The first thing I shared with him was the compassionate meditation exercise we learned and I'll share it here as well. If you're feeling overwhelmed, or upset, or just in need of a little love, this practice works whether you're sitting in formal meditation or heading into an important meeting, and it just takes two breaths - one in and one out. The outbreath is the key to this exercise, so pay close attention.
Breathe in compassion, patience, love, peace, calm, joy, whatever you feel you need from the universe. If you can't name it, just know you're breathing in whatever it is you need most.
Then, breathe it back out to the rest of the world.
That's it. It sounds simple, and it is, and the key lies in the full circle of breathing back out what you most want for yourself and sharing it with others. There's something altruistic about breathing out compassion or joy that somehow cements it for yourself. You can actually feel the difference between consciously sharing what you need and just breathing in what you need and holding on to it.
Try it, you'll see. And I think you'll like it. When I offered this practice up to the owner, he nodded and said, "I know someone who could benefit from that."
- Jocelyn Lovelle
