Love Lighta simple way to use breath and imagination.
You do not need to believe anything.
This is a simple use of breath, imagination, and care.
All humans can imagine.
Try One Breath
- 1
Inhale for 4
Feel love as care, warmth, kindness, or connection.
Imagine light, any light that feels clear and good to you. Sunlight, golden light, moonlight, white light, or simple brightness.
Imagine love and light bringing care, clarity, and support to every part of you.
- 2
Hold for 7
Rest inside the hold. There is nothing to do.
Let love, light, and thriving settle and grow warm.
If someone or something comes to mind, let them in. Quietly offer: I see you. May we thrive.
- 3
Exhale for 8
Release love, light, and thriving to whatever has your attention.
Do not force it. Keep it simple.
The Three Words
Love
A felt sense of care, warmth, kindness, or connection.
Light
An image of clarity, openness, and life. Any light that feels clear and good to you. Sunlight, golden light, moonlight, white light, or simple brightness.
Thriving
Life becoming more supported, whole, alive, and able to grow.
The Offering
I see you. May we thrive.
To see someone is to notice that they are here, and to welcome them. To say may we thrive is to remember that your life and theirs are part of one living world.
You can offer it silently, in your own words, in your own language. It is warmth turned toward another, toward the world, toward yourself.
If someone comes to mind who brings up pain, you do not have to include them. Begin with what is easy.
When to Use It
Use this practice whenever something has your attention.
- When someone comes to mind.
- Before a meeting.
- When you see suffering.
- When you feel grateful.
- With a child, animal, tree, plant, place, or memory.
- Before sending a difficult message.
- When you do not know what else to do.
Whatever has your attention can receive your care.
The Vertical Practice
This version follows the 4-7-8 breath.
Imagine love, light, and thriving rising from deep below the ground, moving through your body, and out through the top of your head.
Then imagine them returning back down through you and into the ground.
- 1
Inhale for 4
Draw love, light, and thriving from deep below the ground, up through your body.
Let them move through your feet, legs, belly, heart, throat, face, and head.
- 2
Hold for 7
Rest inside the hold.
Let love, light, and thriving settle and grow warm.
If someone or something comes to mind, let them in: I see you. May we thrive.
- 3
Exhale for 8
Send love, light, and thriving up and out through the top of your head.
Offer them to whatever has your attention.
Then let them return. Imagine love, light, and thriving flowing back down through your body and into the ground.
Do not force it.
Keep it simple.
Breathe, rest, offer, receive, and notice.
The 360-Degree Practice
This version also follows the 4-7-8 breath.
Imagine yourself inside a sphere of love, light, and thriving.
- 1
Inhale for 4
Receive love, light, and thriving from every direction.
Above you. Below you. Around you. Within you. Beyond you.
- 2
Hold for 7
Rest inside the hold.
Let the sphere grow brighter and fuller on its own.
If someone or something comes to mind, let them into the sphere: I see you. May we thrive.
- 3
Exhale for 8
Send love, light, and thriving outward in every direction.
You are receiving and sending.
Keep it simple.
The Community Version
One person can guide the practice for a group.
Let us take one breath together.
Inhale love, light, and thriving.
Hold, and rest.
If someone comes to mind, see them: I see you. May we thrive.
Exhale love, light, and thriving to whatever has our attention.
Pause.
That is enough.
You can do one breath, three breaths, or a few minutes.
A Note on Imagination
This practice does not ask you to believe anything.
It is not a religion.
It is not a claim.
It is not a promise.
It is a simple way to use breath, imagination, and care.
All humans can imagine.
We can imagine fear, conflict, separation, and danger.
We can also imagine care, clarity, support, and connection.
Try it once.
Notice what happens.
Adapt the Breath
If the 4-7-8 rhythm feels uncomfortable, shorten the count.
You can also breathe normally.
If you ever feel lightheaded, let the count go and breathe naturally. The imagination works just as well without it.
Do not force the breath.
Use the breath in a way that feels steady and natural.
Offered with Gratitude
This practice is offered in the spirit of traditions of loving-kindness and recognition found across many cultures, including the Zulu greeting sawubona, which means "I see you."
It does not claim to be any of them. It is simply breath, imagination, and care.
Offered Freely
This practice is offered freely for personal, community, and non-commercial use.
It will always be free.
Shared freely by Cory A. Smith.
Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0.