How can you cultivate a sense of love towards yourself,
Towards those you care about,
Towards others,
And towards strangers,
A love that is capable of healing the world?
Psychological research suggests that we are happiest when we connect with others,
And yet we often choose to be alone,
In our heads,
In front of screens,
If not physically.
And we are timid about reaching out to others with more than a text or email,
A like,
Or a glance,
Or maybe a hesitant smile.
Relationships matter.
Not every connection needs to be about complex interactions.
We can allow people in our lives and appreciate their presence for different reasons.
But to heal the world,
We must start with ourselves,
And we cannot do the work alone.
If you want to improve relationships in your life,
Then this meta,
Or loving kindness meditation,
Will help you explore kinder feelings towards yourself,
So that you can do better connecting with others.
Today's practice lets us acknowledge that it's often easier to be kinder to others than ourselves.
As we prepare to meditate together,
Here is our centering thought.
I offer love and kindness to myself and to all beings.
I offer love and kindness to myself and to all beings.
Now let's prepare for our meditation.
Make yourself comfortable,
And inhale slowly and deeply.
Exhale just as slowly and completely.
Continue like this,
Allowing your body to become more at ease,
Relaxed,
And spacious with each breath.
Whenever you're distracted by thoughts,
Noises,
Or physical sensations,
Return your attention to my voice.
Now let us begin our practice.
Place your attention on the area in the middle of your chest around your heart.
If you'd like,
You can repeat to yourself gently and softly the mantra for the heart.
Yum.
Feel the resonance starting at your heart and expanding outward,
Maybe upwards.
Yum.
Yum.
Yum.
Experience a feeling of warmth and love through your whole body.
Yum.
Yum.
Yum.
And then open the circle of loving kindness by bringing to mind someone you love,
Someone you care about deeply.
See them,
Their silhouette,
Their smile,
Their hands.
Sense what it is about this person that you love.
In your heart,
Feel your appreciation and begin your simple offering for this person.
May you be happy,
Full of gratitude and connection with others.
May you be well in your mind and body,
Accepting yourself as you are.
May you be safe,
Free of fear,
Harm,
And suffering.
May you be at ease,
Peaceful,
Forgiving,
And with an open heart.
May you feel my love.
And now offer these words for yourself.
May I be happy,
Full of gratitude and connection with others.
May I be well in body and mind,
Accepting myself as I am.
May I be safe,
Free of fear,
Harm,
And suffering.
May I be at ease,
Peaceful,
Forgiving,
And with an open heart.
May I feel my love.
Now bring to mind someone you might see regularly but don't know well.
It might be a neighbor or someone from the grocery store.
Allow yourself to think about the people you pass every day as you go about your life.
Expand your thoughts to people you may never meet on the other side of the world.
Bring all of these beings to mind now and offer them the words of loving kindness.
May all beings be happy,
Full of gratitude and connection with others.
May all beings be well in body and mind,
Accepting ourselves as we are.
May all beings be safe,
Free of fear,
Harm,
And suffering.
May all beings be at ease,
Peaceful,
Forgiving,
And with an open heart.
May all beings feel my love.
And if it's possible for you,
Bring to mind someone with whom you've had a difficult relationship.
Perhaps it's someone you don't like to feel sympathy or compassion for.
See if it's possible to let go of feelings of resentment and dislike for this person.
Remind yourself to see them as a whole being deserving of love and kindness.
As someone who feels pain and anxiety.
As someone who also suffers.
See if it's possible to extend to this person the words of loving kindness.
May you be happy,
Full of gratitude and connection with others.
May you be well in your body and mind,
Accepting yourself as you are.
May you be safe,
Free of fear,
Harm,
And suffering.
May you be at ease,
Peaceful,
Forgiving,
And with an open heart.
May you feel my love.
And now bring this practice to a close by coming back to extending kindness to yourself.
Knowing that loving yourself,
Your truest self,
Is the greatest step toward living your best life.
And sharing that gift with others.
So again,
Offer these words to yourself.
May I be happy,
Full of gratitude and connection with others.
May I be well in body and mind,
Accepting myself just as I am.
May I be safe,
Free of fear,
Harm,
And suffering.
May I be at ease,
Peaceful,
Forgiving,
And with an open heart.
May I feel my love.
Experience this feeling of warmth and love through your whole body.
Perhaps return to the mantra of the heart.
Yum.
Yum.
Yum.
Continue to inhale and exhale slowly.
As you gently release your practice,
Sit for a moment,
Filled and surrounded by a sense of healing,
Resilience for yourself and the world.
As you contemplate our centering thought.
I offer love and kindness to myself and to all beings.
I offer love and kindness to myself and to all beings.
Namaste.
