It’s a very special time of the year, the holiday season. It’s about being together with the people we care most about, and reminding ourselves to cherish the little things in life.
But amidst the hustle and bustle of the season, we often forget about the most important person in your life – you! Take a few moments to allow your mind to separate from your surroundings and focus on your breath. Open your heart, and be ready to receive the gift of Metta – a Buddhist term loosely translating to “loving-kindness”- a deep sense of caring for one self and for all of living beings. Welcome phrases that emerge from your heart, which may express what you wish for most deeply for yourself – not only for today, but in an enduring way.
I am going to use the phrase “May I live in happiness, and may I live with ease”, as a classic example. Gently repeat this over and over, letting your mind rest in the phrases. If you find that your mind begins to wander, gently let it go and begin again.
“May I live in happiness, and may I live with ease”… Feel the energy of this aspiration extending indefinitely in front of you, to either side, behind you, above and below. To the checkout person at the supermarket from yesterday, to someone who may be going through a difficult time right now, to the person who you feel very close to. Visualize them and get a feeling for each of their presence. “May all live in happiness, and may all live with ease”…
When we connect to these phrases, aiming the heart in this way, we are opening ourselves to the possibility of connecting, rather than overlooking and of caring, rather than being indifferent. Ultimately, we open in this way to all sentient beings everywhere – without distinction and without separation. All people, all animals, all creatures, all those in existence, near and far, known to us and unknown to us. All beings on earth, in the air, in the water. All being born, and all dying.
Such a profound gift to have shared – radiating inwards and outwards – from your center to all’s center.
Daniela Gareri, Yoga Instructor at Healthletica
