A shared practice
Loving Kindness
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Created bySean Fargo
Day 16 of Sean's original 28-day mindfulness series — recorded in his own voice.
In Sean Fargo’s own voice16 min
Read along — the full script
Mindfulnessexercises.com. Your 28-Day Mindfulness Challenge. Day 16. Loving Kindness. Let's begin by allowing the body to relax, allowing any tension or tightness that might be in the shoulders or the belly to soften. Maybe wiggling your body just for a second, taking a couple of deep breaths and allowing the body to settle.
Softening the muscles of your face, the muscles around your eyes as you gently close your eyes or look downward just to limit visual distractions. Simply resting. And today I'll guide you through a loving kindness practice where we'll generate a wish for wellbeing for ourselves and for others.
Before we start, let's take a full deep breath in through the nose and a long breath out through the mouth settling the mind as we rest our body. And to begin this practice, I'll provide a few phrases that you can use to offer loving kindness to yourself. You can repeat these phrases silently or out loud.
You can also replace these phrases with something similar that might work well for you. May I be well. May I be safe and free from suffering. May I be happy. May I live with ease. As you repeat these phrases to yourself, see what it's like to really let them in, to really feel their meaning, to really wish yourself a sense of care.
If it's uncomfortable to wish yourself well, see if you can release just a little bit of resistance, just letting the phrases be here around you in the air as you breathe. May I be well. May I be safe. May I be free from suffering.
May I be happy. May I live with ease. And now bring to mind someone who you care about, someone who makes your heart sing or smile, someone who you adore or love or greatly admire. Keep them in mind as you use these phrases to wish them well.
May you be well. May you be safe and free from suffering. May you be happy. May you live with ease. And imagine them receiving your wishes for wellbeing. And now shifting our awareness to someone who might be having a difficult time.
Someone who might be experiencing loss or illness. Maybe someone who's having a hard time at work. And imagine this person who's experiencing difficulty sitting in front of you now. Wishing them well. May you be well. May you be safe.
May you be healthy. May you be happy. And may you live with ease. And share any words that express what you wish for them as they sit in front of you. Now shifting your awareness to the people who might be near you right now.
Maybe in the same building, same block. Just reflecting on the people around you, wishing them well. May they be well. May they be safe and free from suffering. May they be happy. And may they live with ease. And now reflect upon your friends and your family.
May they be well. May they be safe and free from suffering. May they be happy. And may they live with ease. And now extending your wishes for the wellbeing of everyone on this planet. People in your city, people in your country, and the people of every country who just want to be happy doing the best that they can.
May all beings be well. May all beings be safe and free from suffering. May all beings be happy. May all beings live with ease. And feeling this sense of well-wishing extending out from you in all directions. Feeling the sense of care within.
And how do you feel in this moment? What are the sensations in your body? What's the quality of mind? Bringing that large circle of loving kindness back toward yourself. May I be well. May I be safe. May I be free from suffering.
May I be happy. May I live with ease. Breathing in and breathing out, allowing yourself to be fully present with a sense of care or whatever is here right now. And finishing this loving kindness practice by taking a full breath in, and a full breath out.
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