Begin by finding your way to a comfortable seat,
A posture that's upright without being uptight,
And if it feels good to close your eyes,
You can close your eyes.
Or you might choose to cast your gaze down a few feet out in front of you.
Take a moment to allow for any movement,
Stretches,
Fidgets.
See if you can get 5 or 10% more comfortable in your seat.
Then take a nice slow deep breath in through the nose,
And let that breath go.
Another nice slow deep breath in,
And all the way out.
This time,
Fill all the way up,
And just for a moment hold that breath at the top.
Notice how that feels.
At first it might feel good,
But soon holding onto this breath will no longer serve you,
And at that point simply let it go.
Notice how good it feels to let go of something that's not serving you.
And from here,
Just allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm,
Noticing what happens when you don't get involved with the breath.
Today,
We'll do a version of the Metta Bhavana practice,
Which means to cultivate compassion.
So knowing that you're not trying to invent or create any feelings here,
Just notice what happens when you offer these phrases and commit to this practice with presence,
Intention,
And sincerity.
So to begin,
Call to mind someone for whom love flows easily for you.
Someone maybe when you think of you soften or smile.
And whoever comes to mind is just right.
You don't need to go scrolling through the Rolodex.
Just whoever's here,
Whoever pops to mind.
Maybe you say their name silently to yourself or picture a favorite photo of them.
Anything that allows you to get a sense of their presence.
And then silently to this individual,
Just saying,
May you be safe,
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
May you live with ease.
May you be safe,
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
May you live with ease.
Live with ease meaning that day-to-day life be smooth,
May it not be a struggle.
May you be safe,
Be happy,
Be healthy,
May you live with ease.
Seeing if you can offer the phrase in the spirit of gift-giving,
Each time like it's the first time that you're saying these words.
And then letting go of this individual.
See if you can turn the same kind,
Caring attention towards yourself.
Recognizing that just as you want the best for those around you,
They too want the same things for you.
And so here,
Just saying,
May I be safe,
May I be happy,
May I be healthy,
May I live with ease.
May I be safe,
Happy,
Healthy,
May I live with ease.
And as you allow these phrases to flow,
Recognize that you're not asking for wealth or fame,
Notoriety.
You're just offering yourself those basic things which all human beings are deserving of.
And if it's helpful,
You can even picture yourself through the eyes of that loved one as you offer the phrases of Metta to yourself.
May I be safe,
Be happy,
Be healthy,
May I live with ease.
Then,
Extending these phrases out from yourself to someone who for whatever reason may need a little extra support today,
A kind word or a helping hand.
And knowing there's no distance too great for these phrases to travel.
Simply offering them Metta,
Saying,
May you be safe,
Be happy,
Be healthy,
May you live with ease.
And just like any other meditation,
If the mind wanders,
Simply come back to your object of focus.
In this case,
The phrases of Metta and just picking up where you left off.
Maybe imagining how things might go for this person if they felt a little more safe,
Happy,
Healthy,
And easeful.
Then,
A moment to let go of this person and reset.
As you call to mind a neutral person,
Someone you don't have particularly strong feelings for positively or negatively.
You may not even know their name or their story.
Could be someone who gets your coffee in the morning or walks their dog in your neighborhood.
And while it may not seem on the surface like you know all that much about this individual,
Just by the very fact that they are human and you are human,
You understand each other better than you might know.
And here you can offer them these things which all people want,
Saying,
May you be safe,
Be happy,
Be healthy,
May you live with ease.
Finally,
You can extend these phrases out in all directions,
Picturing anyone,
Anytime,
Anyplace,
Anywhere.
As you say,
May all beings everywhere be happy.
May all beings everywhere be safe.
May all beings everywhere be healthy.
May all beings everywhere live with ease.
May all beings be safe,
Be happy,
Be healthy,
And live with ease.
And then silently,
Wordlessly,
As if you could send a meta out in all directions,
Sending this to all beings out in front of you and all beings behind you.
All beings to the left of you and all beings to the right of you.
All beings above you.
All beings below you.
Then,
Just a moment to rest with whatever feeling is here.
And bring your awareness back to the space around you.
You can begin to deepen the breath.
Feel into the physical body,
Notice sounds.
Movement re-emerging in its own time.
And when it's comfortable for you,
Blinking your eyes open,
Slowly returning to the space around you,
And re-entering the stream of your day.
