Affectionate Breathing. Attention to the breath calms the mind by limiting the time it wanders into
stressful preoccupations. Affectionate Breathing meditation encourages participants not only to
bring their attention back again and again to the sensation of breathing, but to do it in a gentle,
non-judgmental, warmhearted manner. We learn to appreciate how the breath brings life to the
body even when we’re paying attention to other things – it breathes
us
. The breath also comforts
with its soothing rhythm, like the rising and falling of the sea.
For download of the Affectionate Breathing meditation, please go to
nd click on “Affectionate
Breathing” for an mp3 file of that meditation
Some people do not feel comfortable focusing on the breath, such as traumatized people who feel
disconnected from their bodies. Therefore, we offer two other methods for grounding awareness –
Soles of the Feet
and the Here-And-Now-Stone meditations. The former technique is
essentially walking meditation with a narrower focus on the soles of the feet. Participants of the
MSC program also receive a polished stone that they can keep in their pocket to rub and feel,
anchoring themselves in sensory awareness when they’re overcome with emotional distress.
From session 2 onward, participants are encouraged to practice self-compassion skills for 40
minutes each day. Beginners are advised to start with shorter meditations, maybe only 10-15
minutes, and to make it as pleasant as possible. The home practice assignment for session 2 is
Mindfulness in Daily Life. Participants pick a single activity in the day, such as brushing one’s teeth
or walking to the bus, and focus attention on the physical sensations involved in that activity.
Mindfulness in daily life enables people to slip out of their ruminating mindsets and remain present
in daily living.
Session 3: Practicing Loving-Kindness Meditation
The bulk of the MSC program cultivates the third skill of mindfulness meditation – loving-kindness
and self-compassion. Whereas loving-kindness is “the wish that all sentient beings be
happy
”,
“compassion is the wish that all sentient beings be
free from suffering”
. In the MSC program,
we focus on compassion – generating a loving response to suffering – yet we use the traditional
method of loving-kindness (
metta
) meditation to achieve that goal
Loving-kindness
meditation is the second core meditation of the MSC program. Traditional loving-kindness
meditation uses language – short phrases – as the object of meditation, such as “May I and all
beings be safe” and “May I and all beings be happy”. However, in the MSC program, we introduce
phrases specifically designed to cultivate self-compassion.
For download of the following meditation, please go to
and click on “Self-
compassion meditation” for an mp3 file of that meditation
Loving-Kindness and Self-Compassion Meditation
Sit in a comfortable position, reasonably upright and relaxed. Fully or partially close your eyes.
Take a few deep breaths to settle into your body and into the present moment. Put your hand on
your heart for a moment as a reminder to be kind to yourself.
•
Form an image of yourself sitting down. Note your posture on the chair as if you were seeing
yourself from the outside.
•
Now bring your attention
inside
your body and feel the pulsation and vibration of your body.
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