I'm in Florida this week with my fiance's family, and I led a loving-kindness meditation and slow flow this morning on the beach. This time of year can feel heavy with pressure to check-in on 2019 New Year's resolutions and set the perfect intentions for 2020. While I value reflecting & goal setting highly, I also believe in the importance of appreciating that you are whole, complete and perfect just as you are right now.
Loving-kindness increases compassion, empathy and gratitude for yourself and all living beings... with pure acceptance, over judgement or fear. It is one of the 4 Buddhist Immeasurables, which are divine states that are cultivated through meditation. Loving-kindness is a softening of the mind and heart so that you may open yourself to deeper levels of compassion, extending to complete strangers across the planet.
This practice helps us strengthen relationships, foster emotional intelligence and enhance our overall well-being. It’s important to remember that loving-kindness is a journey, it is a lifelong commitment to opening our hearts to greater love for ourselves, so that we can extend this love and compassion toward others.
To practice a loving-kindness meditation, find a quiet place to sit, eyes closed. I always prefer finding a comfortable spot outside if that's available to you. Start by noticing your breath and scanning your body. Land your awareness on your heart. Take a few deep breaths, and focus on appreciating yourself for the fact that you are whole, complete & perfect as you are right now. Repeat the following phrases three times each to yourself:
May I be happy, may I be well, may my life be full of ease.
Now bring to mind one person who you love dearly: a family member, partner, friend. Visualize their face, say their name to yourself, and imagine what they might be doing right now. Repeat the following phrases:
May you be happy, may you be well, may your life be full of ease.
Now bring to mind someone you don’t know very well, someone who is neutral to you. This could be someone you walked by on the street this week, the cashier at the grocery store… try to bring whatever you can remember about this person to your mind. Repeat the following phrases three times each to yourself:
May you be happy, may you be well, may your life be full of ease.
Now bring to mind someone who you have disagreed with or not gotten along with in the past. Someone you may have experienced envy, jealousy or a misunderstanding with. This could be someone you know personally or someone in the media, a world leader, etc. Repeat the following phrases three times each to yourself:
May you be happy, may you be well, may your life be full of ease.
Finally, place your hands over your heart, and bring your awareness to all beings across the planet, human and non-human. Visualize as much humanity and beauty as you can gather, and repeat the following phrases three times each, out-loud if you’d like this time:
May all beings be happy, may all beings be well, may all beings’ lives be full of ease.
May all beings be happy, may all beings be well, may all beings’ lives be full of ease.
May all beings be happy, may all beings be well, may all beings’ lives be full of ease.
Loving-Kindness Writing Prompts
After meditating, spend 5-10 minutes writing about how this meditation made you feel. What thoughts, feelings or sensations arose for you during the meditation?
Reflect on the 3 phrases I offered, “May you be happy, may you be well, may your life be full of ease,” and create your own statements or mantras that feel relevant & personally meaningful to you.
Write letters to experience loving-kindness in action. These letters can be to yourself, someone you thought of in your meditation, your neighbor or postal worker, or anyone you feel called to send love to. You don’t have to actually send the letter... the simple act of writing a letter will infuse your loving-kindness energy into the world.
Much love to you as we enter in a harmonious new decade.
Camryn