54. BONUS Guided Meditation: Loving Kindness

This bonus  track is the Loving Kindness Meditation. You can lay down, relax, turn this on before you go to sleep at night, or you can set up some art supplies and respond however you like through the creative process. 

If you'd like to do a shorter meditation, you can stop at the short musical interlude. If you'd like to go a little further, the meditation goes a little deeper and longer deeper, for loving kindness that covers the entire earth. And just for good measure, we'll stretch it out to cover the entire cosmos.  

The Loving Kindness meditation has many psychological, emotional, and even physical benefits. It increases empathy and gives you a sense of ease, reduces anxiety, and it allows you to be more empathetic to yourself. 

Relax and enjoy.

Transcript

Welcome to the modern creative Woman. This bonus track is your loving Kindness Meditation and you have some options. You can lay down, relax. You can turn this on before you go to sleep at night, or you can set up some art supplies and respond however you like through the creative process. 

If you'd like to do a shorter meditation, you can stop at the short musical interlude. If you'd like to go a little further. The meditation takes a deeper, longer turn for loving kindness that covers the entire earth. And just for good measure, we'll stretch it out to cover the entire cosmos. 

Loving kindness. Meditation has many psychological, emotional, and even physical benefits. It increases empathy and gives you a sense of ease, reduces anxiety, and it allows you to be more empathetic to yourself. 

So get comfortable. Get your head, neck, and shoulders roughly in alignment with your hips. And take a few deep breaths in through your nose and out through your nose. As you're relaxing. Start to bring your attention towards the center of your belly. And see if you can notice the air rising and falling. From your belly. As you inhale, notice the sensations of breath. You can observe that the air at the tip of your nose is a little cooler on the inhale.  And a little warmer on the exhale.  You can move around a little bit. Move your shoulders. Set up a little straighter stretch. Find yourself in a really comfortable position.  And now shift into this practice by bringing your mind to someone who really has your best interest at heart.  Perhaps this is someone who's given you kindness or support in the past. Could be someone you know now.  Someone you remember as being kind to you. To choose just one person and bring them into your mind's eye and imagine them seated right in front of you, smiling. Now imagine them wishing you to be happy and fulfilled. They're hoping that you have a life that is truly flourishing. You can imagine them radiating this towards you through their smile, through their eyes. With your next couple of breaths, inhale and draw that intention of kindness from this. For a couple more breaths. Really taken this well wish from the person you are imagining. Imagine the happiness and joy from this person who really cherishes you and cares about you. 

Now let the image of this person dissipate. And just notice if in your body there's any residual emotion, a feeling of goodness or warmth or gratitude.  And just notice what it's like to receive this wish.  You can just relax into these sensations and good feelings for another couple of breaths. 1Now, with this feeling of support and happiness, it's time to extend a little. Boost your feeling to others.  So now call someone into your mind's eye. Who's in your life right now who could really use an extra boost? Try and imagine them so clearly as though they were right here in front of you.  Now without too many thoughts or words in your mind about this person. Just imagine how it feels to wish this person to be happy and joyful and fulfill. Focus on the feeling. Focus on wishing them well for a couple more breaths. Holding that feeling of happiness and joy for them. And now let the image of this person dissipate. Just notice whatever sensations you have in your body as they relate to wishing someone well. Now it's time to expand the loving kindness. And it starts with you. And it will expand all the way out. But first notice yourself. Just observe any sensations you're having in your body. If you're aware of any thoughts. You can move around, wiggle a little bit, get really comfortable. Just notice yourself. You can keep focusing on your breath. Some slow inhales through your nose. And slow exhales also through your nose. The thought for yourself is May I be healthy, safe and strong? So I want you to repeat it, either out loud, whisper it or say it in your mind. May I be healthy, safe and strong. May I be healthy, safe and strong. May I be healthy, safe and strong.  Take a deep breath in. And out. Imagine some specific people you know. Call up one person to your mind's eye. May they be healthy, safe and strong. I want you to repeat it. May they be healthy, safe and strong. May they be healthy, safe and strong. May they be healthy, safe and strong.  Imagine a group of people that you know and care about. 3s May they be healthy, safe and strong. May they be healthy, safe and strong.  May they be healthy, safe and strong.  Breathe in.  And out. Hold on to this really good feeling of loving kindness  and start to imagine it expanding.  Imagine your neighborhood.  Your state.  Your country.  The continent that you live on the hemisphere. And now imagine the whole world. And all the life forms being wrapped in this loving kindness.  The statement here is May all beings on planet Earth be healthy, safe and strong.  So repeat with me. May all beings on planet Earth be healthy, safe and strong.  May all beings on planet Earth be healthy, safe and strong.  May all beings on planet Earth be healthy, safe and strong. And take a moment to visualize.  Your loving kindness surrounding the entire planet. Are the creatures on and in. The planet and the planet herself.  And just hold that image of loving kindness that covers the whole earth.  Breathe in. Breathe out. Still holding that image of the earth surrounded by your loving kindness. It's time to expand it even further. So imagine your loving kindness stretching past the earth into space. For all lifeforms in the cosmos. And here we say may all beings, throughout all time and space be healthy, safe and strong. May all beings throughout all time and space be healthy, safe and strong. 1 May all beings throughout all time and space be healthy, safe and strong. Take a slow inhale in through your nose. Exhale slowly through your nose, seeing if you can squeeze out all the air in your lungs. One more deep breath like that. And exhale. Start to pull that loving kindness back towards you. It moves from the cosmos to the earth. From the Earth to your hemisphere. From your hemisphere to your country. All the way back to your neighborhood. And now to you. Notice what it feels like to have given so much loving kindness. And received so much loving kindness from yourself. Take another deep breath in through your nose. And now through your nose. Take three more slow breaths at your own pace. Savor that feeling of love and kindness.