Guided Meditations By Dr. Andrea Pennington

Following several terror attacks and police shootings, Dr. Andrea sat down to speak with Sister Jenna of the Brahma Kumaris, Founder of the Meditation Museum. To gain support and guidance for dealing with the sadness and trauma while we bring more compassion to the world we are called to love, and love more deeply.

Kindness in words creates confidence, kindness in thinking creates profundity & kindness in giving creates love. ~ Lao Tzu| As we embrace and express the new attitudes of loving compassion for ourselves and every being on the planet, we gain a new sense of clarity and confidence. We recognize our shared humanity and truly respect that everyone desires happiness and freedom from suffering. It is with this recognition that we can more generously send out love and peace to people everywhere on the planet. As you have taken the time to look deeply into your own heart you may have seen the reflection of pure, basic goodness shining back. For some of us, this creates a deep appreciation for the tenderness and preciousness of life, and inspires us to show up authentically and love more deeply.

When we listen to our own hearts we can listen to the hearts of others. ~ Stephen Covey| Is your inner voice critical or compassionate? We’ve heard from experts that each of us is born with our own version of genius. We are unique, have a distinct X-factor and we each possess some precious value all our own. So why are we often so critical of ourselves? And why do we sometimes tear others down with our criticism. Whether spoken aloud or simply thought, our inner voice tends to come from the ego, or social self. And more times than we are proud of, this voice can be really mean. So beginning a meditation practice can often bring us quiet time where we find ourselves up close and personal with our inner critic. As we persevere with sending ourselves heartfelt wishes of happiness and allow ourselves to be seen from the eyes of compassion something shifts. We begin to soften. And over time we can hear the still, sweet voice of our heart and soul whispering how lovable we are, just as we are.

Day 19 | ~ Mother Theresa: Every time you smile it is an action of love ~ Mother Theresa|Become a Smiler to spread joy and love in the world! Touched by the sadness or suffering of others makes us want to do something, we want to take action, to help. But with so many global problems needing immediate attention, where do we begin? How can we make a difference in a world so plagued by chaos or calamity? It begins with bringing more love to our immediate surroundings. The greater the presence of love in the world, the greater the chances that those who perpetuate wrong action will switch sides. Some research shows that when a small percentage of a population focuses on peace and harmony the violence and crime rates drop. By getting into the vibration of love and compassion we can influence the energy of our communities and maybe even our nation. In addition to practicing this compassion meditation with people around the world, you can take small measures yourself to bring more love to the world.

Day 17 | ~ Thich Nhat Hanh: To love our enemy is impossible |Self-love can heal our enemies, too. In a time with endless wars, economic stress, racial profiling and political uprising it is easy for us to label others as bad or evil. Suddenly we have more enemies than any other time in history. Hatred seems so justifiable. And yet, the most intelligent among us repeatedly say that it is our compassion for our enemy that will set us free from hatred, stealing, war and corruption. So, we are all sad, enraged and full of vengeful emotions. But vengeance will not solve the problems of racism or displaced anger, rage and hostility. We are reminded of the grace of Gandhi who suggests instead, that we should “be the change we want to see in the world.” Can we allow our pain, anger and frustration to motivate and inspire us to carry peace and tolerance forward? Can our collective enlightenment empower the aggressors, who in their ignorance, pain and confusion project hatred toward others?

Day 17 | ~ Thich Nhat Hanh: To love our enemy is impossible |Self-love can heal our enemies, too. In a time with endless wars, economic stress, racial profiling and political uprising it is easy for us to label others as bad or evil. Suddenly we have more enemies than any other time in history. Hatred seems so justifiable. And yet, the most intelligent among us repeatedly say that it is our compassion for our enemy that will set us free from hatred, stealing, war and corruption. So, we are all sad, enraged and full of vengeful emotions. But vengeance will not solve the problems of racism or displaced anger, rage and hostility. We are reminded of the grace of Gandhi who suggests instead, that we should “be the change we want to see in the world.” Can we allow our pain, anger and frustration to motivate and inspire us to carry peace and tolerance forward? Can our collective enlightenment empower the aggressors, who in their ignorance, pain and confusion project hatred toward others?

Mindfulness is about love and loving life. ~ Jon Kabat-Zinn | Some people think that meditation practice is all about escape. In an attempt to escape from pain, trauma or drama meditation is often considered an appropriate remedy. And while becoming more mindful and engaging in meditation will provide calm and a respite from the turbulence of daily life, engaging in mindfulness practices is really meant to bring more enjoyment to your everyday life.

The emotion of compassion springs from the recognition that the human experience is imperfect. ~ Kristin Neff | In today's audio meditation we explore the following idea about perfectionism. Many of us grow up with a drive to become perfect. In order to feel worthy of praise or love we strive to achieve, accomplish and out-do ourselves or others. It can be quite alarming to find that no matter how high our level of success, no matter the size of our bank account and no matter the friends and followers we have we still make mistakes. We may still feel unworthy, like a fraud or imposter, always on the brink of being discovered to be less than perfect. If we can gently look at ourselves from the eyes of compassion we can see how shaky the goal of perfection is to begin with. We can see clearly that life will always be full of challenges and obstacles, some of which we will conquer, but not without our stumbling and falling a few times. While we can often give other people a break when we see them fall short

“awakening self-compassion is often the hardest challenge people face on the spiritual path.” ~ TaraBrach |We must embrace our darkness to shine fully. When we step onto the path toward becoming our best self, we open our eyes, hearts and minds to seeing ourselves deeply, from the inside-out. Beginning or deepening our spiritual journey involves coming face-to-face with the darkest aspects of our personalities. Embracing the wholeness and breadth of who we really are means we recognize the light and dark parts of our personality and behavior. As a whole being we have the potential for every type of thought and action - both good and bad - and everything in between. Rather than run from these shaky feelings we are invited to sit with them, observe and contemplate them, and eventually watch them fade away as they are replaced with tenderhearted, compassionate acceptance. If it is difficult to feel compassion for yourself during the meditation sessions while confronting your dark past or unfavorable qualities, y

To develop compassion is to learn to live with sympathy for all living beings, without exception. ~ Sharon Salzburg | Today we are all considered global citizens with a shared responsibility to care for our planet and this includes all beings on our precious green earth. No member of our ecosystem lives in total isolation.When one of us suffers or is under stress, we all feel it. Science tells us that living with an open heart of compassion also changes the way we see others. We can decrease our brain’s tendency to look out for ourselves and instead lower our stress response and make us more empathetic.