You begin the meditation,
Find a comfortable position and close your eyes if you'd like to.
Just take a few deep cleansing breaths at your own pace.
If it's more comfortable to leave your eyes open with your gaze resting softly in front of you,
Know that that's okay too.
Do what feels right for you.
As you continue to settle,
Allow your body to relax,
Letting go of any tension.
Bring your awareness to the present moment,
Acknowledging that you're embarking on a journey to explore the landscape of your internal world through loving-kindness,
Which is a practice that comes out of the tradition of Buddhism.
Shift your focus to your breath.
If you're not there already,
Inhale deeply,
Counting to four.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
And exhale slowly,
Also counting to four.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
With each breath,
Imagine you're grounding yourself in the present moment,
Creating a stable foundation for your meditation.
It may be helpful to visualize a warm,
Radiant light emanating from your heart center.
This light represents the loving-kindness that is inherent within you.
And following the principles of metta,
Which is another way to phrase loving-kindness,
Begin by directing this light towards your inner parts,
Those different aspects of yourself that often arise.
First,
Send loving-kindness to your inner protectors,
The parts of you that seek safety,
Guard your well-being.
It may be helpful to offer words like,
May you be safe,
Protected,
And at ease.
Next,
Extend the light to your inner child,
Those often younger,
Exiled parts.
These parts embody your vulnerability,
Innocence,
Playful spirit.
Offer similar words like,
May you be happy,
Joyful,
And free from suffering.
Know,
Too,
That I encourage you to pause this recording as often as you need to.
If your system needs more time,
Then I allow.
And continue by offering metta,
Or loving-kindness,
To other parts that arise.
Maybe it's your inner critic,
Or inner nurturer,
Your inner sage.
And tailor your words to each part's unique needs,
Extending the wish for happiness,
Joyfulness,
Freedom from suffering.
Then maybe it's helpful to recognize that your internal parts,
Like all things,
Are constantly changing.
Just as emotions come and go,
These parts,
Too,
Are transient.
Allow yourself to release any attachment to these parts as fixed identities.
But just extend those words of who you are at your core to these parts.
At your core is who you are.
It is a part of you,
And it's beautiful.
And let those parts know that are arising,
Your wish for safety and protection,
And that they'd be at ease.
Imagine each part of yourself as a floating leaf on a gentle stream,
And observe how they naturally flow and drift along the currents without clinging to any specific direction.
Let go of any need to control or hold on to these parts,
If you can.
And all the while,
Just cultivating a sense of curiosity and non-judgment,
And sending this curiosity and non-judgment awareness towards the various parts that arise.
Just as someone who meditates observes thoughts during mindfulness meditation.
Observe your internal parts without getting entangled in their stories.
Just trying to listen with no agenda as we end this meditation.
Imagine your inner parts coming together in a circle,
Sitting in harmony.
Feel the unity and interconnectedness of these parts within you.
Recognize that each part contributes to the mosaic of your well-being.
Then when you're ready,
You can gently bring your awareness back to your breath with a sense of gratitude.
Thank each of your internal parts for their presence and wisdom.
Thank them for as much or as little as they wanted to share.
Let them know,
If you can,
That this doesn't have to be the last time.
You'd like to spend more time with them,
If they'd like to spend more time with you.
Just check in,
See if there's anything else that you need to offer the parts,
Or that the parts may need to offer to you.
Then you can slowly open your eyes,
If they were closed,
And transition back into your present space and surroundings.
Remember this meditation is a tool to explore your internal world through this loving-kindness or meta-lens that we learned from Buddhist tradition.
Feel free to modify and adapt it to suit your personal practice and journey.
Thanks for joining me for this meditation.
