Loving Kindness To All

A Compassion-based meditation starting with a loving-kindness mantra towards self, and then onto others; people we are fond of, strangers, and ending with someone we are in conflict with. This is a powerful practice and is best done after practicing the "loving-kindness towards self" meditation for a while first.

Transcript

A loving kindness meditation,

Find a comfortable seat or place where you can lie down,

Yet remain alert.

I invite you to connect to your breath,

Taking in three deep full inhalations through your nose.

Exhale,

Letting go of anything that no longer serves you.

Taking in another deep breath in,

Letting this beautiful healing breath fill your entire body.

And sigh it out as you relax and settle into your body just a little more.

One final deep breath in,

Filling your lungs,

Your belly,

Your chest.

As you exhale,

Sigh it out with a sense of release,

Allowing your body to rest gently.

Allowing yourself to feel at home here in your body,

As your shoulders relax,

Your neck and your jaw softens,

Hips and legs settle.

You are exactly where you need to be right now.

Bringing in a rhythmic breath without force,

Just allowing your breath to flow naturally in and out through your nose,

And maintaining this throughout your practice.

Perhaps take a gentle quick scan of your body,

Using your breath to notice if any areas need a little loving,

A little relaxation,

A little adjustment to get more comfortable.

Allow your face to soften and a little smile succumb to your mouth.

Now bring your awareness to your heart center,

Using this gentle rise and fall of your chest as your anchor today.

If you wish,

Visualize a color at your heart center,

Any color that you can associate with compassion.

See this color expanding softly,

Grows brighter as you breathe in,

And as you breathe out,

It starts to breathe into your heart center,

Lighting it up.

I will now introduce a mantra.

With each phrase,

Genuinely wish for these words,

Either yourself or for others.

Visualize this beautiful light at your heart center,

Expanding to fill you.

Begin by visualizing yourself,

And silently repeat,

May I be filled with loving kindness,

May I be safe from inner and outer dangers,

May I be well in body and mind,

May I be happy and at ease.

As you repeat these phrases,

Feel the beautiful light of compassion at your heart center,

Growing stronger.

Really feel this genuine wish for yourself,

Of loving kindness,

Of safety,

Well-being and ease.

Take a deep breath in and slowly exhale,

Feeling the sense of compassion filling your heart.

May I be filled with loving kindness,

May I be safe from inner and outer dangers,

May I be well in body and mind,

May I be happy and at ease.

Keep your mind resting gently on the rise and fall of your chest.

Now bring to mind someone you are fond of,

Someone you care for,

And let's repeat that mantra for this person or being in mind,

Wishing these beautiful words for them.

Ensure you feel that genuine wish within your heart when you visualize them,

Bringing them to mind and silently repeat,

May you be filled with loving kindness,

May you be safe from inner and outer dangers,

May you be well in body and mind,

May you be happy and at ease.

Visualize the color of compassion at your heart center,

Connecting to theirs.

See this beautiful light expanding from your heart to theirs,

Filling you both.

As they move out of your visualization,

Bring to mind someone you don't know personally,

But maybe a bus driver,

A cashier,

Or someone you pass in your daily life.

You may not know their story,

But they too are worthy of compassion.

So gently bring them to mind and repeat,

May you be filled with loving kindness,

May you be safe from inner and outer danger,

May you be well in body and mind,

May you be happy and at ease.

Breathing into your heart center and theirs,

Visualizing the color of compassion expanding between the two of you.

Sending them a genuine wish for loving kindness and allowing them to receive this healing light,

From your heart.

As they gently fade from your awareness,

I invite you to bring to mind someone you are having difficulty with,

Someone who may bring up feelings of anger,

Resentment or frustration.

I know this is difficult and allow without attachment to these feelings that arise,

Allow them to just flow through you.

As you bring this person to mind,

Knowing that every being carries innate goodness,

Even when their actions do not reflect it.

First by having compassion and love for yourself,

Slowly as time heals,

You will hopefully be able to have compassion and a genuine wish for this person.

So visualize them in front of you.

First breathe in deeply into your own heart,

Filling yourself with the light of compassion.

Feel your heart expand and full so that your cup is full.

When you're ready,

Begin to offer this mantra to this person.

May you be filled with loving kindness.

May you be safe from inner and outer dangers.

May you be well in body and mind.

May you be happy and at ease.

Visualize the light of compassion expanding within both your heart and theirs.

You may find this difficult,

So potentially repeat the mantra once more.

May you be filled with loving kindness.

May you be safe from inner and outer danger.

May you be well in body and mind.

May you be happy and at ease.

As you see them receiving these words from you,

Visualize them filled with gratitude.

And now return back to your own heart center.

Breathe into this space,

This reservoir of compassion within you and bring to mind someone that you feel safe with.

And as they see you,

You hear their words as they say this mantra to you.

Receiving it and knowing you are deserving of receiving these words.

May you be filled with loving kindness.

May you be safe from inner and outer dangers.

May you be well in body and mind.

May you be happy and at ease.

See this light expanding through your body,

Up your neck,

Your throat.

This divine high frequency of unconditional love,

Of self-acceptance and knowing as it moves down your torso and your arms,

Lighting you up from the inside out,

Up to the crown of your head,

Your fingertips and your toes.

Notice how this beautiful light radiates throughout your entire being,

Spreading across your skin and expanding outward from your body.

Feel this light from your heart extend to every being on earth,

Knowing that from the strength of your own self-compassion and self-acceptance,

You can extend loving kindness to beings everywhere.

Expanding it out to all corners of the world,

Lighting it up with unconditional love.

Across oceans,

Across continents,

Mountains and rivers,

Savannas and grasslands,

Island.

Spreading this light of love across the globe.

When you're ready,

Gently draw this light back in from the space around you,

Back into your skin as you feel the back into your body until your awareness rests once again at your heart center.

Pulling back,

Pulling back,

Pulling back,

Coming back to your heart.

Notice the rise and fall of your chest.

Notice the surface supporting you.

Feel the folds of your clothing against your skin.

If you'd like,

Gently wiggle your fingers and your toes,

Bringing your awareness back to your body,

Back to the present moment.

Taking in a deep breath through your nose,

Sigh it out.

Feeling gratitude for yourself,

For your practice,

For the compassion you have shared with yourself and others today.

Gently opening your eyes and coming back into the room.

Thank you for practicing with me today.