WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:28.240 Let's just gently move back to the seat you have before your screen and we just 00:28.240 --> 00:41.400 transition into a sitting meditation and we will sit here for like 30 minutes. 00:41.400 --> 00:51.460 So the invitation is that you find a comfortable way of sitting and this will be a loving kindness 00:51.460 --> 01:00.660 meditation which may be new for some of you. 01:00.660 --> 01:10.460 So let's start this seat by arranging the body, making sure you are sitting comfortably, 01:10.460 --> 01:18.220 with ease. If sitting is not appropriate for you right now, 01:18.220 --> 01:28.220 you can do this meditation in any position, lying down or standing up. 01:28.220 --> 01:36.320 You may gently close your eyes or just lower your gaze so that you don't look at the screen 01:36.320 --> 01:49.220 to all of those pictures. And now let's turn our attention inward into the body. 01:49.220 --> 02:03.320 Just noticing sensations allowing the body to be still and noticing the sensations from 02:03.320 --> 02:21.020 head to toe, sensing the feet on the floor, noticing the stability and the connection with 02:21.020 --> 02:22.020 the floor. 02:22.020 --> 02:34.020 Bringing attention to how the chair or the cushion is supporting us as we make contact with 02:34.020 --> 02:40.020 the seat of the chair. 02:42.020 --> 02:43.020 Bringing our attention to the hands, 02:44.020 --> 02:47.020 sense of touch 02:49.020 --> 02:50.020 as you place your hands on your knees or on your lap. 02:57.020 --> 03:03.020 And then you may notice that the body sitting here is breathing. 03:03.020 --> 03:08.020 So you may bring attention to the breath. 03:08.020 --> 03:21.020 The breath which is always here, always available to use as an anchor, as a touch point, as a home 03:21.020 --> 03:34.020 base to come back to, to bring your attention to this moment. 03:34.020 --> 03:42.020 And wherever you notice that you sense the breath the most easily, whether it's at your 03:42.020 --> 03:51.020 nostrils or at the chest or the belly, you may bring your attention there. 03:51.020 --> 04:02.020 Staying with the whole cycle of the breath. 04:02.020 --> 04:05.020 No need to do anything about that. 04:05.020 --> 04:07.020 No need to change it. 04:07.020 --> 04:10.020 No need to control it. 04:10.020 --> 04:20.020 We are here only to observe, to be with those sensations. 04:21.020 --> 04:36.020 To notice the ever-changing nature of the breath. 04:36.020 --> 04:47.020 And the comfort and stability it brings us. 04:47.020 --> 04:50.020 We are now sitting here. 04:50.020 --> 04:59.020 Being with the breath. 04:59.020 --> 05:05.020 Breathing in. 05:05.020 --> 05:08.020 Knowing that you are breathing in. 05:08.020 --> 05:10.020 And breathing out. 05:10.020 --> 05:14.020 Knowing that you are breathing out. 05:14.020 --> 05:38.740 Bringing full awareness to this moment and whenever you notice that the mind has wandered 05:38.740 --> 05:51.160 off, just gently, kindly, patiently, guide your attention back to this moment. 05:53.980 --> 05:58.420 Nothing went wrong, no need for any judgment. 06:00.340 --> 06:06.500 We are just practicing to be here in this moment. 06:08.740 --> 06:27.080 And now we will transition into a loving-kindness meditation, when we just tap into our natural 06:27.080 --> 06:33.580 resources of kindness, compassion, friendliness. 06:34.580 --> 06:45.080 And we just grow and nurture our capacity to have a good intention to all beings, including 06:45.080 --> 06:45.840 ourself. 06:48.320 --> 06:57.860 So we will do this practice by recalling the appearance, the image of some groups of people 06:57.860 --> 07:06.900 and ourselves, and then bring up some simple phrases expressing our goodwill, kindness and 07:06.900 --> 07:07.700 friendliness. 07:08.200 --> 07:13.560 And direct these phrases to other groups of people and ourselves. 07:13.560 --> 07:23.880 And if you feel that you feel mixed feelings about this practice, you have some judgments 07:23.880 --> 07:25.620 coming up, that's fine. 07:26.920 --> 07:34.940 Just try it with open mind and then go with whatever sensations come up for you. 07:34.940 --> 07:54.380 There is no need to force anything or judge yourself. So let's start by recalling the appearance of loved ones, close friends or family members or 07:54.380 --> 07:59.860 your pet, beings who are very close to your heart. 07:59.860 --> 08:04.560 And this can be one being or a group of beings. 08:06.000 --> 08:09.480 And recalling the appearance of these loved ones. 08:10.860 --> 08:15.000 Imagine if they are sitting across you and smiling at you. 08:15.000 --> 08:25.660 And you may bring up these simple phrases directing toward them to express your feelings. 08:27.000 --> 08:29.240 May you be safe. 08:32.140 --> 08:33.860 May you be healthy. 08:37.280 --> 08:39.320 May you feel at ease. 08:39.320 --> 09:09.300 And may you be loved and careful. 09:09.320 --> 09:20.080 And if you find your own words, your own words, your own phrases, which express these sentiments better, 09:20.380 --> 09:22.000 please use your own words. 09:23.940 --> 09:25.600 May you be safe. 09:27.520 --> 09:29.020 May you be healthy. 09:31.680 --> 09:33.480 May you feel at ease. 09:35.700 --> 09:38.020 May you be loved and cared for. 09:39.320 --> 09:53.740 And now, allow the image of the loved ones to just float away, feel in the background. 09:53.740 --> 09:56.740 And let's turn to ourself. 09:56.740 --> 10:09.920 And let's bring up the same kind of friendliness, kindness, compassion, and direct all these phrases toward ourself. 10:13.920 --> 10:14.700 May I be safe. 10:17.480 --> 10:19.020 May I be healthy. 10:22.020 --> 10:23.940 May I feel at ease. 10:33.300 --> 10:58.280 And if you wish you can put a hand on your chest just to give a comforting, reassuring, friendly touch. May I be safe, may I be healthy, may I feel at ease, may I be loved and cared for. 10:58.300 --> 11:22.300 May I be safe, may I be healthy, may I feel at ease, may I be loved and cared for. 11:22.300 --> 11:34.300 Now let's gently, kindly shift attention. 11:34.300 --> 11:46.300 Let's recall the images of some people whom you have seen several times, you may not really know them. 11:46.300 --> 11:56.300 Some people from the neighborhood, or maybe the place where you work, or maybe someone from the grocery store. 11:56.300 --> 12:02.300 A person whose story, whose life you are not familiar with. 12:02.300 --> 12:26.300 And let's bring up the same phrases expressing your good intention, your kindness, your compassion, your friendliness directed to this person or these people. 12:26.300 --> 12:44.300 May you be safe, may you be healthy, may you feel at ease, may you be loved and cared for. 12:44.300 --> 13:03.300 May you be safe, may you be healthy, may you feel at ease, may you be loved and cared for. 13:03.300 --> 13:24.300 May you be safe, may you be healthy, may you feel at ease, may you be loved and cared for. 13:24.300 --> 13:43.300 Now let's gently, kindly allow the image of this person or these people to fade in the background. 13:43.300 --> 13:50.300 And let's try now together a difficult thing. 13:50.300 --> 13:56.300 And if you cannot be with this completely, that's completely fine. 13:56.300 --> 14:07.300 Let's just attempt to recall the appearance of a difficult person, someone whom you disagree with. 14:10.300 --> 14:12.300 Or maybe you have some conflict. 14:12.300 --> 14:21.300 And this doesn't mean that you agree with that person or you approve what the person is doing. 14:21.300 --> 14:30.300 But just let's attempt to bring up some general feeling of goodwill toward this difficult person, 14:30.300 --> 14:41.300 knowing that he or she is a human being as we are and have difficulties in life. 14:41.300 --> 14:53.300 So recalling the image of a difficult person, let's bring up these phrases, sending our general good intention. 14:53.300 --> 15:08.300 May you be safe, may you be healthy, may you feel at ease, may you be loved and cared for. 15:08.300 --> 15:21.300 And notice when some resistance comes up in the mind, that's fine, no need for judgment. 15:23.300 --> 15:52.300 May you be safe. May you be healthy. May you feel at ease. May you be loved and cared for. 15:53.300 --> 16:00.300 Now let's allow the image of the difficult person 16:00.300 --> 16:02.300 fade in the background. 16:02.300 --> 16:14.300 And let's just bring into mind people all around the world who are suffering these days. 16:14.300 --> 16:23.300 Suffering because of natural disasters or violent conflicts. 16:23.300 --> 16:31.300 People all around in the world having really, really difficult times. 16:31.300 --> 16:46.300 And thinking of all of these people, let's bring up our phrases expressing kindness, compassion, goodwill toward all these human beings. 16:46.300 --> 17:05.300 May you be safe, may you be healthy, may you feel at ease, may you be loved and cared for. 17:05.300 --> 17:24.300 May you be safe, may you be healthy, may you feel at ease, may you be loved and cared for. 17:24.300 --> 17:39.300 May you be safe, may you be healthy, may you feel at ease, may you be loved and cared for. 17:39.300 --> 17:55.300 And finally, let's open our lens as wide as possible, including all fellow humans and, if you wish, all beings on this planet. 17:55.300 --> 18:06.300 Everyone we are sharing this beautiful planet with. 18:06.300 --> 18:14.300 As if you are looking at Earth from a spaceship and see this wonderful planet with all the inhabitants. 18:14.300 --> 18:23.300 And sending your goodwill, your compassion and kindness to everyone here. 18:25.300 --> 18:41.300 May you be safe, may you be healthy, may you feel at ease, may you be loved and cared for. 18:42.300 --> 18:54.300 May you be safe, may you be healthy, may you feel at ease, may you be loved and cared for. 18:55.300 --> 19:09.620 May you be safe, may you be healthy, may you feel at ease, may you be loved and cared for. 19:09.620 --> 19:35.460 And you may imagine that all these wishes of health, happiness, all this good intention, friendliness, kindness, compassion, just ripples out, just radiates from you to all directions. 19:35.460 --> 19:44.140 Surrounding, enveloping everyone, it is general goodwill. 19:44.140 --> 20:04.760 Now let's gently bring back attention to the body. 20:04.760 --> 20:31.520 And sit here with sensations in the body from head to toe, being with this body at this moment with all the sensations as you are sitting and breathing here. 20:34.760 --> 20:54.440 And if you wish you may, now narrow the focus of your attention. 20:54.440 --> 21:18.400 Narrow to the anchor you like to use, whether it's sensations of your breath or sensations in the feet or the hands, if observing the breath is not the most appropriate or comfortable for you at this time, 21:24.440 --> 21:47.240 just sitting here, surrounding yourself with your kindness, patience and compassion too, as you are practicing to be present in this moment. 21:47.240 --> 22:09.440 And kindly, patiently, compassionately, compassionately guiding your attention back to the present moment, where you notice that your mind is wandering around. 22:17.240 --> 22:25.240 Practicing with gratitude toward your practice. 22:27.240 --> 22:42.240 Being in this moment. 22:51.420 --> 23:04.800 With kindness toward everything. 23:04.800 --> 23:27.500 Sitting here, focusing on the breath, more sensations of the feet or the hands, training 23:27.500 --> 23:30.860 the mind and training the heart. 23:34.800 --> 24:01.440 Breathing in and breathing out, the open-minded curiosity, staying with how it feels to breathe in 24:01.440 --> 24:08.440 and what are the sensations of breathing out. 24:08.440 --> 24:32.440 Being with the experience of not doing anything, just being with ourselves, with our body, 24:32.440 --> 24:39.440 with our mind. 24:39.440 --> 24:59.440 And befriending ourselves, being our best friends, sitting here, being present. 24:59.440 --> 25:26.440 And gently bring attention back and start to focus on our ankle again and again. 25:26.440 --> 25:33.440 Always kind and patient. 25:33.440 --> 25:41.440 Training the mind as you train a really lovely puppy dog to sit. 25:41.440 --> 25:45.440 Come back to this point. 25:45.440 --> 25:52.440 Come back to my breath. 25:52.440 --> 26:07.440 And use your strategies if you are getting sleepy, you may practice with open eyes. 26:07.440 --> 26:14.440 Focusing on one point. 26:14.440 --> 26:37.440 Sitting here with the breath, more sensations of the feet or the hands. 26:44.440 --> 26:46.440 Always curiously. 26:46.440 --> 26:47.440 Observing. 26:47.440 --> 26:48.440 Exploring. 26:48.440 --> 26:49.440 Learning. 26:52.440 --> 26:54.440 Being what this moment brings. 27:24.440 --> 27:34.780 And for the last few minutes of this practice, I suggest that you bring up your feelings 27:34.780 --> 27:41.080 of thankfulness, gratitude toward your own practice. 27:41.080 --> 27:54.980 How wonderful that you are dedicating your presence, your time, being here. 28:11.080 --> 28:22.280 And also that we are here practicing together, and supporting each other's practice too. 28:22.280 --> 28:25.760 So let's take a few more breaths together. 28:41.080 --> 29:03.700 And now I invite you to gradually open your eyes if it was closed.