Since this month’s yoga quote suggested to “be with air” and air is associated with the heart chakra, I’ve chosen a loving kindness meditation.
Here is my own personal loving kindness meditation (and since this post was initially posted, I’ve updated my website to include a recording of a loving kindness meditation when you sign up for the newsletter–see drop down box):
1) Close your eyes and start deep abdominal breathing for a few minutes to center and focus. Then check in with your own emotional state to see how you’re feeling. Notice, in particular, if you are feeling any negative emotions toward yourself. If you’re like me, there’s usually some negative self-talk going on. Connect with that self-talk and counter it with opposite sentiment. For example if you’re thinking, “I am so behind on that project” (insert your own here), say to yourself “I have plenty of time to complete my projects. I’m doing the best that I can.” Send loving thoughts to yourself perhaps using an affirmation for each chakra, from my past newsletters or your favorites, and working your way from the root chakra up to the crown. This takes several minutes.
You can even add the colors of the chakras as suggested in my own personal chakra color meditation from the March 2010 newsletter, cut and paste here for ease of reference:
Begin by grounding through your feet and sitting bones sending energy with the help of an exhalation breath down your legs imagining roots coming from your feet like a tree going down, down down into the earth. Even picture the dirt pushing away from the roots as the roots go further and further into the earth grounding you deeper and deeper.
Beginning with the root chakra color, red, and visualize a stream of red light showering down over you from above. Picture red energy circling the lower pelvic region and then send it down, down down into the earth. Say to yourself I am rooted and calm, I am well-grounded. I am safe, secure, centered, and at peace.
Going on up to the sacral chakra, visualize a stream of orange light showering down over you from above. Picture the color orange circulating like a spinning ball in the sacral area a couple of inches below the belly button and then send the orange energy down into the earth. Say to yourself, I love my creative source. I go with the flow. I am peaceful, poised, and harmonious. I am young, vivacious and sexy! I am filled with vim, vigor, and vitality!
Continuing on up to the solar plexus chakra around the belly button, visualize a stream of yellow light showering down over you from above. Picture a swirling yellow color filling your abdomen area and then send the yellow energy down your legs, down, down, down into the ground. Say to yourself, I can be what I will to be. I use the power of my will to create the results I want. I deserve to lead the life I choose to lead.
Going on up to the chest and the area of the heart center, visualize a stream of deep green light showering down over you from above. Picture a deep green color circulating there and then send it down your legs to the earth building upon the energy of the colors before. Say to yourself, I am loved, loveable and loving. I love and accept myself exactly as I am. I treat myself with unconditional love. Add the color pink, the color of love, circulating and following after.
Now moving up to the throat area, visualize a stream of bright sky blue light showering down over you from above. Picture a bright sky blue color swirling in your throat. Say to yourself, I speak my truth quietly and clearly with integrity and I am heard. Send the blue energy down your legs to the earth.
Now move to the third eye area—that area between the eyebrows. Visualize a stream of deep, dark blue light showering down over you from above. Picture a deep, dark blue energy pulsating like a swirling ball in your third eye area. As you send the blue energy down to the earth, say to yourself, I find my path following my inclinations. I am believing in myself and my gifts.
Finally, focus on the area at the crown of your head and visualize a violet shower of light streaming over you from above. Picture a violet spinning ball of energy there and send it down to the earth following the others. Say to yourself, I am healthy, happy, and radiant. Seal it off by visualizing a white light surrounding you with a white light shower from above and say to yourself, white light, white light, put me in the right spot. I will to will your will.
How did that feel? Were there any of the affirmations that resonated with you? I hope so.
Most days, when I have time, I’ll repeat the above but in the opposite direction, sending the energy up into the sky. It gives me a feeling of exhilaration! I tweak it a little on the upswing to include thoughts of my husband and me as a loving, family unit. So it becomes a personal “Metta”—or loving kindness—meditation for me. You can use the same or similar affirmations if you want to do the upswing, and simply use “we” in place of “I”.
2) Next focus on someone you love dearly and send loving thoughts their way. Visualize surrounding them in white light and ask the Universe to put them in the right spot. I then add, “Make them happy, healthy, safe, warm and out of pain”. And end with, “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for ‘that person’ (insert your own here) in my life”.
3) Next I focus on those I will come into contact with or work with—it may be for that day, or it may be the “regulars”. We all have our regulars, don’t we? I focus on anyone I will speak to or communicate with. I ask the Universe to put them into the right spot and surround them in a white light. I add, “Make them happy, healthy, safe, warm and out of pain”. And end with “Thank you, thank you, thank you for everyone’s presence in my life”.
4) Next focus on someone you’ve had difficulty with. Perhaps this time it’s a co-worker you don’t get along with, or even a family member. As previously suggested, ask the Universe to put them in the right spot as you visualize surrounding them in white light. Add, “Make them happy, healthy, safe, warm and out of pain”. And with a succession of “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for ‘that person’ (insert your own here) in my life”.
5) I like to end with focusing on the world at-large and asking the Universe to put everyone everywhere in the right spot and surround the world in a white light. I then add “let everyone know that everyone else really is thinking about them. I add, “Make them happy, healthy, safe, warm, and out of pain”. And end with “Thank you, thank you, thank you for everyone’s presence in my life”.
6) I end this meditation with the following to seal my thoughts of gratitude and thanks: “Thank you for this day. Thank you for the absolute stunning, magnificent, glorious beauty of this day. Thank you for being with me and my dear, sweet (person you thought of earlier that you love dearly) today. I ask this prayer with all my heart in Jesus’ name in love and light, in love and light, in love and light.” You can insert your own deity here or just end with “in love and light”.
7) You can end with step # 6. I like to add more family focus to my meditation than the traditional Loving Kindness Meditation and I insert them right after step #2. So I add a special element for my parents. I focus on my mom and dad, and then my husband’s mom and dad. I add my step-mom. I do the same visualization and the same prayer for them as above.
8) Then I also add a general family element. (Parents deserve a category all their own, don’t they?) I focus on each and every member of my family and do the same visualization and the same prayer as above.
If you found the above interesting, please consider taking my meditation “how to” classes. Visit my Web-site for details.
