Breathing Compassion In and Out

Kristin Neff guides us through a twenty-minute compassion meditation, first directing kind phrases to ourselves and then to others.

Taisiia/Adobe Stock

During loving-kindness meditation, the meditator thinks of a particular person, visualizes her, and silently repeats a series of phrases designed to evoke feelings of goodwill toward that person. Examples of common phrases are “May you be happy,” “May you be peaceful,” “May you be healthy,” “May you live with ease.” The phrases can be thought of as friendly wishes or good intentions.

The good intentions cultivated by loving-kindness meditation lead to more supportive self-talk and better moods.

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