Last week I wrote about the power of being witnessed.

The loving kindness meditation is another great tool for being witnessed.

It offers 3 different ways to witness and hold space within oursleves.

I offer this in my Therapeutic Yoga for Trauma Recovery class and I’d love to share it here.

You can adapt the meditation by changing the order or by only doing a portion of it.

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I invite you to Orient and Center yourself by checking in and noticing the physical space around you.

Then an invitation to go inward and notice your mind,

body,

breathe,

emotions, &

energy.

We will start with Loving Kindness for Yourself.

This meditation consists of phrases that we repeat over and over again. I invite you to read and repeat them out loud or silently mouth the words.

When you feel ready, explore how you feel as you say the words…

May I be well.

May I be kind to myself.

May I be safe from harm.

May I be peaceful and at ease.

As you say these words, notice how you feel in your body?

If it feels nourishing, you can repeat these words several more times, noticing any subtle changes in your mind, body, breathe, emotions or energy. And allow the positive to grow within you.

If it doesn't feel nourishing, I invite you to sit with the uncomfortable for a bit, if you can, or come out as needed and shake and move your body a bit.

Then when you are ready, come back to this space.

If you feel grief, hurt, shame, self criticism or something difficult, you are not doing it wrong. I invite you to offer yourself compassion as your body is speaking to you and possibly asking for warmth and kindness from you in this moment.

If you are unable to return to loving kindness for yourself, you can take a break or try the next part of loving kindness for another and then try again for yourself after.

Loving Kindness for Another

I invite you to bring to mind a person who has been a source of connection and warmth. As you think of them, notice how your body feels. Where do you want them to be in your space right now? Close, far away…and wish them well by quietly repeating or silently mouthing the words…

May you be well.

May you be kind to yourself.

May you be safe from harm.

May you be peaceful and at ease.

Again, If this feels nourishing, repeat these words several more times. Noticing any subtle changes in your mind, body, breathe, emotions or energ. And allowing the positive to grow within you.

Honor if you need to stop or not repeat. Nothing is wrong. Your body is speaking.

Loving Kindness for A Difficult Person

Imagine someone who has been a source of difficulty for you. As you think of them, I invite you to notice how you feel in your body. If it becomes too much, you can go back to loving kindness for yourself or another or stop altogether. Honoring your pain and that you have good reasons for this pain.

If you feel ready, able and want to continue, you can choose where this person is and how close or far away they are during this practice.

You might explore how it feels to offer loving kindness to this person by quietly or silently mouthing the words…

May you be well.

May you be kind to yourself.

May you be safe from harm.

May you be peaceful and at ease.

So long as it feels ok and safe enough, I invite you to repeat the phrases as many times as you like.

Then let the person fade away as you come back to the present moment of sights, sounds, breathe and your body. Feet on the floor, sitting or standing, noticing where your hands are.

You just did a challenging practice and I invite you to honor the bravery you offered yourself for whatever portion of this you did.

If it feels nourishing, you can scroll back up and repeat the Loving Kindness phrases for yourself again or if you feel complete you can end the practice with a final deep breathe.

I invite you to write down anything that came up for you.

I enjoy going back and reading what has come up for me during the different times I’ve done this mediation.

I am amazed by the wisdom I often offer myself in this space and my bravery in doing this practice. I'm curious what your experience is.

Remember, ❤️

You Matter. Your Healing Matters. You Are Worth It!

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