A Beautiful 10 Minute Loving Kindness Meditation - Guided Meditation With Zen Master Henry Shukman #640

0:03Hey guys, how are you doing? Hope you're having a good week so far. My name is Dr. Rangan Chatterjee and this is my podcast, Feel Better, Live More. Today is another short meditation from the wonderful Henry Shukman to give you a flavour of what meditation is and what it can actually feel like. Now, all throughout March, my podcast community has been building a simple daily meditation habit together. So far, over 22 ,000 people have joined this free 30-day challenge from 178 different countries, which is absolutely incredible. And if you haven't started yet and want to, there's still plenty of time to take part.

0:53Now, just to give you a brief insight into how other people are finding the way meditation app which is henry's app this is just one of the many incredible comments i've received over the past few months hi dr chastity i have recently started using the way i have tried dozens of times to meditate but never found any other apps useful three months in with the way i have to say it's changed my life i used to think of meditation as just another chore, but now I actively look forward to it and I love the benefits I feel from the practice. Guys, that is exactly how I feel and why I'm so passionate about trying to inspire more and more people to give this practice a go.

1:45So this March, why not join Henry and me and thousands, tens of thousands of other meditators on this 30-day journey, all you have to do to take part is go to thewayapp.com forward slash live more. You'll get practical tips, exclusive content, and 30 free short meditation sessions to get you going. I have also joined the challenge and I'm using the Way app every day throughout the month and I very much hope you decide to join me. And now here's another short, relaxing meditation from Henry.

2:24Henry Shukman:Welcome to another meditation with me, Henry Shuttman. I'm so happy to be meditating with you again. So to get started, let's get ourselves in a comfortable seated position, get settled. And as we're settling in, I'm just going to let you know that in this meditation, we're going to be doing a practice known as loving kindness which is really about cultivating a caring compassionate attitude to our loved ones for sure but also to ourselves and in fact some of the old traditions say that we should really start with ourselves because the more we're able to awaken a sense of lovingness really towards ourselves, the more that will pour out into the world towards other people.

3:15Henry Shukman:And it may seem a bit counterintuitive, and we may think, well, I don't want to be selfish or something. But actually, the more we're able to be with ourselves and be kind to ourselves and have some self-compassion, yeah, the more we can actually love others. So that's what we're going to be exploring in this meditation. So yeah, let's get settled in. You can close your eyes or lower the gaze if you prefer having your eyes open. And just sort of start to arrive here, becoming aware of the body in its position. You're probably sitting. If your spine is not supported, let yourself be balanced. If your back is supported, really give yourself to the support, really relax into what's holding you up.

4:16And perhaps if you're reclining, same thing, really release yourself into what's holding you up.

4:25Henry Shukman:so those of us with an upright spine release yourself into the seat that's holding you being somewhat balanced and actually let the body yeah, become a bit soft let the body soften

4:53Henry Shukman:and we tend to get a bit tight when we're stressed and a lot of us live with some amount of stress so here at a time like this we're allowed to de-stress and to soften the body letting the arms and legs be floppy letting the chest and belly be a bit floppy as well soft that really helps to come into a quieter more easeful condition of body and mind

5:37Henry Shukman:starting to taste a little quiet, perhaps a little peace, perhaps a little gratitude that we're giving ourselves this time, this space, to unplug from our busy round of activities and just be still and quiet with ourselves.

6:17We all need it. We have busy and often somewhat hectic lives.

6:29Henry Shukman:And just unplugging like this is really such a gift, a time to recharge, reconnect with ourselves.

6:45Henry Shukman:So we're going to start using some phrases from the old traditions of meditation that can just help us awaken some compassion and care for ourselves and for others. May I be safe May I be safe So the invitation is to repeat this phrase in your mind every few seconds May I be safe

7:42Henry Shukman:May I be free from harm. May I be free from harm. Again, just repeat this phrase in your mind every few seconds.

8:17Henry Shukman:May I be well. May I be well.

8:46Henry Shukman:Have a little check-in with yourself. How are you feeling? Any traces of tenderness or gratitude or a little gentle awakening of compassion?

9:12Henry Shukman:May I be healthy. May I be healthy.

9:41Henry Shukman:Now, just checking in again with your heart area and any sensations there, any warmth or perhaps a sense of kindness somehow. May I be well. May I be happy. May I be happy.

10:39Henry Shukman:May my friends and loved ones be well.

10:58Henry Shukman:May my friends and loved ones be safe.

11:20Henry Shukman:May my friends and loved ones be free from harm.

11:47Henry Shukman:May my friends and my loved ones be happy.

12:05Henry Shukman:May everyone everywhere be well.

12:28Henry Shukman:so still carrying and holding whatever warmth we're feeling in our hearts let's start to move little movements of fingers and toes, opening the eyes, raising the eyes, having a little stretch. Thank you very much indeed for joining me on another meditation. What a joy it is to get to spend this time with you. Have a wonderful rest of your day. So how was that for you? How do you feel now compared to when you started? You see, just a few minutes of meditation each morning helps me start off each day feeling calmer, grounded and more present. so if you want to join this free 30-day meditation challenge all you have to do is go to thewayapp.com forward slash live more to sign up and receive practical tips exclusive content and 30 free meditation sessions to get you started

13:41if you enjoyed today's episode it is always appreciated if you can take a moment to share the podcast with your friends and family or leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Thank you so much for listening. Have a wonderful week. And always remember, you are the architect of your own health. Making lifestyle change is always worth it because when you feel better, you live more.

14:16Thank you.