We can set the tone for kindness and goodwill right from the outset by letting ourselves be as comfortable as possible.
Finding a position that feels supportive to settle into,
Letting yourself be held by the chair or cushion.
Softening into the body,
Softening into your seat,
Allowing the eyes to gently close or lower.
Feeling the support of the earth beneath you,
Feeling the boundless space that surrounds you.
And as you take your seat in this space wholeheartedly,
They invite you to take some long,
Slow,
Deep breaths.
Sending the breath down into the belly,
Opening and expanding and with each exhale,
Relaxing and letting go.
You might even lengthen your exhale so that it's slightly longer than the inhale.
Seeing what feels right for you in your own time,
Not forcing anything.
Living here together in time and space from where we each sit with this shared intention to cultivate goodwill.
Recognising how extraordinary this is and acknowledging yourself and each other for consciously creating the conditions for your wellbeing,
For your state of heart and mind.
Reflecting on our common humanity,
This at times difficult human existence.
Seeing that we're all deeply interconnected and that despite our differences,
We have far more in common,
Including our innate desire to be happy,
To find true happiness.
That is a happiness born from within that doesn't leave us dissatisfied.
A happiness that doesn't cause harm or take anything away from anyone else because it comes from developing our own inner resources.
True happiness is your birthright.
Now allowing the breath to be natural and I invite you to rest your awareness at your heart space.
We begin by offering ourselves goodwill just in the same way that on a plane we first need to put on our oxygen mask before assisting others.
You may find it helpful to hold an image of yourself in your mind's eye,
Perhaps an image of yourself sitting here now as if you were outside your body looking back at yourself.
You might see yourself as a small child or imagine your older,
Wiser self who has experienced all of life providing you unconditional care and support.
It doesn't have to be a vivid picture,
It can just be a felt sense coming back to your innate desire to find true happiness and I invite you to silently offer yourself the following phrases.
May I be truly happy.
May I be safe.
May I be healthy.
May I live with ease.
As you repeat the words,
Let yourself sink into the intentions they express,
Allowing yourself to feel whatever comes up,
Welcoming any and all emotions,
Pleasant,
Painful,
Indifferent.
You may wish to place a hand on your heart.
May I be truly happy.
May I be safe.
May I be healthy.
May I live with ease.
May I be safe.
Feelings of warmth or friendliness arise,
Abiding in these,
Inviting them to grow as you repeat the phrases.
The feelings that seem counter to goodwill arise,
Perhaps sadness or numbness.
As best you can,
Allowing them to be here without making them wrong.
We aren't trying to fabricate a feeling,
We are nurturing our intention and planting the seeds for goodwill.
Can you notice the mind has wandered,
Gently coming back to the phrases,
Or any phrases of your own?
When you're getting away,
It Can?
You you Now bringing to mind Someone you care about Someone who you are grateful has been in your life or in the world Someone who has been there for you in some way To bring them to mind feels deeply positive This May be a loved one a Good friend a Benefactor or even a spiritual or guiding figure from afar And as you picture them Invite a smile to your face as if you're smiling at them and See them smiling back at you Notice how this feels If you can't picture them easily You might hear their voice or their love Or have a felt sense of their presence Consider the ways in which they have helped or supported you And silently offering them the following phrases May you be truly happy May you be safe May you be healthy May you live with ease Each time you notice the mind has wandered Freshly recalling this loved one or benefactor Letting their image or their presence draw you back to the phrases May you be truly happy May you be safe May you be healthy May you live with ease May you be safe You You You Now bringing to mind a neutral person Someone you don't know particularly well Who you have no strong feelings toward It could be the barista at your local cafe The supermarket attendant The postman or someone else that you see in passing regularly Though you may not know their name and know very little about this person As you picture their face or sense them in the limited context that you know them Realizing that just like you they experience pain and pleasure Like you They know hope and fear And just like you they wish to be happy Silently offering them the following phrases May you be truly happy May you be safe May you be healthy You may you live with ease Reflecting that this person just like you Lives a rich and complex human life Their happiness is as real to them as yours is to you They too are a living feeling being And if you find the mind wandering it's not a problem Simply settling back into the phrases of goodwill May you be truly happy May you be safe May you be healthy May you live with ease And now bringing to mind someone that you know who you find challenging in some way It's best not to start with the most difficult person that comes to mind But someone you find annoying or irritating It might be someone you tend to be critical of someone you avoid or easily argue with And as you hold this person in mind be honest about what you feel Noticing any difficulty or discomfort that arises And as best you can staying with your experience Allowing it to be Breathing into it And with each exhalation softening any tension in the body Though you have your differences Recognising that just like you this person has loved and been loved That just like you they have known gain and loss Just like you they have felt joy and sorrow And just like you they wish to be happy Wishing goodwill for someone doesn't mean you have to like them And it doesn't mean you condone bad behaviour Remember you're wishing true happiness If all the nasty misguided people in the world could find true happiness The world would be a much better place So as best you can letting there be no limitation on your goodwill Taking your time with the phrases May you be truly happy May you be safe May you be healthy May you live with ease And if this feels too confronting then I invite you to always be happy If this feels too confronting then I invite you to also include yourself in the phrases May we be truly happy May we be safe May we be healthy May we live with ease Bearing witness to how you feel and continuing to breathe If at any time you feel overwhelmed by emotion Then allowing the image of your loved one to usher you back into a space of goodwill Or if you prefer,
Simply resting with the breath And if you feel overwhelmed by the feeling of your love Then allowing the image of your loved one to usher you back into a space of goodwill And as you abide in this presence of goodwill Expanding your awareness to include all of us here together The power of our intention combined Letting this goodwill permeate your entire field of awareness In front,
Behind,
To the sides,
Above and below Awareness imbued with goodwill,
Suffusing into the world,
Embracing all beings May all beings be truly happy May all beings be safe May all beings be healthy May all beings live with ease May all beings be free May all beings be free And gradually starting to deepen your breath Deepening your breath and becoming aware of your body once more Feeling the support of the earth beneath you And slowly inviting some very gentle movement in any way that feels right And as we bring the meditation to a close,
Setting your intention to carry this quality of heart and mind into your interactions both inwardly and outwardly And whenever you're ready,
If they've been closed,
Gently opening the eyes
