“The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.”
~Thich Nhat Hanh
What kind of gifts do you enjoy giving to those you love? What kind of gifts do you give yourself? Have you considered that your presence could be the most precious gift you have to offer?
I love the idea that our presence is a precious gift, especially because it is no easy task to stay present in our lives. We are so easily distracted with new alerts on our phones, our social media feeds, the overwhelming responsibilities we shoulder, our over filled schedules and the constant thoughts racing through our heads. Prioritizing our relationships and being present when we are interacting can challenge even the most intentional person.
So how do we connect authentically with others and cultivate the deep and meaningful relationships we all yearn for?
Well to start we can choose to put our phones away and begin to interact with those we are with more mindfully.
Next we can pause, breathe in and out and create some space to connect with ourselves. When we arrive in the present moment and connect with ourselves, we can access our own insight and wisdom and sharing more authentically. Mindfulness also allows us to be more present with the other person, listen more actively, respond rather than react, come from a place of awareness and compassion and feel more deeply connected.
The gift of mindfulness is that it allows us to be more accepting, compassionate and kind to ourselves and to others. One mindfulness tool that is very useful in opening our hearts and allowing us to connect more compassionately with our selves and others is the loving kindness meditation.
To use the loving kindness mediation you simply repeat the following phrases to yourself meditatively. I like to begin with myself, then move to the person I wish to send these beautiful intentions to and then end by sending loving kindness to all.
Here is my loving kindness meditation:
May I be safe.
May I be happy.
May I be free of suffering and root of all suffering.
May I practice compassion and forgiveness.
May I be at peace.
May I live life with ease.
May you be safe.
May you be happy.
May you be free of suffering and root of all suffering.
May you practice compassion and forgiveness.
May you be at peace.
May you live life with ease.
May we be safe.
May we be happy.
May we be free of suffering and root of all suffering.
May we practice compassion and forgiveness.
May we be at peace.
May we live life with ease.
By simply repeating the following aspirations to yourself, either out loud or in your mind, you can bring the precious gift of mindfulness, compassion and loving kindness to all you interact with.
So I invite you right now to say these loving kindness phrases to yourself and notice how you feel.
If you are struggling to be present with others, start by giving yourself the gift of loving kindness. Once you have nurtured yourself with compassion and kindness, you can then share loving kindness out into your world creating more healthy and meaningful relationships.
The beauty of mindfulness as Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us is that, “Mindfulness is the energy that helps us recognize the conditions of happiness that are already present in our lives.”
Imagine the possibilities available to us in our relationships when we are able to see the conditions of happiness already present in our lives. When we focus on the gift of this present moment and all we are grateful for then we all bloom like flowers and our presence is indeed our most precious gift!
May you choose to give the precious gift of your presence, nurturing loving kindness and peace in the world from the inside out!
Sending you so much peace, love and gratitude,
Kelley Grimes, M.S.W.
Counselor, Author & Speaker
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Beautiful meditation Kelley!
The most precious gift I can give is time…and to be in the present, mindful moment with other humans…
<3
You are so right Peggy and what a difference it makes to show up in a present mindful way sharing your precious gift! Thank you so much!
Thanks Kelley!! so sweet, we are all in this together!
Yes we are all in this together and sending loving kindness aspirations out into the world as “we” reaffirms it! Thank you so much for your comment Ginny!
Lovely Kelley! Thank you for sharing your aspirations and this loving message.
You are so welcome Laurie! Thank you for spreading loving kindness in the world!
Thank you, Kelley. I will print them and put them on my bathroom mirror. 🙂
What a lovely idea! Thank you so much Michaela!
One of my favorite kinds of loving-kindness meditations. Beautiful post.
Mine too Barb! It is such an empowering and loving way to cultivate peace and joy! Thank you so much for your comment!
Beautiful breaths of love. Thanks Kelley! Xoxo
I love your comment Natasha – beautiful breaths of love! Thank you so much!
So, so, true. I love the way you said it!
Thank you so much Ruthie! What a joy to know it resonated with you!
Kelley I love love especially your meditation , thank you xx
Thank you so much Suzie! Sending love and gratitude your way!
I love the quote and gorgeous image and I absolutely adore the meditation and how it goes from ‘I’, to ‘you’, to ‘we’, encompassing all with love.
Thank you so much Rachel! The image was from the top of an intention box I made and I loved how it connected so well to the quote! I feel so blessed to have the loving kindness meditation as part of my self-nurturing practice and our ability to encompass all with love!
Beautiful Meditation. Yes, the present moment, the place of creation. Thank you for this beautiful reminder.
You are so right Nicole, the present moment is the place of creation and we have the ability to cultivate loving kindness, compassion, peace and joy right now. Thank you so much for your comment!
Such a beautiful meditation. Love it.
xoxo, Z~
Thank you so much Zeenat! I love the ease and power of the loving kindness meditation to nurture ourselves and the world.