This is a meditation to prepare you to love.
It begins with a mindfulness exercise,
Then moves into a loving-kindness practice.
It will help you to connect with God's unconditional love in a deep space,
Freeing you to show up with your good and compassionate heart,
Which really is the very core of who you are.
So let's begin by settling in,
Sitting in a way that is comfortable,
And begin to notice your breathing.
A good way to do this is to simply send your attention down around your belly and allow the muscles down there to soften.
So as you inhale,
You might notice that your belly is able to expand.
As you exhale,
You might notice that you are able to release just a little bit of tension.
And now we will start checking in with your senses.
Our intention is to briefly notice each area of experience,
Then return to the breath.
And so to start,
We will send attention to hearing.
Notice that in addition to the sound of my voice and some background music,
There are other,
More subtle sounds around you.
Just notice them.
And then bring your attention back to your breath,
Rooting yourself into the earth.
Then shift and send your attention to your vision.
If your eyes are closed,
You might notice the light and the shadows.
If they are open,
You can notice a few specific colors,
Maybe shapes.
Just notice it.
Then again,
Send your attention back to your breathing,
Always allowing yourself to breathe deeply from your belly.
Send your attention to your sense of smell and taste.
Be aware if there are any lingering tastes or smells there.
For now,
Just notice.
And coming back to your breath,
Notice how exhaling from your deep belly allows you to let go of just a little bit of tension.
Shift now your attention back to your skin.
Notice the temperature of your body,
How comfortable your clothing feels today,
And the way gravity is grounding you back into the earth.
And again,
Return your attention to your breath,
Each inhale grounding you,
Each exhale easily releasing more tension.
Now,
Move your attention to the inside of your body.
A good way to do this is to start with your feet and ankles.
Maybe wiggle your toes a bit and notice the bones and muscles and ligaments down there.
Then,
Moving slowly up your body,
Sensing your legs from the inside,
Starting with your lower calves.
Then,
Your attention up into your thighs.
Then,
Your hips,
Pelvis,
Into your lower back and belly.
And then up into your upper back and chest,
Sensing your shoulders,
Your arms,
Your neck,
Your face,
All from the inside.
Notice especially those small muscles around your face,
Near your eyes.
Even the sensation just underneath your scalp.
Just noticing.
And then returning to your breathing,
Perhaps sending your attention back to your belly,
How you are now breathing with great ease.
And now,
I'd like you to turn and pay attention to your thoughts.
Let your attention quietly notice the thoughts that are constantly being generated by your mind.
Just simply observe.
Thoughts will come,
Thoughts will go.
No need to push them away or attach your attention to them.
Allow yourself to notice,
Witness your thoughts as you would clouds passing through the sky.
You might notice that your mind is always generating these thoughts and they are not the same thing as you.
You are free to notice them and allow them to pass.
Now,
I'd like you to shift your attention again to notice where you are in space.
Without opening your eyes,
You can notice the space all around you.
You can sense the corners of the room you are in.
You can even imagine floating up above where you are,
Looking out at the landscape in all directions.
Aware of all the people that are surrounding you,
Begin to allow love and compassion to flow from your heart generously.
Perhaps you can imagine God's warm love filling you and then overflowing,
Blessing the people around you.
You might start with the people closest to you,
Perhaps family,
Neighbors,
Your community.
And you can imagine this loving compassion,
This blessing flowing from your heart to touch all people expanding into your region,
Your country,
Even the whole world.
And now let's focus on allowing love to flow more energetically to those people closest to you.
Picture one of these people in front of you.
Imagine them now when they were young,
Innocently wanting only to be loved and enjoyed and protected,
And instead getting hurt or ignored,
Maybe used.
You probably know their story.
Remember their fear.
Perhaps you can picture them with a few tears in their young eyes,
Those tears that always flow when we lose our innocence.
Allow your compassionate heart to slowly awaken,
Knowing that that hurt child is still in there.
And check with your intention.
What do you want to bring to that hurt?
Perhaps you can imagine God's unconditional love flowing through you,
Bringing compassion,
Maybe even a fierce passion to fight to heal their heart.
Notice the power that you have to heal.
You might want to consider naming this as a prayer or blessing.
Perhaps you can try quietly repeating these words of blessing after me.
May he or she be well today.
May he or she be filled with God's loving kindness and healing.
May he or she be released from unnecessary suffering and find peace today.
And now you can repeat this process with anyone else you will be interacting with.
Begin by picturing them in front of you,
Remembering their young,
Inner,
Fragile places,
Allowing your compassionate heart to awaken,
Clarifying your intention to bring compassion and healing and strength,
And then praying a blessing for them,
That today they would be well,
Filled with God's loving kindness and healing,
And released from unnecessary suffering,
And that they would find peace today.
You can pause this and repeat this prayer with as many people as you would like.
And finally,
Picture yourself in front of you,
As if perhaps looking in a mirror.
Commit yourself to be gentle and compassionate with all of you,
Even the places that still hurt,
Or the ways you feel like you are not enough.
And you might want to imagine God's love pouring into these inner places.
And consider praying these words silently after me.
May I be well today.
May I be filled with God's loving kindness.
May I be healed and released from unnecessary suffering.
May I find peace.
And you can let that loving kindness towards yourself settle in for as long as you need.
And now,
As we prepare to transition and finish,
Bring your attention back to your body,
Noticing your breathing,
Aware of compassion and love flowing from your good heart in all directions,
Especially towards those closest to you.
And as you do that,
You can begin to move your body around.
Open your eyes,
Move around,
And transition back into your world.
Have a blessed day.
Namaste.
