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- Meditation
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- Assertive Kindness
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- Assertive Kindness Meditation 06
Session 6/10
Transcript
Welcome to your meditation practice. Give yourself time to arrive in this moment. And in this space the rest of the day drops away and you are here.
You are calm. You are present content and unhurried. Now settle into stillness. Allow yourself to find a posture that works for you today.
Whether that’s a seated posture or a standing one. Remember, there are no rules. You don’t have to fit yourself into an external image of what meditation should look like. Instead, feel your way into it.
You’re not trying to achieve anything with this practice. Not trying to hit any targets or meet any goals. You’re simply taking the time to be with yourself, to relax the mind and to create space within you to feel more open, loving and kind. Allow yourself to be here.
Today you were moving through the second loving kindness practice, or metta meditation practice of this series. But instead of directing it at the self, as we did last time, today’s practice will be directed outward towards someone else.
Bring to mind a person you know who you have neutral feelings towards. This means you don’t necessarily love or especially like them. You don’t have deep feelings of warmth towards them. But you don’t dislike them either.
You’ve had no negative interactions with them, and you don’t feel badly towards them. They’re just neutral. Someone you know who you have no strong feelings about at all.
When you found this person in your head, hold them here in your mind. Take a few moments to imagine them fully. Almost as if they’re standing right in front of you. Now I will speak five phrases to you. They’re the same phrases you worked with in your last loving kindness practice.
But this time, instead of cultivating warmth and kindness towards yourself, you will cultivate it towards this neutral person. First all you need to do is listen. Breathing gently remain present in this space and in this moment and keep the image of your neutral person in your mind.
May you be safe? May you be happy. May you be resilient to the challenges of life. May you be appreciated for your positive qualities. May you be loved regardless of your challenges or flows.
Now, speak these phrases again and this time I invite you to repeat them with me out loud or silently in your mind and keep that person in your mind.
Imagine us speaking directly to them. May you be safe? May you be happy? May you be resilient to the challenges of life? May you be appreciated for your positive qualities? May you be loved regardless of your challenges, or flaws?
I’ll say them one more time, and you can repeat them with me or just listen. Either way, hold that neutral person in your mind. May you be safe. May you be happy. May you be resilient to the challenges of life may be appreciated for your positive qualities. May you be love regardless of your challenges or flows.
And then bring the awareness to your breath. Notice how the breath feels in the body. There’s no need to try to control it. Simply notice how it moves in and out of the body in a gentle natural rhythm.
Bring the awareness to the whole body steady and comfortable here. And if it feels good, take a gentle stretch through the body. Roll the shoulders. Release tension. When you feel ready, your practice is complete.
”You're simply taking the time to be with yourself, to relax the mind and to create space within you to feel more open, loving and kind.