Happy Mothers Day

Today is Mothers Day in the United Kingdom. I am acutely aware that for some people it is always a difficult day; those who might have tricky relationships with their mothers, or those who have lost them, especially if it was prematurely. 
But this year- uniquely- it is potentially a hard day for everyone. Very few of us will be able to see our mothers on the day we might most want to. Many will be separated by country & closed borders. My mum is 12,000 miles away at the moment, and never has the distance felt so far. I haven't seen her for well over a year and I dont know when I will again. It's a thought I can't ponder for too long. But even those whose mothers are just up the road, or down a motorway, self-isolation & social distancing- terms that have taken up sudden & ominous residence in our language-  is asking that we keep away. The old rules have been turned on their head and staying away is now an act of love. But nothing stops us from thinking of our mothers, or of each other, and there is great power in our thinking. 
There is a beautiful Buddhist meditation, my favourite of all of them, known as Metta or Loving Kindness meditation. It invites us to use our mothers as the foundation for evoking immense love & then to transmit this feeling ever outwards- to ourselves, to friends, even to foe and then wider still to everyone else. Done once it is simply beautiful; an antidote to all the fear & anxiety we have rightfully felt over the last week or more. Done repeatedly this meditation can be truly transformative to our minds, to how we feel and crucially to how we interact. In that sense, it has perhaps never been more necessary.
I have recorded a (short) guided version of it below for you all to practice ( let me know if you like it and I can record a slightly longer one too). USe it as often as you feel the need to in the coming weeks & it is for you to share with the mothers of the world, yours or anyone elses.
With much love and Happy Mothers Day,
Nicole