In his book Wherever You Go There You Are Jon Kabat-Zinn teaches us Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life. He observes “You may have noticed that you are not always the center of love and kindness, even toward yourself.” He suggests that in our modern society one might speak of an epidemic of low self-esteem, that we can help ourselves repair through loving kindness meditation. Try to cultivate forgiveness of yourself, and invite yourself to be happy in the present moment.

“Start by centering yourself in your posture and in your breathing. Then, from your heart invite feelings or images of kindness and love to radiate until they fill your whole being. Allow yourself to be cradled by your own awareness and if you were as deserving of loving kindness as any child. Let your awareness embody both benevolent mother energy and benevolent father energy, making available for you in this moment a recognition and an honoring of your being, and a kindness you perhaps did not receive enough of as a child. Let yourself bask in this energy of loving kindness, breathing it in and breathing it out, as if it were a lifeline, long in disrepair but finally passing along a nourishment you were starving for.” Invite feelings of peacefulness and acceptance to be present in you as you wish yourself well: “May I be safe, May I be happy, May I be healthy, May I live with ease.” These words are intended to evoke feelings of loving kindness as you bestow wishes on yourself, and can be a profoundly healing practice for your mind and body. Namaste.