[Music] hello and welcome to the mindful movement I'm Sarah Raymond thank you for joining me today for this guided meditation practice to cultivate compassion for yourself and others the definition of compassion according to the merriam-webster dictionary is sympathetic consciousness of others to stress together with a desire to alleviate it the Dalai Lama said if you want others to be happy practice compassion if you want to be happy practice compassion and that is what we are going to do today keep this idea in mind as you begin to connect inward to develop this quality of compassion
now I invite you to make yourself comfortable take a moment to begin by closing your eyes and getting a sense of what you feel in your body right now [Music] be as objective as possible and just notice what is there do not be concerned with what you find [Music] offer no judgment there is no good or bad or right or wrong [Music] just notice how you are showing up to your practice today [Music] you can ask yourself what it is that you need today [Music] why are you choosing to sit in meditation be curious [Music]
ask yourself what might I find when I look inside [Music] now bring your attention to your breath [Music] notice your body being breathed without having to put effort towards this process [Music] be with your breath to connect you to this present moment [Music] no need to change anything simply allow your body to do what it does naturally experience your body breathing [Music] feel the life within your inhale the only expansion [Music] since life flowing throughout your entire body and with each breath in begin to direct loving kindness towards yourself [Music] since the top of your
inhale the natural pause here the sensation of fullness and abundance [Music] [Music] and now notice your exhale [Music] surrender to gravity and let go you are very safe right now [Music] it is okay to begin letting go [Music] allow your breath to be a tool - welcome relaxation [Music] Surrender on your exhale letting go letting go letting go [Music] allow your breath to carry away all of the physical and emotional stress and tension as the air empties out of your lungs [Music] give yourself permission to fully relax and to be open to the possibilities of
any feelings and emotions that may come as you turn inward [Music] into a deep state of comfort [Music] now move your attention through your body slowly scanning to sense the quality of your energy and the quality of your physical state [Music] look with curiosity about how you are arriving to this practice [Music] when your skin brings your attention to the area of your heart invite your focus to rest they're noticing what you are feeling now [Music] the energy center of the heart is the expression of our love and compassion when the energy of the heart
is blocked there is a sense of isolation or separateness from those around us [Music] alternatively when the heart is open and the energy is flowing freely you feel connected to and love for all the people in your life you might feel a sense of compassion for others here [Music] allow the energy from your heart to radiate outward [Music] since the movement of energy from within your body flowing freely from the crown of your head to the base of your spine and back again invite this energy to flow with ease [Music] [Music] like water in a
river [Music] allow this moving energy to calm you and create a sense of balance [Music] now that you are at peace and have connected to the energy of your heart bring the idea of compassion to mind [Music] feel this quality in your heart if you find your mind wandering off into story or following a thought simply come back to the feeling of compassion or the feeling of love in your heart recognize and connect to the commonalities between all humans [Music] as humans we all need food shelter and a sense of safety we all crave love
and desire happiness [Music] and we are all connected by the energy of the universe [Music] feel the love you have for yourself and for those you care deeply about [Music] know that everyone is doing the best they can with the tools they have at the time [Music] and know that everyone sharpens their tools at different times and different rates it is often easy and comes without thought to judge someone for doing something differently than you would like if you find this happening remember they are doing the best they can just like you hold space for
them in your heart hold love in your heart [Music] holding love and compassion in your heart you can choose to repeat the following phrases to yourself or simply offer the feeling of love and compassion to yourself and others just like me everyone is seeking happiness may we all find the happiness we are seeking [Music] just like me everyone is protecting themselves from suffering [Music] may we all be brave and strong enough to make space for our suffering just like me everyone has known sadness [Music] may we all experience love and joy to balance the sadness
[Music] just like me everyone is doing the best they can may we all offer compassion to ourselves and others may we all accept compassion from ourselves and others [Music] just like me everyone is seeking happiness [Music] may we all find the happiness we are seeking [Music] just like me everyone is protecting themselves from suffering [Music] may we all be brave and strong enough to make space for our suffering [Music] just like me everyone has known sadness [Music] may we all experience love and joy to balance the sadness [Music] just like me everyone is doing the
best they can [Music] may we all offer compassion to ourselves and others may we all accept compassion from ourselves and others [Music] stay with the sense of compassion for a few moments longer hold space in your heart for compassion [Music] [Music] [Music] begin to activate the muscles in your face and around your eyes with an intentional joyful smile feel the smile wash over your face and notice what this simple smile can do for how you are feeling invite the feeling of compassion and your smile to wash over your entire body and when you are ready
open your eyes and continue practicing compassion for yourself and others as you continue your day compassion can make the world a better place one compassionate heart at a time thank you so much for practicing with me I hope you have a wonderful day and I would love to hear how you practice compassion recently in your life or how a gesture of compassion was offered to you feel free to share in the comments below thanks so much [Music]
