Loving-Kindness
Intention - Practice loving-kindness toward yourself and others today.
NOTICE
How might “loving kindness” be different than just kindness? How can you sprinkle an extra dose of “love” toward yourself? It can feel difficult when grief is heavy. Try to think of a person in your life that you love, respect, or have other positive emotions toward. Notice what happens in your body as you think of this person. If you are having a hard time identifying someone, try to imagine an animal or a spiritual figure that evokes a positive feeling. What would this supportive figure look like? How close in proximity are they to you (beside you, behind you or in front). What “loving and kind” message might this figure convey to you?
EMOTION
How are you feeling today? If your grief were a color, what color is it today? If it were a shape, what shape is it? If your emotion had a temperature (cold, hot, lukewarm), what would it be? If it had a texture (rough, smooth, scratchy), what would it be?
ACTION
As you’ve answered the above questions, imagine this image, color, temperature, texture, and shape. Instructions: Put your right hand over your heart and then place the left hand on the right side of your upper chest. Imagine a stream of golden light shining into the shape/color/object imagined, circling and changing the temperature, and softening the colors or edges. Now imagine it turning into a Jello-like blob, softening and changing. Take a deep breath in and notice the changes that occur.
REFLECT
What does this quote mean to you? “Come back. Even as a shadow, even as a dream.” ― Euripides