Welcome to the practice of loving kindness for ourselves.
Giving whatever time is needed to allow the body,
The mind and the heart to all arrive and to settle.
Aware of sounds,
Sounds in the room that you're in or perhaps outside of the room.
Awareness of this soundscape that you're positioned within.
Sounds simply as vibrations arising and passing through.
And taking a moment now to welcome yourself to this practice,
All parts of yourself.
Laying out the welcome mat quite warmly.
And then bringing the attention to your physical body.
Going into what it's like to be this human being in this moment of time.
Dancing into the body,
Perhaps noticing any parts of the physical body that are still tight,
Still holding on as if you are still moving or standing.
And knowing that you've chosen a posture either seated or lying down that can truly hold and support you.
Inviting these parts and all parts of the physical body to settle,
To soften,
Perhaps surrendering to being held in the posture that you've thoughtfully chosen for this practice.
Feeling into the body,
Feeling into the contact points with the chair or the floor,
The weight of you firmly grounded.
Sensing into the body's inner stillness,
Your body whole and grounded in this moment of time.
And inviting a sense of affection for this practice.
So bringing in that sense of soothing touch,
Whatever you've decided upon that feels right for you.
So whether it's hands on the heart or hands somewhere else,
Maybe on the legs or the arms,
Wherever it feels like a reminder to you to bring that warmth and affection to this self-compassion practice.
So reconnecting with touch.
And wherever that touch is,
Imagining this part of the body moving into a smile.
Feeling a sense of warmth of a smile in this part of the body.
And using your imagination,
Imagining the warmth of this smile to spread,
Spread throughout your whole body.
The whole body seated here,
Quite settled and with that sense of enjoyment that a true and honest smile brings.
And now allowing this affectionate awareness to incline towards the breath.
Leaning to the breath in your body.
Feeling into the breath,
Leaning into the breath with that same sense of gentleness and tenderness that you would lean down to a small child.
Same kind of patience and gentleness.
Meeting your breath with that same warmth.
Ah,
There you are,
The breath.
And allowing yourself permission to be doing nothing,
Simply resting with feeling the body breathing.
Nothing to be done as the body knows how to breathe.
Feeling into the inward breath and feeling into the outward breath.
Allowing yourself to be with this rhythm,
However it is in this moment.
This natural moving in and moving out like the sea and the natural movement of the tides.
Moving in and moving out.
When you notice the mind wanders,
Including this in this practice of affectionate awareness.
Minds wander.
So meeting the wandering mind with that same warmth and patience.
And in your own gentle way,
Escorting the mind back to resting with the breath.
Resting with the in and resting with the out breath.
Perhaps opening to allowing the body to gently move,
Gently rock with this natural flow of the breath.
Whatever feels easeful for you.
And at any time in this practice if you notice that you may be trying or you may be putting a bit of work into this practice,
Then giving yourself permission to let go entirely.
Perhaps just come to feeling the body,
Hearing sounds.
Letting this practice be easeful.
And as you keep a light touch on the breath,
Allowing yourself to become gently aware again of how it feels to be in this human body right now.
And in opening up to all that is in this body,
Gently offering yourself words or phrases that fit your needs in this moment.
Words that are just right for you.
All clear,
Honest and kind.
Giving yourself over fully to meeting the need to hear whatever words are needing to be heard.
If you already have phrases that are meaningful for you,
Feeling free to use them.
If you're feeling quite good at the moment and you'd like to use some loving kindness phrases,
Considering phrases such as,
May I be well,
May I be happy,
May I be joyful and may I be safe.
If you're noticing any kind of struggle in the body,
Whether it be with the heart,
The mind,
The physical body,
Any kind of sense of unease,
You may like to offer some words of compassion.
Perhaps phrases such as,
May I be kind to myself,
May I offer myself kindness.
This is a tough moment and it's part of being human.
All humans experience tough moments.
This is what connects us,
Not divides us.
So may I be there for myself.
May I be kind.
And if the mind wanders,
Bringing compassion to the busy wandering mind.
Such an exhausting job to be the busy human mind.
So bringing compassion to this.
May you find ease.
May you find peace.
So bringing compassion for the busy mind.
Staying open and allowing whatever words or phrases bubble up,
Allowing them to roll through the mind and to land on your heart.
To settle within the heart space.
Coming up and allowing this practice to meet that innate human need for giving and for receiving kindness.
Allowing this practice to be one of including yourself in your circle of kindness and your circle of compassion.
Safe,
Joyful,
Well and peaceful.
And meeting any resistance or any sense of striving through this practice.
Meeting that also with that open,
Warm hearted embrace of compassion.
May you learn to be easeful.
May you learn to be peaceful.
Take it easy.
And now letting go of the practice,
So offering yourself whatever well wish you choose to end this practice on.
Taking a moment.
And then letting go of the practice and simply being with the body,
Feeling into this stillness in the body in this moment.
Feeling into the steadiness and stillness in your body.
You may now begin to light a lamp.
