We all want to be loved.
We all have the capacity to love deeply.
This meditation is designed to increase that ability to love and be loved.
Allow yourself to come into any comfortable position that supports you.
Feel free to softly close your eyes.
Begin by noticing your physical body and where it's landing against the earth.
Perhaps feeling a sense of support and safety.
Bring your awareness to your breath.
Notice how the body's breathing in this moment.
And then smoothly breathe in a little deeper.
Release your breath and allow your shoulders to soften,
The eyes to relax,
The teeth to separate.
Anytime that we sit in meditation,
It's an act of self-love.
We attempt to bring our awareness inward.
We begin to notice all of the activity that happens mentally.
Now gently see if you could drop away from mental activity,
Thoughts,
Intellect,
And allow your mind to settle into your heart.
If it's helpful,
You can place a hand on your heart,
The other hand resting on the back of it,
Or the hands in a prayer position above,
Making that physical connection.
And as the breath smoothly flows in and out and the body relaxes,
Just sense the movement there behind your hands,
The physical heart pumping,
The blood flowing,
The lungs gently expanding and contracting with each breath.
Rather than feeling the physical sensations,
See if you can feel in to any emotions that reside in your heart.
This is where our capacity for love exists and grows.
Begin to conjure up a feeling of love,
Of how it feels to love someone or to be loved by someone.
For some of us,
It's helpful to think of a loved one,
Someone we care deeply for,
A relative or friend or even a pet.
Perhaps it's helpful to imagine something that you're doing for yourself that's nurturing and soothing,
One of your favorite activities that brings you so much joy.
Maybe it's the child within you that's calling out for more love and you could surround them with a loving embrace.
For some of us,
It's nature,
The love of a sunset or sunrise,
A forest or trees,
Just the magnificence and beauty that's all around us.
And for some of us,
It's not an image at all,
It's a feeling.
So without letting thoughts or dramas or stories take you too far away,
Conjure up a feeling of love.
Whatever helps you to feel loved or loving,
How does it feel in your heart,
In your body when we open up to receive more love?
There's a spaciousness that occurs.
Allow yourself to breathe into that opening.
Breathe in the residue of the feeling of love.
And as you breathe out,
Simply relax.
Have any obstructions,
Any thoughts that come in to disturb this,
Any negative thinking.
Taking some longer,
Deeper breaths in as your heart physically opens up to receiving.
Your lungs fill up with more love.
Relaxing as you breathe out,
Just settling in,
Returning to your center.
And as you take the last few breaths in this practice,
Allow yourself to receive love with each inhale.
And imagine that the breath carries love out from you into the world as you exhale.
So there's a giving and a receiving of the energy of love,
That nurturing,
Soothing quality.
We all want to be loved.
We all have the capacity to love deeply.
As this meditation comes to a close,
I'm just going to invite you to maybe play with the idea,
Breathing love in and out all the time,
Sharing it with the world,
Allowing it to flow freely.
Gently bow the head if you're able and take a last deep breath of appreciation for yourself,
For all the love in your life.
Relaxing and settling back into your seat.
When you feel ready,
Reopen the eyes and carry this love with you into your day.
Namaste.
