Practice this loving kindness meditation to help extend compassion to yourself and those around you. (11 minutes)
What follows is a loving-kindness meditation. In this practice, we bring to mind images and phrases using our thoughts in a purposeful way. The aim of this meditation is to help us cultivate over time a more gentle, friendly, and kind attitude towards ourselves, towards others, and towards whatever situation we may find ourselves in.
So, beginning by coming into a comfortable posture, sitting or lying down. You can close your eyes or keep them open and soft, perhaps with a gentle, downcast gaze resting on the floor a few feet ahead of you.
Feeling contact with the floor beneath you. If you're sitting, noticing sensations of sitting, the support of the seat against your body. Notice, seeing sensations at the hands resting. Letting go of any unnecessary tensing in the body, softening the face, the eyes, the forehead, the jaw. Letting the shoulders be at ease. Softening the belly.
Directing the attention to the body breathing in and out. Feeling the sensations of inhaling and exhaling, aware of the expanding and contracting in the abdomen, with a rising and falling from moment to moment.
Paying attention to the breath as if it were a dear friend who you care about. Who you're just sitting with, giving them your caring presence. Paying attention to the sensations of the breath in this way.
And now, letting go of attention to the breath and inviting a sense of yourself into your mind.
Bring to mind an image of yourself, what you look like now, or the last time you saw your reflection in a mirror, or a familiar photograph, in as much detail as possible. Or you can bring to mind an image of yourself as a child.
Or if you prefer, you can just hold the sense of your presence, your body resting here, right now and breathing.
And once you have this image of yourself or the sense of yourself in mind, extending towards yourself a soft, friendly, and kind attitude, holding yourself with the same attitude that you held the breath with in this friendly, warm way.
And extending phrases of loving-kindness towards yourself silently in your mind. You can use these phrases or choose your own.
May I feel safe. May I be peaceful. May I be happy. May I live with ease.
May I feel safe. May I be peaceful. May I be happy. May I live with ease.
May I feel safe. May I be peaceful. May I be happy.
Letting the phrases be a place for your attention to rest. Continuing to repeat the phrases, offering them to yourself as you sit here with an attitude of warmth, friendliness, and care.
If your attention wanders away from the phrases, it's okay. Gently bringing attention back to the phrases, repeating them in your mind, offering them to yourself.
May I feel safe. May I be peaceful. May I be happy. May I live with ease.
May I feel safe, may I be peaceful, may I be happy, may I live with ease.
Allowing the phrases to wash over you, allowing the possibility of taking them in, taking in your own care, as if you were with a dear friend who you care about, extending this way of being towards yourself, continuing to offer the phrases towards yourself.
May I feel safe, may I be peaceful, may I be happy, may I live with ease.
Noticing when the attention wanders. If you find yourself thinking about how to be happy, how to be peaceful, or judging yourself, just noticing these thoughts and letting them be, returning your attention to repeating the phrases.
Offering them towards yourself with an attitude of kindness, softness, and care.
May I feel safe, may I be peaceful, may I be happy, may I live with ease.
And now letting go of the phrases, letting go of any images that have arisen, and allowing attention to return to the body. Feeling sensations of contact with the ground. If you're sitting, feeling the support of the chair. Noticing the hands resting.
Bringing awareness to the body, breathing in and breathing out. Taking one or two more full deep breaths in and out, at your own pace.
And as we close this meditation, taking a moment to thank yourself for your practice today, for taking the time to care for yourself in this way.