‘Taking and Sending’ meditation
When we notice suffering in ourselves or others, we frequently feel at a loss as to how to respond. This ‘taking and sending’ meditation can be used at such times. Engaging in this meditation can help soothe the distress we naturally feel in response to suffering in ourselves and others. We visualise transforming the experience of suffering, due to difficulties and pain, into positive experiences such as peace, comfort and calm.
See meditation guide
1. Start by bringing your attention to your breathing, taking three extended outbreaths, breathing in normally and breathing out long and slow… this helps your body let go of tension.
2. Bring your awareness to your ‘heart space’. Try and sense the kindliness, tenderness and caring feelings within the heart space…warm feelings… don’t worry if you can’t feel these loving compassionate qualities right now… these natural qualities of the human heart are present at the core of each of us…even when we are not aware of them…and connect beyond us to ‘all the love in the universe’…
3. Now sense into the difficulty you wish to transform…it could be your own difficulty…or that of a loved one…or that of any other person/people or animal in difficulty. If it helps you can name it…e.g. ‘pain’ …’fear’…’grief’…
4. Imagine now…that on an in-breath…you receive and draw in the difficulty…breathing it into the warmth and tenderness of your heart space… and as it reaches the heart space imagine the power of the heart instantaneously dissolving it …such that the difficulty fades away… and is simultaneously transformed…
5. Imagine now…that on an out-breath…you send out the positive transformed energy from your heart space to yourself/the person/animal concerned…qualities such as warmth, tenderness and kindliness… safety and calm…comfort… if it helps you may visualise sending light…
6. Maintain your natural rhythm of breathing, and space the ‘taking ’ and ‘sending’ breaths to suit you… and whenever you want a rest … simply pause the taking and sending…and rest your attention on the gentle rhythm of your breathing in and breathing out…
7. When you finish, take a moment to appreciate yourself having taken time for the meditation, and imagine the benefits rippling out…