past.
Bring to mind,
Bring to heart someone or something that lightens your heart.
If you find the person or being you thought of,
Brings with it a little bit more than that.
Take your time,
Make another choice.
Imagine this person,
This being sitting here with you now.
And open up to how you feel in their presence.
Notice what might be showing up in the body.
What do you feel?
If you look closely at how the body responds,
What shows up.
And turning towards the heart and emotions,
Noticing how you respond to this person,
This being in this space of friendliness.
What kinds of emotions are making themselves known?
And here too,
Being curious about what shows up.
If you find some difficulty,
Perhaps unexpected,
It's okay to shift and bring to mind and heart another person or being.
And begin again.
And noticing too,
After sensations in the body or emotions,
What thoughts may be appearing.
Not worrying too much about the content,
But just noticing what thinking is like in this moment.
Fast or slow.
You or many.
And perhaps refreshing and re-establishing your connection and embodiment of home base.
Watching you as you turn towards thoughts,
Emotions,
And sensations.
Sitting here in the presence of this space of friendship and care.
And now imagining this person or being has a small,
Small hurt.
A little bump.
A little sadness.
Something small.
And if something big comes to mind in this reflection,
Choose something else.
If you notice that,
Choose something else.
Something smaller.
Bruised elbow or stubbed toe.
And as you sit here and you see and are in the presence of this cared for person or being,
Noticing how the body,
The heart,
The mind respond to seeing them in a small distress.
Do new sensations show up in the body?
Is there another emotional tone that shows up?
Perhaps thinking is shifted as well.
What's that like?
Gentle curiosity to how you're responding to your cared for being.
Their small distress.
And now imagining you can offer some help.
A bit of relief.
A band-aid.
A hug.
Whatever it happens to be,
Taking action on this small hurt and imagining that.
Using that wonderful capability your brain has to imagine.
And as you take action on the small distress of this cared for being,
How does that feel?
How does it feel in the body to take action,
Even if that action is just listening to provide the relief of your presence?
How does it feel in your heart?
As you provide ease and comfort,
How does it impact thinking?
Understanding even subtle shifts may occur with body and heart and mind.
And as your cared for being,
Your friend steps away,
Gets on with the rest of their day,
Turning your focus to home base and refresh that connection with presence in this moment.
Gently checking in.
How are you doing?
What's here right now for you in body and heart and mind?
Softly,
Softly reflecting.
How was it like to just be with this cared for person or being?
What was it like when they were in some small distress?
What was it like to take action and comfort this person,
This being?
How did that feel?
And then returning to home base,
Fully inhabiting this moment,
This breath,
This receiving of sound or silence in your environment.
Perhaps inviting a sense of gratitude to yourself for doing this practice,
For learning a bit about compassion,
Taking the time for self-care and noticing the effect it can have on you.
Thank you for your time today.
You can open your eyes and maybe stretch a little bit.
It feels good for you.
And this concludes this meditation practice.
Thank you for your time,
Your dedication,
And your presence.
