Guided Loving Kindness Meditation by Delson Armstrong

Welcome to this 30-minute loving-kindness guided meditation session. Find a comfortable sitting position, whether you want to sit cross-legged, on the floor, on a meditation mat, or just sit normally in a chair. It doesn't matter how you sit. Just find what works for you and relax. Straighten your back and your neck and look in front. Close your eyes.

And as you close your eyes, notice how most of the light is cut off from your visual sense. And pay attention to this darkness behind your eyelids. Come back to the awareness of your body. And take in a deep breath. And exhale. And as you exhale, feel the muscles in the body relax: tightness in the back, in the shoulders, in the neck, in the head, in the chest.

Relax and melt away, and with your mind. Notice the thoughts coming in and out of you in your mind. Pay attention to the flow, not to any individual thoughts. And let them be, let them flow and relax. And as you feel the tension melting away in your body and in your mind, see how the thoughts slow down and dissipate like clouds in the sky.

And notice the clarity of mind. Put a little smile on your face. Feel that smile in the eyes and in the mind and in the heart. Feel that smile drift down into your heart. And feel that natural warm glow in your heart. And as you feel this, allow the mind now to direct itself to thoughts of gratitude.

Think and picture all the things that you might be grateful for with your present situation, starting with the body, your health, and your happiness, your smile, and your mind. If you want, you can recollect a memory that makes you happy. Think about a time when you were elated and filled with comfort and joy. Think about a time that made you feel warm inside, that made you feel fuzzy inside.

Or if it helps, think about an image that makes you feel that warmth and that fuzziness. Maybe it's the image of holding a baby in your arms and them giggling and laughing and looking into their eyes as they look at you with innocence, curiosity, whatever helps. Allow that warmth and that fuzziness in your heart to radiate like the flame of a candle, and stay with that warmth. When you feel that warmth, let go of the images. Let go of the recollections.

Let go of the gratitude and stay with this warm loving-kind attitude. Let the mind rest in this loving-kindness. You are on vacation now. There's nothing to do, nowhere to go, just relax into this loving-kindness. And if you want, you can think in your mind and feel it in your heart as you say to yourself: may I be happy, may I be at peace, may I be content, may I be free of stress.

Say this and let those words sink into the warmth of your heart, and imagine that warmth glowing like the candle flame and radiating outward. Bask in this warmth. Bask in this loving-kindness to yourself and stay with it. Smile and stay with that loving-kindness. Thank you. If you notice that the mind starts to wander, and that your attention starts to waver from this warmth and this feeling of loving-kindness to yourself, let it be recognized that the mind has wandered. Bring your attention back to the present moment by staying with the mind and the body in this moment. And if you notice any tension in the mind or the body, relax, and as you relax, feel them drift away, feel the distractions disappear, and come back to your smile and let it sink back into your heart as you stay with that feeling of warmth and loving-kindness, and stay here and rest and

Relax. Remember, anytime your mind wanders, just recognize that it wandered. Release your attention. Come back to the present moment of your mind and body. Relax. Relax. Relax. And come back to your smile as you feel that natural joy from relaxing. And then let it come back to the awareness of your heart as you send yourself this loving-kindness.

As it expands and radiates and covers your entire body like a warm, cuddly blanket, just rest in that loving-kindness. Rest in that warmth and comfort, and relax. You deserve this loving-kindness. You deserve to be loved. You deserve to be kind to yourself. Feel that warmth embrace you, and just let yourself be in that loving-kindness. And as you allow the mind and the body to be suffused and saturated with this loving-kindness, to soak it all up, direct your heart towards another being, towards a spiritual friend.

This being is someone you admire, someone who naturally brings a smile to your face. Whenever you think of them, they are alive and well, right before you, right in front of you. Just have the awareness that they're there, and let them be, let them relax, let them smile back at you as you radiate that loving-kindness from your heart and send it to them. And if it helps, say these words to them: may you be happy just as I am happy.

May you be at peace just as I am at peace. May you be content just as I am content. May you be free of stress just as I am free of stress. And let these words suffuse your spiritual friend with that warm glowing of loving-kindness, and let it envelop them. Let them be in your heart, let them bask in that loving-kindness, and feel that energy connecting them to you, letting them feel that same warm glowing loving-kind energy that you feel for yourself. Let them bask in it, and let them relax and rest in that loving-kind energy.

And for the duration of the sitting, just feel how amazing it is to send this loving-kind energy, this loving-kind thought, this loving-kind feeling and intention to your spiritual friend. Just feel them being happy, and feel how it makes you happy that they are happy. Rest and relax in that knowledge and vision, and in that warmth and glow. And if you see that the mind starts to wander, and that its attention wavers, and that the thoughts in the background start to take your attention away from your spiritual friend, from the loving-kind energy, just let it be and recognize it.

Once you've recognized it, release your awareness from those thoughts. Come back to the mind and body. Relax, and relax, and relax. And feel that tranquility turn to natural joy as you come to the awareness of your smile. And let it sink into that loving and kind warmth and glow. Come back to the awareness of that loving-kindness to yourself and to your spiritual friends, and relax and rest in it.

And any time there are any thoughts in the background, let them be and dissipate on their own. But if you see that the mind gets attracted towards them and your attention wavers, just recognize it. Release your attention. Come back to mind and body, relax, smile, and return to the loving-kindness. Do this anytime you see the mind actively wandering and that your attention is no more on the loving-kindness to yourself or to your spiritual friend.

Come back and relax in that loving-kindness. And for the next 10 minutes, just bask in that loving-kindness as you remain happy, and see your friend being happy with that loving-kind energy that you genuinely wish for them. And stay here. Thank you. Thank you. You may continue to stay with that feeling if the mind is inclined to. Or gently come back to the mind and body to end your session. If you're ready to close the session, just relax and come back to the body, come back to the mind, come back to your smile. Open your eyes.