Have Compassion Page

This activity works best when sitting. Press pause and take a moment to get comfortable in your seat. When you're ready to begin, press play. (energetic instrumental music) You probably find it pretty easy to be nice to people that you look very much, but how do you feel about being nice to people that are frustrating or annoying to you? Sit up tall in your chair, put both feet on the ground, and rest your hands in your lap. Close your eyes and imagine that you're sitting all by yourself in this room. Notice what it feels like to sit with yourself. Now imagine someone that you care about very much, someone who's very easy to like, imagine that person walking into this room and sitting down right in front of you. Let's send them some caring wishes. Say after me, "May you be happy. "May you be healthy. "May you be safe. "May your life be filled with joy." How did you feel when you gave caring wishes to this person? Happy? Proud? Sad? Now bring your hands on to the tops of your legs, inhale and roll your shoulders back, lifting your heart and looking up. Exhale and round your back, looking towards your belly button. Inhale and lift. Exhale and round. Inhale. Exhale. Now sit up and close your eyes again and imagine someone you think is a little annoying or frustrating. Maybe it's your sister or brother that sometimes drives you crazy or a friend that you often argue with or it could even be a teacher or parent that bothers you at times. Imagine that person walking into the room and sitting down in front of you. What does it feel like to sit with this person? Let's send them some caring wishes. Say after me, "May you be happy. "May you be healthy. "May you be safe. "May your life be filled with joy." Was it harder to send this frustrating person caring wishes? Take a breath in and lift your arms overhead. As you breathe out, round your back and wrap your arms around you as if you're giving yourself a hug. Breathe in and lift up. Breathe out and lift your opposite arm around you. Breathe in and breathe out. Breathe in and exhale and put the opposite arm around you. Come back to a comfortable position with both feet on the floor and your hands on your lap. Close your eyes and bring that person who's a little bit frustrating or annoying back into the room. Sometimes people annoy and frustrate us because they're having a hard time. Do you think you've ever annoyed someone else when you were having a bad day? As you send this frustrating person some caring feelings again, notice if how you feel about it changes. May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you be safe. May your life be filled with joy. Open your eyes. Did sending caring feelings to this person feel any different this time? Close your eyes one last time and imagine the room exactly as it is. Notice what if feels like for you to be in this room at this moment and then send everyone in this room some caring wishes saying, "May we be happy. "May we be healthy. "May we be safe. "May our lives be filled with joy." Notice what it feels like to send caring feelings to everyone around you. Remember that being kind to other people is a choice that you get to make each day. Even when it's hard you can send people caring wishes and it just might make you feel better too.