Welcome to this 10 minute love and kindness meditation.
Love and kindness meditations are all about being together and cultivating this feeling of love,
Even when you're apart.
We learn that this art of loving is something we can generate from within,
Rather than just receive from the outside.
Let's get started by getting into a comfortable seat.
Sit up nice and tall,
In a dignified posture,
But relaxed.
You can bring the eyes to close,
Or have them open and with a soft gaze.
Start by taking a deep breath in,
And exhale through the mouth.
Breathe in and out through the nostrils now.
Become aware of the fact that you're sitting,
As you focus on the sensations that arise.
Now,
Become aware of how you're breathing.
Where do you feel the breath the most?
As you start to feel the breath in one particular place,
Let that be your resting anchor.
Notice how you can feel the breath more where we put our focus.
Now I'd like you to take your right hand and place it over your heart.
See if you can shift that place of breathing now to underneath the right hand.
So as if you're breathing in and out directly to your heart.
Like that hand has become a portal for you to breathe straight into that chest cavity.
This will help keep us focused on the fact that this meditation is all about the heart.
We start by dedicating a sentence to ourself and later to others.
You can either follow along with the words that I choose or you may choose your own.
You may say them out loud or in your own head.
We begin by saying,
May I be safe?
May I be loved?
May I be free from suffering?
May I be safe?
May I be loved?
May I be free from suffering?
As you repeat this phrase,
Put more and more meaning behind the words.
Think about what those words mean to you.
Imagine yourself actually dedicating those words to yourself.
Wishing those exact things for yourself.
Extending this good will to yourself.
May I be safe?
May I be loved?
May I be free from suffering?
The more conviction you can put behind these words,
The greater the effect of the meditation.
Sometimes we feel like we don't deserve these things,
But you do.
So say those words with conviction.
May I be safe?
May I be loved?
May I be free from suffering?
Now I want you to bring someone into your mind's eye that you have an uncomplicated relationship with.
A friend,
A family member,
Or maybe even an acquaintance.
Someone that's easy to love.
Imagine all the details of this person.
How they look,
How they sound,
How their presence feels.
Notice the nuances of their behavior.
Now with this 3D image of them,
Sit them down in front of you.
Look at their face,
Study their face,
And then repeat those words once again.
This time dedicated to this person.
May you be safe.
May you be loved.
May you be free from suffering.
May you be safe.
May you be loved.
May you be free from suffering.
Again,
Each time you repeat these words,
Try to put more meaning behind them.
Wish these things for that person earnestly and sincerely.
With each round of the mantra,
Make it more meaningful.
Like a snowball gaining momentum,
Getting bigger and stronger with each round.
As you do so,
Study their face,
Their reaction,
Their delight in you caring for them.
And notice how it makes you feel.
Wherever you feel this feeling,
Direct it to your heart cavity now.
You can bring someone else into your mind's eye and repeat the process or just stay with this person.
As we extend this goodwill and generate this feeling of love and kindness within us,
We reap the rewards of what it is to care.
May you be safe.
May you be loved.
May you be free from suffering.
As this feeling that you generate grows,
Again,
See if you can direct it to the heart center.
And each time you breathe in and out,
Feel it grow stronger under your right hand.
Let that feeling extend down both arms and into your torso,
Down both legs and to your toes,
Up your neck and into your head and face.
See your body is engulfed in this love and kindness.
As if you're a battery that is now recharged with this feeling of love.
Feel it radiate off your being,
Ready to pour into everything you do today.
Bring your hands together,
Rub those hands together,
Generate that heat behind the hands as you place those hands over the eyes,
And open up the eyes behind the hands as you take those hands away.
And thank yourself for this practice and take this love and kindness feeling into the rest of your day.
Namaste.
