Let's begin this heart chakra meditation.
So find a comfortable seated position,
Sitting with a relaxed but straight posture.
With your shoulders relaxed,
Allow your hands to rest comfortably in your lap,
Gently closing your eyes now.
Settling into awareness of the body,
Noticing how your body is feeling in this present moment,
Open to whatever is to be experienced.
Connecting to your breath,
Noticing how your body is feeling.
Seeing your body expand on your inhale and relax on your exhale.
In this practice,
We'll be cultivating love and kindness.
We all have within us this natural capacity for loving kindness,
A relationship that is unconditional and open,
Gentle and supportive.
Finding kindness is a natural opening of a compassionate heart to ourselves and to others.
It's a wish that everyone be happy.
We begin with developing loving kindness towards ourselves,
Allowing our hearts to open with tenderness.
Allow yourself to remember and open up to your basic goodness.
You might remember times you have been kind or generous.
If this is difficult,
You could imagine yourself through the eyes of someone who loves you.
What does that person love about you?
Or you may recall the unconditional love you felt from a beloved pet.
It may help to use the imagination and picture yourself as a young child standing before you.
Perhaps four or five years of age,
If that allows feelings of love and kindness to flow more easily.
And as you experience this love,
Notice how you feel in your body.
Maybe you feel some warmth or heat in the face,
A smile,
A sense of expansiveness.
This is loving kindness,
A natural feeling that is accessible to all of us always resting with this feeling of open,
Unconditional love for a few minutes.
Letting yourself bask in the energy of loving kindness,
Breathing it in and breathing it out,
Inviting feelings of peace and acceptance.
So now beginning to wish yourself well by extending words of loving kindness to yourself.
May I be filled with loving kindness.
May I be held in loving kindness.
May I feel connected and calm.
May I accept myself just as I am.
May I be happy.
May I know the natural joy of being alive.
And now repeating these words,
Allow yourself to feel a warm glow.
May I be filled with loving kindness.
May I be held in loving kindness.
May I feel connected and calm.
May I accept myself just as I am.
May I be happy.
May I know the natural joy of being alive.
Now you can open the circle of loving kindness by bringing to mind someone who is dear to you,
Someone whom you care about and who has always been supportive.
Reflect on this person's basic goodness,
Sensing what it is in particular that you love about him or her.
In your heart,
Feel your appreciation for this dear one and begin your simple offering.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be held in loving kindness.
May you feel my love now.
May you accept yourself just as you are.
May you be happy.
May you know the natural joy of being alive.
Now bring to mind a neutral person.
This is someone you might see regularly but don't know well.
Might be a neighbor,
A grocery store clerk.
Bring this person to mind now and repeat the words of loving kindness.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be held in loving kindness.
May you feel my love now.
May you accept yourself just as you are.
May you be happy.
May you know the natural joy of being alive.
And now if it's possible for you,
Bring to mind someone with whom you've had a difficult relationship.
Perhaps it's someone you don't like to feel sympathy or compassion for.
Seeing if it's possible to let go of feelings of resentment and dislike for this person.
Reminding yourself to see this person as a whole being deserving of love and kindness.
As someone who feels pain and anxiety.
As someone who also suffers.
Seeing if it is possible to extend to this person the words of loving kindness in your mind.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be held in loving kindness.
May you feel my love now.
May you accept yourself just as you are.
May you be happy.
May you know the natural joy of being alive.
Now allow your awareness to open out in all directions.
Yourself a dear one,
A neutral person,
And a difficult person.
And of all beings,
Humans and animals living everywhere.
Living in richness,
Poverty,
War,
Peace,
Hunger,
And abundance.
Aware of all the joys and sorrows that all beings experience.
May all beings be filled with loving kindness.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings awaken and be free.
May all beings be happy.
Notice how loving kindness feels within you.
Allowing your breath to move these feelings of loving kindness throughout your body.
Imagine your heart chakra now,
Trusting the image that comes to mind.
And now allowing our breath to energize and send love to our heart chakra.
On your inhale,
Bringing in this love and energy.
But on your exhale,
Consciously choosing to send it to your heart chakra.
Allowing your heart chakra to expand and spin and glow a vibrant green.
If it is available to you,
Feel your chest opening up and your heart chakra expanding.
Making space for forgiveness,
Acceptance,
Compassion,
Discernment,
And love.
Making space for transformation.
Allowing the energy of this love to cleanse our heart and transform us.
Acknowledging the pain and any grievances.
Accepting the feelings of grief and loving ourselves through this experience.
Opening ourselves up to any sensations wishing to be felt.
Allowing our breath to energize our chakra.
Seeing this green ball of energy light expanding and moving.
Letting it spin now.
Allowing the energy to gain momentum.
Transforming our hearts.
Finding a safe space for us to feel and discern and to love those around us.
Allowing this energy to stay with us and drawing on it in times of need.
Knowing we have this capability with us.
That at any moment we can choose to connect with our breath.
Connect with our energy.
With our love.
And we can choose how to use it.
On each inhale,
Feeling our chest expand and open.
And on our exhale,
Feeling our chest soften and relax.
This all begins before kindness.
Allowing yourself now to release the burdens off your chest,
Releasing what no longer serves you,
Accepting them as they are,
And thanking them for the role they've played in your life,
And allowing them to move on,
Releasing their grasp on you,
And making space to bring in what you do desire.
We'll gently bring this meditation to a close,
Knowing you can tap into this power at any moment throughout your day,
That this is an inherent skill,
An innate ability of us all.
Gently welcoming some movement back into your life,
Wiggling your fingers and your toes,
And when you're ready,
Bringing yourself back.
