Community for Deepening Practice

Befriend Yourself

  • Home
  • Offerings
    • Course for MSC Graduates – Community for Deepening Practice (CDP)
    • Courses for CDP Graduates
      • Dying into Life: An Experiment in Renewal, Compassion, and Courage (6 months)
      • CDP Evolving (6 months)
      • Finding Your Place in the Circle of Care (3-week workshop)
  • Apply
  • Our Team
  • Contact

Artful Expression of Loving-Kindness Phrases

Intention:

The intention of this Invitation is to immerse deeply in your customized loving-kindness phrases by using them to inspire a visual exploration entirely of your choosing.

Process:

We’ve talked about how finding your Loving Kindness Phrases can be somewhat like writing poetry. We pose the questions, “What do I need?” and “What do I wish to hear?” and then allow open space and time for responses to emerge. We will do the same with this Creative Invitation. By offering little specific guidance in terms of materials or processes, we wish to intentionally create room for your unique visual expression of the phrases to emerge, exactly as they wish.

As always, we’ll ground in the body and the breath as we transition to the creative space. Then, with a spirit of curiosity and perhaps playfulness, simply use whichever materials you love to create an image(s) using your phrases. Allow the phrases to take root in your heart, if you can, and ask how they might want to be expressed.

If what you create feels pleasing to you, you may wish to display it somewhere you see often to gently remind yourself of these kind wishes during your daily life.

Examples of meaningful words expressed visually:

Taking it a step further:

We’ve also talked about how loving-kindness practice is a process of cultivating goodwill over time by continuing to offer yourself your phrases. To that end, maybe you’re inspired to write your phrases in other unexpected, private places as ongoing gifts to yourself. If so, here are a few ideas to start:

  • On the inside cover of a beloved book
  • On the outside of your Here and Now Box
  • On sticky notes on your mirror, inside your desk drawer, the inside of a kitchen cabinet, or on your car’s dashboard
  • On the side of your daily vitamin bottle
  • On an email which you pre-schedule to be delivered to yourself each week
  • On flower pots resting on your porch
  • On your pet’s leash, so that you, your dog, and your phrases can all go for a walk together

For reflection:

  • As you shaped your phrases into a your chosen physical expression, did you find that unexpected or new phrases emerged for you, or that any of your prior phrases no longer felt like a fit?
  • While immersing in the meaning of the phrases during the creation process, what came up for you?
  • If your inner critic showed up during any of the experience, how did you relate to him/her?

The CDP is offered in conjunction with

Copyright © 2023 · Community for Deepening Practice (CDP). All Rights Reserved.

This site uses functional cookies and external scripts to improve your experience.

Privacy settings

Privacy Settings

This site uses functional cookies and external scripts to improve your experience. Which cookies and scripts are used and how they impact your visit is specified on the left. You may change your settings at any time. Your choices will not impact your visit. You may read our full privacy policy here:

Privacy Policy.

NOTE: These settings will only apply to the browser and device you are currently using.

Cookie policy

This website uses cookies to analyze traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services. You consent to our cookies if you continue to use our website.

Powered by Cookie Information