So let's go through that,
Just a brief meditation.
And if it's comfortable for you,
You can close your eyes or find a posture that feels good.
Loving kindness is the root of this compassion meditation.
The wish for well-being,
The wish for thriving,
No matter the cards that you're dealt,
So to speak.
And let's get to notice your body,
The sensations in your body,
Noticing your legs,
Whatever it is that you're sitting on,
Noticing sensations in your torso,
Neck,
Arms,
Hands and fingers,
All the sensations through your jaw,
Face,
Scalp,
Becoming aware of the body.
And staying in your felt experience,
I'd like you to think about something that's going on in your life right now.
It might be a small suffering for you,
That's difficult that you might be facing.
And I'd like you to let it land,
So to speak,
I'd like you to notice the impact that it's having.
And this is quite a balance.
So I don't want you to let it sort of overwhelm and for you to follow it sort of down a rabbit hole.
But I'd like you to stay in mindfulness and in a place of sort of balanced curiosity.
And that doesn't mean to be detached from it.
It means being present with its impact,
What it means for you,
The reach that it has on your relationships,
What it means for the actions that you might have to take,
Or sacrifices that you might have to make.
Recognizing the impact and having a moment of honesty with yourself,
Just that this is a suffering.
And noticing the sensations in your body,
Your stomach and chest.
And as a second part of this meditation,
I'd like you to recognize also that you're not alone.
Really,
None of us are alone.
And in a way,
We're not alone in our experience because you can imagine that other people in the world right now,
Maybe going through a very similar experience.
And that they can understand almost exactly what you're going through right now.
There are people who can understand the reach,
The impact on relationship,
On your feeling,
On your thoughts.
They cannot just sympathize,
But they can be in it with you,
With a deep understanding.
And maybe people on this call tonight.
And there may be people in your life that you might have hesitated reaching out to,
But could,
And are willing to help and understand.
Understanding the common humanity.
And the last part of this meditation is the metta.
In this circumstance,
Not separate from it.
Full understanding of the reach,
The impact,
The full understanding of others who have experienced something similar.
How can I take a step towards thriving in this,
How can I treat myself?
How can I be gentle?
How can I be supportive and persistent?
How can I be loving to myself?
And to the others involved.
How can I have peace of mind?
What actions might I take?
What things might I let go of in order to move forward?
What might I have to be brave about?
What might I have to believe in without fully knowing?
Who can I reach out to?
And also,
How can I take care of myself and build my resilience?
How can I take care of my body?
How can I feel strong?
How can I prepare myself?
So I have enough left in my tank for others.
And how can I feel safe and supported?
How can I create community by asking for help?
How can I create closer bonds by asking for help?
How can I help others to feel good about themselves and to feel confident in their capacity?
As partners,
As friends,
As loved ones,
By letting them help.
Creating safety for myself in community.
And in continuing to redefine compassionately,
Redefine what well-being means.
And it doesn't have to be a jumping up and down happy,
But maybe a sense of fulfillment,
Satisfaction,
Connection,
Contentment.
And maybe in that,
Finding some joy.
Finding hope and resilience.
And breathing in that hope,
Resilience,
Well-being,
Thriving,
Connection,
Support.
Feeling it into your heart and imagining that growing.
That sense of thriving,
Well-being,
Spreading beyond your body,
Spreading through your body.
It was an energy you were creating,
A felt sense.
Feeling your whole body with that sensation in the in-breath.
Imagine that expanding physically beyond your body,
Through your town,
City,
And your body.
And in-breath,
Imagining it expanding wider and wider.
Seeing all beings thrive,
All beings who have experienced something similar to you.
Country,
The world.
And when you're ready,
Coming back to allowing your body to breathe naturally.
Just noticing how your body feels,
Where your mind is,
And savoring a few in-breaths and out-breaths.
And when you're ready,
Coming back to your body,
Feeling all the sensations in your body.
Taking a deep in-breath and small stretch,
And open your eyes.
