Loving Kindness Practice.

Image From: Show Yourself Some Love – (nourishnaturalsoap.com)

In a world filled with chaos, war, anger, resentment, worry, fear, hate, oppression, financial uncertainty and global pandemics, not to mention natural disasters and everything else that is going on, a moment to pause and find gratitude, compassion, joy, excitement, love, kindness and peace, can seem impossible.

Despite this the research on mindful awareness, being present and living in the here and now is clear. As is the research on loving kindness and self-compassion. I am not going into that research today- trying to keep this blog short ?- you’ll just have to trust me (or do a quick google search and you will find plenty).

In the words of Tara Brach “Mindfulness is a pause – the space between stimulus and response: that’s where choice lies.” So here is a short activity to help you pause:

Do this whenever feels good for you. When you are worried, scared, stressed. When you need to slow down. When you need to stop before reacting. When you need to make a decision or set a boundary. When you want to savour a moment. Stop Pause Play. Sounds simple, but can be the most difficult thing in the world. Challenge yourself to try this tomorrow. Set yourself a target- 1 time, 2 times, 3 times. Notice how you feel afterwards. Did it settle your body and mind?

If you are looking for a longer practice to bring loving kindness to yourself and others and to harness the power of mindful awareness, find below a link to download a 20-minute loving kindness meditation from Kristin Neff. As Kristin Neff says  “Self-compassion is a way of emotionally recharging our batteries. Rather than becoming drained by helping others, self-compassion allows us to fill up our internal reserves, so that we have more to give to those who need us.” Use this 20-minute loving kindness meditation to fill up your reserves.

Self-Compassion Exercises by Dr. Kristin Neff

Go down and click on Loving Kindness Meditation.

I hope you enjoy today’s practices. There are so many fabulous ways to stop pause and play and reconnect to ourselves, others, nature and spirit, to calm our nervous system and become more present. These are just two ways. May your day be filled with moments of pause, breath and may your hearts be filled with loving kindness always

Stay tuned for more blog posts exploring life, autonomic nervous system, stress and more. To be a part of the Healing Hands Help Hearts Community please e-mail alana@healinghandshelphearts.com.au with the subject line Blog Community and I will add you to the e-mail list.

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