Find a comfortable position,
Perhaps seated or lying down.
Gently bring your awareness to your breath.
Inhale,
Notice sensations of your breath as it comes into your body.
Exhale,
Notice sensations of the breath as it leaves your body.
Allow your awareness to follow this gentle rise and fall of each natural breath.
Going in and going out.
Loving kindness meditations are a radical act of love to ourselves and to the world around us.
Loving kindness is the act of meeting ourselves where we are at in this moment without judgment and sending love no matter what.
In this meditation we use affirmations to instill this radical act of love to ourselves,
To the world around us and to one loved one in particular.
We make these affirmations of love and kindness as a way to fire up our neural pathways and make changes to those areas of the brain that help us be happy,
At ease and joyful.
We will first start by receiving loving kindness to ourselves.
Then we will send it out to either the world around us or to a particular person that perhaps you don't like very much.
Then we will finish by sending loving kindness to a loved one.
When I use the words my loved one you can mentally exchange them for the name of your loved one that you are sending loving kindness out to.
First let us mentally repeat the following loving kindness affirmations to ourselves.
May I be safe.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be peaceful and kind.
May I be safe.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be peaceful and kind.
May I be safe.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be peaceful and kind.
May I be peaceful and kind.
Now imagine that you can send out this loving kindness out to the world or to a particular person that perhaps you don't like very much.
May they be safe.
May they be happy.
May they be healthy.
May they be peaceful and kind.
May they be safe.
May they be happy.
May they be healthy.
May they be peaceful and kind.
May they be safe.
May they be happy.
May they be healthy.
May they be peaceful and kind.
Now bring to your mind the image of a loved one that you wish to send loving kindness to.
May my loved one be safe.
May my loved one be happy.
May my loved one be healthy.
May my loved one be peaceful and kind.
May my loved one be safe.
May my loved one be healthy.
May my loved one be peaceful and kind.
May my loved one be safe.
May my loved one be happy.
May my loved one be healthy.
May my loved one be peaceful and kind.
Allow the sensations of loving kindness to fill your awareness.
Perhaps noticing a warmth,
An opening in your heart center that spreads out throughout your body.
Helping you feel at ease,
Comfortable,
Loved.
Take a moment to rest in that awareness.
.
.
.
.
Gently begin to bring your awareness back to your breath.
Back to the gentle movements of your breath within your physical body.
And while you do so,
Know that whatever you need it,
A well of loving kindness rests within your being.
All you need to do is take a moment to become aware of it.
Starting now to flutter your eyes open.
Becoming aware of your surroundings while still feeling the gentle heartwarming ease that arose through affirming loving kindness.
