[Opening — 2 minutes]
Let’s begin by finding a comfortable position. Sitting upright yet relaxed.
Allow your hands to rest softly in your lap or on your knees.
Gently close your eyes, or soften your gaze.
Begin by taking a deep breath in through the nose…
and exhale slowly through the mouth.
Let your body settle.
Feel the ground beneath you.
Feel the body breathing — naturally, effortlessly.
[Grounding in the body — 2 minutes]
Bring your attention to your body sitting here.
Feel the weight of your body supported by the Earth.
Notice the contact points — the feet on the floor, the seat on the cushion.
Sense the quiet aliveness within — tingling, warmth, or stillness.
Let yourself arrive fully in this moment — nowhere to go, nothing to do.
You are here. Now.
[Noticing the breath — 2 minutes]
Now gently bring your attention to the breath.
Notice the breath as it enters… and as it leaves.
No need to change it. Just observe it.
Rising… falling.
Inhale… exhale.
Breath — the thread that connects you to this very moment.
The same breath that moves through you… moves through all living beings.
[Opening to interbeing — 3 minutes]
Now allow your awareness to expand.
Begin to sense the Earth beneath you — solid, ancient, and alive.
Remember: this body is made from the Earth.
Every cell came from plants, food, water, sunlight.
You are not separate from the Earth — you are the Earth, living and breathing.
Let that truth settle gently in your heart.
This body is not “mine,” it is part of a vast, ongoing unfolding of life.
[Reflecting on interconnection — 4 minutes]
Now, call to mind a simple object — a piece of fruit, a bowl of rice, a cup of tea.
See if you can trace its journey:
the rain, the sun, the soil…
the hands that planted the seed, harvested the crop, packed it, transported it.
In this one object, the whole world is present.
Farmers, drivers, shopkeepers, earthworms, clouds.
Nothing exists by itself — we are all woven together.
This is interbeing.
To be is to inter-be.
Let yourself rest in the feeling of connection — not as an idea, but as a lived truth.
[Connecting to all beings — 4 minutes]
Now slowly bring into your heart the presence of others.
You might begin with the people in this room…
Then extend outward — to your community… your country…
and even further — to people across the Earth.
Then beyond humans — to animals, trees, oceans, the air, the birds, the coral reefs.
All breathing the same air, all relying on one another in visible and invisible ways.
As Thich Nhat Hanh said:
“We are here to awaken from the illusion of our separateness.”
Take a moment to simply feel the vast web of life — and your place in it.
[Offering compassion — 2 minutes]
From this place of awareness, let the heart open.
Silently, you may repeat these words — or let your own arise:
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May all beings be safe.
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May all beings be held in kindness.
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May all beings be free from suffering.
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May all beings know their belonging in the great circle of life.
Breathe gently with each phrase.
Let it come from the heart — no pressure, no perfection.
[Closing — 1 minute]
Now gently return to the feeling of your breath…
and the feeling of the Earth beneath you.
Wiggle your fingers and toes.
If your eyes are closed, you can slowly open them when you’re ready.
Take a moment to notice how you feel.
You are part of this world — never separate, always held in connection.
May this awareness ripple into your day, your relationships, and your presence in the world.
🙏