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Mindfulness for Health: Guided mindfulness meditations
Chapters
Introduction - Bodyscan - Mindfulness of Breathing - Positive Emotion
Positive Emotion — Kindly Awareness
“The mind is its own place, and of itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.”
Milton – Paradise Lost
The Bodyscan and Mindfulness of Breathing meditations are both methods, or practices to help us focus more fully on our present moment by moment experience. They teach us, and help us practice living in the present moment, by paying attention to our body experience — for breathing is also a physical experience — to help us ground ourselves in the body. For many of us, this is an antidote to an overactive mind, or anxiety or stress, or compulsive thinking — a starting point, to enable us to live more in the present moment.
The other kind of meditation is visualisation, where we may bring to mind a pleasant relaxing environment, or situation that encourages positive emotion. We learn to focus on the positive, uplifting and creative, and generate this frame of mind. This can be helpful as stress and anxiety and physical pain can wear us down, and we may compulsively give too much attention to fears and worries, often exaggerated through our imagination.
“But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.”
Max Ehrmann – Desiderata
This meditation I call ‘positive emotion’, although another name is the ‘kindly awareness’ meditation. The kindly awareness practice was developed (by Vidymala Burch) from a traditional Buddhist meditation called the ‘metta bhavana’ which translates roughly as ‘loving kindness’.
Show video: Positive emotion (kindly awareness) — short version
The Short version is the first two stages: where we initially bring a positive kind gentle compassionate regard to ourselves, to connect with our emotions (what ever they may be), and then in the final stage, we broaden out this compassion and kindness and positive regard to include all people everywhere.
Show video: Positive emotion (kindly awareness) — long version, 5 stages
The Long version of this Positive emotion practice is in five stages: firstly bringing a kindly, non-judgemental attitude to ourselves, secondly inviting in a friend into our field of awareness, thirdly focusing on a neutral person, fourthly to a person with whom we may have some difficulty, and finally encompassing the whole of humanity and life everywhere. Full instructions are given.
“Life is ours in vain
lacking love
which never counts the loss or gain
but remember, ever
love is linked with pain
light and sister shade
shape each mortal morrow
seek, not to evade love's companion sorrow
and be not dismayed
Grief is not in vain
it is for our completeness
if the fates ordain
love to bring life’s sweetness
welcome to its pain.”
Oodegroo (Medicine Woman) of the Noonuccal
Other resources
CALM (Computer Assisted Learning for the Mind - Guided meditations), University of Auckland.
Guided Meditation on Loving Kindness or Kindly Awareness This meditation practice helps us feel more positive, accepting and kindly towards both ourselves and others and helps us develop a sense of equanimity towards both the pain and pleasure in life.
“Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Gospel of Matthew – 18:3
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