A Seat For Compassion: Loving-Kindness Meditation

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

In this guided meditation, Alexander Blue Feather leads us through a loving-kindness practice inspired by the grief-woven wisdom of Francis Weller. You’ll begin by grounding your body like a tree—rooted, upright, and open—before stepping into a visualization that invites you to face your own suffering with tenderness and compassion.

With each breath, you’ll offer gentle blessings to yourself, then to someone you love, and slowly out to the world—expanding the radius of kindness to all beings everywhere. This is a practice of remembering: that every being you encounter knows suffering, and therefore every being is worthy of compassion. Including you.

May you be happy.
May you be free of suffering.
May you be at peace.

TRANSCRIPT

Drop into your body, drop into your seat, Feel yourself firm on the earth. That includes the seat that you're sitting on. Place your feet flat on the floor. Drop your shoulders. Straighten your back.

Sit up. We're here to practice to be awake and alert. This is not a time to sleep. And in that straight alert position, think of yourself like a tree. A tree with its roots deep in the ground, Firm and steady on the surface of the earth.

Tall, extending upward into the sky with arms and branches free to flow high in the sky. Take a few deep, slow breaths. Close your eyes. There's nothing for you to do. Nowhere to go.

Nothing to accomplish. This is a time simply to be with yourself. Invitation to follow your breath all the way in and all the way out again and again. Now, with your next inhale, imagine yourself sitting in a room, meditating. Let the image come to you.

However, it comes and let the image fully emerge. See yourself in this room sitting in a chair or on a cushion, simply noticing your breath. And as you settle into the image, you hear someone open the door to the room, walk in, and they sit in front of you. You open your eyes and you see it is you sitting there in front of you. Somehow in an instant, the entire story of this person is known to you.

You know, all the ways they have suffered, the ways they have been betrayed and have betrayed others. You know all the moments of despair and loneliness. You know all the places of shame and neglect, loss and death, and you say to yourself, this person this person knows suffering. In this moment, sensing this person's sorrows in your heart, simply radiate loving kindness to the one sitting in front of you. Distracting thoughts will naturally arise, but just come back to your heart and extend your compassion to this person.

And let this flow happen for several minutes if you can, coming back to your heart and then extend your compassion to this person. When you feel ready, offer three blessings to this person. one, may you be happy. Next one, may you be free of suffering. And may you be at peace.

May you be happy. May you be free of suffering. May you be at peace. Now let this image fade and allow the next closest person to your world enter this room and take this seat sitting in front of you. It might be your spouse or a partner, a child, one of your children, or a parent, a close friend.

It could be one of your close animals as well. This being also knows suffering and is therefore worthy of your compassion. Offer this person your loving kindness for a few minutes followed by the three blessings. May you be happy. May you be free of suffering.

May you be at peace. Again, may you be happy. May you be free of suffering. May you be at peace. You can continue outward from here now to friends, to community, state, nation, country, planet, all beings everywhere.

May you be happy. May you be free of suffering. May you be at peace. May we all be happy. May we be free of suffering.

May we all be at peace. Now bringing your attention back to yourself, allowing all of the people and others and animals just to move away from you and return to yourself in this moment in real time. And just notice your body, notice your heart emotions, notice your breath, your brain and thoughts and mood as we bring this meditation to an end. Great work. Congratulations on being here and practicing practicing real time present awareness.

The light and love within me acknowledges the light and love within you. This is an amazing heart practice, and the Buddha was wise to have us begin with ourselves. The person for whom we often have the most difficulty extending compassion. Sending you love on your way with your next mindful steps.