When senseless tragedies become part of our reality, going back to the source of love within can heal.

This meditation focuses on love, the space within us where love resides. We bring ourselves into that space of love and direct that love to others around us.

It can be beneficial whether it’s done for five minutes or longer.

Start by taking a comfortable seat—you can use a block to sit on. You can even use the wall behind you as support, if you like.

Hands can rest on your knees or in your lap.

Start with a few cleansing breaths—deeply inhaling through the nose and exhaling out of the mouth, letting go of anything that you brought in from the outside.

You can choose to have the eyes closed or looking down past the tip of your nose.

For the next few moments, begin to feel your breath in your body without trying to change it. Just notice your inhales and exhales.

You will notice everything around you as you’re seated here. Be in the space and notice all of the sounds, sensations and movements in the room. Notice the others around you sharing the space.

Bring awareness into your body starting from the ground up. Feel your sitting bones rooting you into the earth, into this room, into this moment. Notice your posture in this pose.

Notice your feet, legs crossed, your hips, back. Consciously bring breath into these areas of your body.

Bring awareness along the length of your spine, direct the breath along the length of your spine.

Place your right hand over your heart and your left just below your navel. Breathe into your hands.

Notice the expansion of your abdomen and diaphragm and your lungs fill up. On your exhale, bring your navel back towards the spine and empty all of the breath out.

There’s no struggle or strain. The breath is steady, even and fluid.

Breathe into your right hand, noticing the chest expand and rise with the breath.

Direct the breath into your heart center. Visualize the heart space expanding with the breath and the energy of the breath. Visualize the heart space as warmth and light.

Let the breath and energy fill the heart. Notice the heart space and all of the love that resides there.

Notice all of the compassion that resides there.

Notice all of the kindness that resides there.

Expand this heart space with breath and energy.

Notice the warmth and light within. Notice this warmth and light expanding within you. Visualize this warmth and light growing, increasing and expanding until you are vibrating with warmth and light. Visualize this warmth, light and love that you have within, expanding and touching those around you.

Direct that love to someone outside of this space. Focus in and visualize your love reaching and touching that person.

Feel that warmth and light of love expanding outside of this space into the world and touching those near and far. Direct that love to a group of people outside of the space. Visualize those that you’re sending love to.

Direct the breath back to your heart space. Feel that warmth, light and love within you. Notice your heart space as you breathe. Notice your chest rise and fall. Notice your diaphragm expand on the inhale. Notice your navel travel back toward the spine on  the exhale.

Bring your awareness back to this room, back into your body, back into this moment.

Direct your awareness to your breath. To your inhales and exhales. Take a deep breath in through the nose and let it out of the mouth. Repeat this until you are ready to slowly blink the eyes open. Take it in. Notice the sensations in your body and within.

 

Karla Rodas has a passion for life and serving others. Her intention is to serve others with love, patience and compassion. Inspiring, educating and leading others in the sacred tradition of yoga is one of her true callings. Through yoga and writing, her greatest hope is to help others heal and tap into their own inner beauty, strength and limitless potential. Karla is currently an apprentice editor and contributing writer at ej. Karla lives in San Diego with her beloved husband Frank and two teenage sons. You can reach Karla through her site www.yogaconkarla.com.

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Ed: Bryonie Wise