Season 1, Episode 1: Love and Light

A love poem to life. I love this meditation. 

It’s based on a lovely compassion series in Headspace, inspired by founder Andy Puddicombe’s Tibetan Buddhism lineage.  I don’t claim to have a lot of knowledge about Tibetan meditation techniques, but I loved how Headspace offered a light visualization to replace the dreary “May you be well” language of the Jon Kalat-Zinn style metta scripts. (Well, I always found them dreary anyway, and a bit stuffy and pious, but I’ve certainly seen them be led beautifully in ways that have inspired me.) I listened to Headspace’s series again and again in a difficult time in my life, but I always wished they offered a stand-alone version rather than a ten-part series that slowly built in the method. Rather than write them to request it, I made my own.

My version is different from Headspace’s in several ways. Apart from being in my voice and language, the body scan is also based on the Himalayan Institute’s yoga nidra-style rotation of consciousness, starting at the space between the eyebrows and moving down the body with specific guidance, rather than Headspace’s more free-style heart-outward body scan.

For the music, I used a RAV Vast D Celtic Minor.  I love this sound and, for me, the music helps to quiet my thoughts and relax the body.  Including music also means I can more clearly include moments of silence, which can sometimes help  the mind ease into a meditative state.