Cultivating Compassion and Inner Peace

After a long 7-weeks of VERY busy days/nights, I have now had the past two weeks to reflect, learn and begin to plan/prepare for next fall when things ramp up again.

As I reflect on what I was proud of myself for doing in regards to my daily health practices, I drastically have seen the need to ensure my meditation practice remains intact and a priority during busy times like those! It would've helped not only mental clarity and emotions overall, but it definitely would have been a great tool in helping my "busy mind" during some broken sleep nights while I had those busy days and nights.

That said, I've enjoyed bringing my meditation practice back into play over the last couple weeks and took the opportunity to explore a form of meditation that I had not tried before...

I was excited about my first few times playing with this form of meditation and shared it with a client recently (whom also meditates regularly since we started working together a year ago).

I had heard about this from past research, reading and study but it recently was brought up again by one of my go-to folks in meditation, Dan Harris (Author of "10% Happier"). It was a great opportunity to refresh my practice and also add some work to my days in regards to cultivating compassion and calming the inner chaos.

Loving Kindness Meditation 101

1) Sit comfortably in a quiet space.

A big misconception in meditation is that you "have to be seated a certain way" ~ you don't! Be comfortable. In the pic above I'm cross legged on my couch at the studio. You can sit normally on a couch or chair if you'd like, lie on a bed or the floor, sit on the floor, sit on a park bench... It doesn't matter.

2) Close your eyes and take a few comfortable breaths. Envision someone easy (spouse, parent, child, pet...)

3) Repeat 4-phrases in your head while you envision this person:

"May you be happy"

"May you be safe"

"May you be healthy"

"May you live with ease"

4) Next move on to yourself and repeat the 4 phrases...

5) Next is a mentor / someone who has helped you in your life...

6) Next is a neutral person / someone you might overlook...

7) Next is a difficult person...

8) Finally, finish with "all beings everywhere" ...

Gently open your eyes. You just did a Loving-Kindness Meditation.

A Few Things to Keep in Mind

There's no right or wrong. The beauty of meditation (and what I love about Dan Harris' approach as well) is that is for YOU. It's all inside you. No one is there to say "stop that" or "You're doing it wrong", so go easy on yourself. Try to set aside any expectations and just experience whatever it is your practice is going to bring you that day.

In the case of Loving-Kindness Meditation, my first few sessions of this were what we'll call "broken". After each round of phrases, I'd have to open my eyes to consult my notes, reset myself and then repeat. That's ok - It's a PRACTICE. After a few sessions it slowly became easier to remember the type of person I was to picture next and now when I practice I don't need my notes.

Keep it simple. Again, it's practice so keep it simple. Don't stress about how long or short the practice is. Start with first practicing making the "what" become automatic for you; What the 4-phrases are, what type of person to envision etc... From there, you can adjust your practice if/when you want to make it your own.

In my session today, following some movement practice, I had my longest Loving-Kindness session yet as I incorporated some more breath structure into my meditation. After each phrase I allowed a full round of breath before moving into the next to slow things down for myself. But that's MY choice for ME. You may not want to. It's ok! Do what feels good for YOU.

Make your meditation your own. What I love about meditation is it's something in life that is STRICTLY YOURS. You can make of it what you will/want. The most important part like any health practice is to create a routine and practice that you want to do, and that you can do CONSISTENTLY. That's where the benefits lie.

Meditation Practice Reminder

There are so many ways we can meditate, feel free to experiment and have fun with trying different forms of meditation. You may find one you love to do most often or you may find some (like Loving Kindness Meditation for me) that is a wonderful addition to your "Meditation Arsenal of Practices" (trademark pending ... LOL) to use when you want.

For me, right NOW, Loving Kindness Meditation is helping to ground me after being so on-the-go mentally, physically and emotionally for a 7-week period. It's one of a few tools I'm able to use whenever I need each day that is helping bring my physiology back in check and back towards MY normal daily flow.

*If you'd like to chat more about meditation, we're happy to chat with you at Zenergy Health & Wellness. OR feel free to inquire about my 8-week program: Exploring Zen - An introduction to Mindfulness Meditation which can be done from the comfort of your own home.

*Disclaimer - Loving-Kindness Meditation is NOT in this program, but rather the program will help you BUILD your own practice to get started*