Session 2: Acceptance, Empathy & Social Justice
2.10 Mindfulness Grounding Exercise: Loving-Kindness
Learning Objectives:
- To engage participants in being loving and kind toward themselves and others
- To support participants in developing a mindfulness practice
- To facilitate a sense of openness and grounding among participants
Materials: Mindfulness Bell, Handout 2.10.1 – Loving Kindness Meditation
Time Required: 20 Minutes
Activities & Instructions
Set-up:
- Arrange the participants in a large circle.
- Co-facilitators sit apart from each other to enhance integration with participants.
Notes to Facilitators
Avoid rushing participants during a guided mindfulness exercise. Role model being present and connecting to the here-and-now. A “pause” is a critical time for participants to experience being present; therefore, each pause needs to be at least 15-20 seconds; pauses in the loving-kindness verses can be slightly shorter as indicated below. When the instructions are given too fast, participants may be distracted by trying to catch up with the instructions and the purpose of a mindfulness exercise is lost.
Instructions to Participants:
- Facilitator says, “Today we are going to do a mindfulness exercise called loving-kindness meditation. Find a comfortable sitting position; rest your hands on your lap; keep your feet slightly apart, at shoulder’s width, and rest them firmly on the floor. Take a couple of deep breaths in and relax, let go of all the tension in your body, you may do this by dropping your shoulders as you breathe in. Sit slightly away from the back of the chair to help your energy flow.“
- Facilitator continues, “If you are willing, close your eyes gently, or you may lower your gaze and focus on a point just in front of you. (Pause.) Keep your body upright; sit with dignity like a mountain… or with peacefulness like a calm lake. (Pause)
- Facilitator continues, “Now see if you can sit with the purposeful attention of being here-and-now, without any demand of judgment. (Pause) Notice the sensation of your body where it touches the chair. (Pause)
- Facilitator continues, “Now focus on your breathing. Breathing in, notice the sensation at your nostrils and in the small area above your upper lips, as air enters your body. (Pause) Breathing out, notice the sensation in the same area. (Pause) Breathing in, and breathing out – effortlessly – notice the sensation of your belly as your breath goes in and out. (Pause)
- Facilitator continues, “Now visualize that you are bathing in the warm glow of sunlight; you can feel the gentle breeze brushing against your skin. These all bring a smile to your face. (Pause.) Now taking in all these gifts from nature, turn inward and hold these warm and wonderful feelings in your heart. Take a moment to locate where in your body you are feeling these warm and wonderful feelings. (Pause)
- Facilitator continues, “Now repeat silently these words, or simply absorb them into your heart as I read them out:
May I be filled with loving-kindness; (Pause x 6-8 seconds)
May I be peaceful and at ease; (Pause x 6-8 seconds)
May I be well in body, heart, and mind; (Pause x 6-8 seconds)
May I hold my suffering in great compassion and kindness; (Pause x 10 seconds)
May I hold my joy in mindfulness and gratitude; (Pause x 6-8 seconds)
May I be well; may I be happy; may I be free.” (Pause x15-20 seconds)
- Facilitator continues, “Now holding these warm loving energy in your heart, visualize that the people or any beings that bring you joy, and happiness are sitting here near you; feel your connection with them as one.” (Pause)
- Facilitator continues, “Keeping these visual images, repeat silently these words, or simply absorb them into your heart.
May we be filled with loving-kindness; (Pause as above verses.)
May we be peaceful and at ease;
May we be well in body, heart, and mind;
May we hold our suffering with great compassion and kindness; May we hold our joy in mindfulness and gratitude;
May we be well; may we be happy; may we be free.”
- Facilitator continues, “Now holding these warm and loving energy in your heart, expand your loving-kindness and send it to everyone in this room:
May we be filled with loving-kindness; (Pause as above verses.)
May we be peaceful and at ease;
May we be well in body, heart, and mind;
May we hold our suffering with great compassion and kindness; May we hold our joy in mindfulness and gratitude;
May we be well; may we be happy; may we be free.”
- Facilitator continues, “Now extend your loving-kindness to all the people in your communities (pause), your neighbourhood (pause), the city (pause), the country (pause), the world (pause), the universe (pause)…”
- Facilitator continues, “Now, still holding these warm and loving energy and feelings in your heart, return to this room, to your breathing. (Pause) Come back to your breath. Breathing in and breathing out, notice the sensation of your belly (pause); breathing in and out, you are aware that you are breathing in and out. (Pause). When you are ready, at the sound of the bell, you may open your eyes.”
- Facilitator spends 5-10 minutes exploring with participants their experience in doing this exercise by saying, “What was it like for you in doing this exercise?”
Key Summary Points
- Research on the Loving-Kindness meditation shows that it promotes mental wellness and social connections.
- Loving-Kindness meditation helps us to connect to our compassion and inner strengths.
Source:
- Jack Kornfield. (n.d.) May I be filled with lovingkindness. Available at https://www.jackkornfield.com/meditation-on-lovingkindness/
- Wong, J. P. (2016). Acceptance and Commitment to Empowerment Workbook. Toronto, ON: Community Alliance for Accessible Treatment.
Handout 2.10.1 – Loving-Kindness Meditation
(inspired by Jack Kornfield)
- “Find a quiet place, sit in a comfortable position, rest your hands on your lap; keep your feet slightly apart, at shoulder’s width, and rest them firmly on the floor. Take a couple of deep breaths in and relax, let go all the tension in your body, you may do this by dropping your shoulders as you breathe in, and sit slightly away from the back of the chair to help your energy flow.”
- “You may close your eyes gently, or keep your gaze low by focusing on a point in front of you. Keep your body upright, sit with a purposeful attention to connect to the here-and-now, without judgment or demands. Notice the sensation of your body where it touches the chair. “
- “Now focus on your breathing. Breathing in, notice the sensation in your nostrils and in the small area above your upper lips, breathing out, notice the sensation in the same area.” (Pause 30 seconds)
- “Breathing in, and breathing out – effortlessly – notice the sensation of your belly as you breathe in and out.”
- “Now visualize that you are bathing in the warm glow of sunlight; you can feel the gentle breeze brushing against your skin. These all bring a smile to your face. Now taking in all these gifts from nature, turn inward and hold these warm and wonderful feelings in your heart. If you are in your own private space, read the following verses out loud; or you may read them out silently, or simply absorb them into your heart.
May I be filled with loving-kindness; May I be peaceful and at ease;
May I be well in body, heart, and mind;
May I hold my suffering with great compassion and kindness; May I hold my joy in mindfulness and gratitude;
May I be well; may I be happy; may I be free.”
- “Now holding these warm and loving sensations and feelings in your heart, visualize that the people or any beings that bring you joy, and happiness are sitting with you; feel your connection with them as one. Read the following verses out loud; or you may read them out silently, or simply absorb them into your heart.
May we be filled with loving-kindness; May we be peaceful and at ease;
May we be well in body, heart, and mind;
May we hold our suffering with great compassion and kindness; May we hold our joy in mindfulness and gratitude;
May we be well; may we be happy; may we be free.”
- “Now holding this warm and loving energy in your heart, expand your loving kindness and send them to all the people in your community:
May we be filled with loving-kindness; May we be peaceful and at ease;
May we be well in body, heart, and mind;
May we hold our suffering in great compassion and kindness; May we hold our joy in mindfulness and gratitude;
May we be well; may we be happy; may we be free.”
- “Repeat this loving-kindness meditation — expand your loving energy and send it to all the people in – your workplace, or school, your neighourhood; the city, the province, the country, the world, the universe.”
- “Now, still holding those warm and loving feelings in your heart, return to where you are, to your breathing. Breathing in and out, notice the sensation of your belly; breathing in and out, you are aware that you are breathing in and out.”
- “When you are ready, open your eyes and go on with the day filled with happiness and compassion. “
Source:
Wong, J. P. (2016). Acceptance and Commitment to Empowerment Workbook. Toronto, ON: Community Alliance for Accessible Treatment
