Welcome to this love and kindness meditation.
I invite you to settle into a comfortable seated position allowing your spine to rise naturally and your body to soften around it.
Let your hands rest easily by your side,
Shoulders away from the ears and allow the breath to move freely.
At this moment there is nowhere else to go,
Nothing else to do,
Nothing to fix,
Just this quiet moment of being here.
Begin by bringing the awareness to your body,
Noticing the limbs,
The spine,
The hips and the legs.
Just notice any sensations that come up,
The subtle rise and fall as you breathe,
Allowing the senses to take in whatever they want to at this moment.
Maybe it's something you hear,
Maybe it's something you feel.
Simply allow yourself to be present.
Now bring to mind someone in your life,
Whether it be yourself,
A teacher,
A friend,
A loved one or even a stranger whose presence felt supportive.
Picture them in your awareness,
Maybe recall them the memories you've had with them,
Gently and simply.
Maybe you choose to offer them the words,
May you be safe,
May you be well,
May you be at ease,
May you live with kindness.
Just allowing a sense of appreciation,
Thanks and ease to float through the body,
Wishing people well,
Wishing them kindness,
Happiness and free from suffering.
Next bring to mind a neutral person,
Maybe someone you see but don't know too well,
A passerby,
A colleague,
Someone from your daily life,
Knowing that they also carry joy and struggles.
Sending them whatever wishes feel appropriate at the moment.
And lastly,
If it feels appropriate for you,
You can now bring to mind someone whose presence felt a little bit more difficult or challenging.
You can choose somebody mildly difficult rather than deeply painful,
Just holding them lightly in awareness.
Know that they too also carry joy and struggles,
Challenges and hardships.
Sending them whatever wishes feel appropriate at the moment.
And as you go through this one,
Notice whatever arises in the body when the thoughts arise,
Whether unpleasant or pleasant.
Notice if different memories bring up different emotions and create different sensations in the body.
Now allow your awareness to widen,
Including all beings everywhere,
Known and unknown,
Spreading the sense of thanks and ease.
May all beings be safe,
May all beings be well,
May all beings be at ease,
May all beings live with kindness,
Allowing the body to rest for a few breaths.
When you are ready,
Gently return the awareness back to the body and the breath,
Coming back into the space,
Maybe opening the eyes,
Wiggling the fingertips and the toes.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
