Note from Tracy: Recent news articles and social media threads inspired me to create and teach a yoga series at Whole Life Yoga called Yoga for Turbulent Times.  For those of you not near Seattle, I’ve decided to share the breath practices and meditations from this class as I teach them. I hope you find them useful.  The practice below is from week 3 of the series.

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”  Plato

Kindness is a moment by moment choice. A practice of demonstrating compassion toward those who delight us, those who challenge us, and ourselves. As Plato so wonderfully pointed out, we have no way of knowing what battles the people around us face on a daily basis. How much of our neighbor’s burden could we lift with a simple smile or a kind word? Best of all, kindness feels good!  Use the practices below to help you remember to create kindness in your world.

Solar plexus breathing

1. Lengthen your inhale and exhale, making them approximately equal.
2. After several breaths at that lengthened breath, imagine a ray of kindness-carrying light pouring in to your torso at the level of your solar plexus, which is at the base of your sternum. See that light spreading up and down, illuminating your body.
3. With your next inhale, imagine that your breath follows that light. It enters through your solar plexus  and simultaneously moves up your chest to your nostrils and down your abdomen to your pelvic floor.  Be sure to keep your exhale long so that it matches the length of your inhale.
4. Continue this breath pattern for 5 to 10 minutes.
5. When you are ready, return your breath to a normal rhythm. Carry the energy of this breath practice to meditation.

Note: If you notice breathlessness, anxiety, or strain at any time, reduce the lengths of the inhale and exhale or release the solar plexus imagery.

Loving Kindness Meditation

1. Come to a comfortable seated or lying position.
2. Allow your eyes to close, and notice your breath—without intentionally trying to change it.  Bring your attention to the warmth and coolness of the breath at the tip of your nostrils.
3. When you are ready, bring your own self to mind, complete with all of your strengths, weaknesses, successes, and struggles.  Silently and continuously repeat the following intentions for yourself:
   • May I be at peace. May my heart be open.
   • May I be healed, and may I be a source of healing for all beings
4. When you are ready, bring to mind the image of a loved one—someone you care about.  Silently and continuously repeat the following blessings for that person:
   • May you be at peace. May your heart be open.
   • May you be healed, and may you be a source of healing for all beings.
5. When you are ready, bring to mind the image someone with whom you are in conflict, or someone who “pushes your buttons” in some away.  Perhaps someone who’s injured you in the past whom you’ve not forgiven.  Silently and continuously repeat the following blessings for that person:
   • May you be at peace. May your heart be open.
   • May you be healed, and may you be a source of healing for all beings.
6.  When you are ready, bring to mind an image of the entire planet. Visualize or sense the continents, the oceans, and the shape of the earth as it moves around the sun.  Silently and continuously repeat the following blessings for the earth:
   • May the earth be at peace. May the hearts of the earth be open.
   • May the earth be healed, and make the earth be a source of healing for all beings
7. If your attention wanders (and it will!) just notice it, and invite your attention back to the sensation of the breath at the tip of your nose.  Then continue with the loving kindness meditation from wherever you left off.  The “blessings” above can be modified to anything that makes sense to you.
8. Continue this meditation for 10 minutes or longer if you’d like.

May you create and receive kindness every moment of your life’s journey!

Tracy Weber

My newest Downward Dog Mystery, Pre-Meditated Murder is available now  in e-book and paper back copies everywhere! Check this link for some local ideas. http://tracyweberauthor.com/buy_premeditated.html