A couple weeks ago I was feeling good enough to go to yoga for the first time in months! I have been practicing with the same teacher for about 15 years so I went to him after class to see if he had any recommendations to deal with the ups and downs of healing. He recommended that I start doing a tonglen meditation. He recommended that I practice breathing in the suffering of others and as I exhale, to imagine I could take their illness and suffering away. It's a slightly different variation than the one I am guiding you through but the premise is the same.
This month on my Patreon account we are focusing on developing more equanimity in our lives. Equanimity is a balanced mind that isn't rattled by outside circumstances. The best meditation practice for developing equanimity is Tonglen. It felt like the stars were perfectly aligned because I knew the month to come would be focused on Tonglen meditation for the Patreon course, and this just gave me a specific focus for my own practice.
Tonglen simply translates to sending and receiving. In this practice we face suffering head on and try to connect with our own suffering, a loved one, a stranger, someone we dislike, and finally the world. It is a beautiful and simple process that can help you develop compassion and equanimity. I searched YouTube for hours looking for the perfect one but wasn't satisfied so I made my own. You can do it sitting or lying down, and quite honestly you could even do it with eyes open and walking or driving. I encourage you to give it a try, see how you feel afterwards, and notice if it shifts your frame of mind! Check out my Patreon account if you would like to dive deeper into self development.