Hi and welcome,
My name is Pita and today I will be guiding you through a meditation practice called Metta.
Metta is a Buddhist meditation practice which in the Pali language translates literally to loving kindness.
Loving kindness meditation is a practice that offers many benefits.
It helps us to feel more gratitude and a sense of connection both with our self and with all others.
It helps us to feel compassion and empathy toward others.
Decreases in anger,
Physical pain and it lowers our inflammation response.
Loving kindness meditation isn't about liking everybody but through the practice of loving kindness we are retraining the conditions of our mind for a happier life.
Guru Maharaj Ji once said,
You need to let go of anger.
You can get angry and throw someone out of your home but never throw them out of your heart because we are all interconnected and you would be directly causing suffering to yourself.
If everybody in the world were to practice Metta meditation,
Imagine the world that we could live in.
So we'll start by finding our comfortable seat and whatever that is for you,
Just ensure that it is a position that you are able to hold for about 25 minutes.
Whether you are sitting cross legged on the floor,
Sitting in a chair,
Using a meditation stool or props or you can even use some pillows to make yourself more comfortable.
I do recommend the rule of three.
So as sensations,
Aches,
Pains,
Itches arise,
Allow them to come by three times before you attend to them.
Only by the third time it goes away on its own.
So if you need a little more time to find your seat then pause this meditation and when you are ready we'll begin.
Just allow a little bit of time here for your mind to settle.
Give permission for your mind to wander and play one last time before you ask it to come to stillness.
And bring your awareness now to your breath.
Each time you find that your mind begins to wander,
Just know that it's okay.
Come back to your breath and come back to your mantra and start again.
So we'll begin by cultivating a sense of loving kindness toward yourself.
So bring awareness to your heart space,
To the space that surrounds your chest.
And we'll begin by saying a mantra.
May I be happy.
May I be safe.
May I live with ease.
And silently say it along with me.
May I be happy.
May I be safe.
May I live with ease.
Now silently repeat this twice more on your own.
And again if your mind begins to wander,
Know that that's okay.
Come back to your breath.
Come back to your mantra.
May I be happy.
May I be safe.
May I live with ease.
Now call to mind somebody that you love,
That you care about,
Whether that is a human or an animal,
Someone that's no longer with us.
And picture their face.
Silently say their name.
And create a sensation of their presence.
And now we're going to offer loving kindness to them.
Again bring your awareness to your heart space.
And silently say the mantra.
May they be happy.
May they be safe.
May they live with ease.
May they be happy.
May they be safe.
May they live with ease.
May they be happy.
May they be safe.
May they live with ease.
Now bring to mind somebody that you have a neutral association with,
A stranger.
Maybe someone that you've seen at the supermarket or the dog park,
But you have no emotional connection to them.
And begin to offer loving kindness to them.
May they be happy.
May they be safe.
May they live with ease.
May they be happy.
May they be safe.
May they live with ease.
May they be safe.
May they be happy.
May they be safe.
May they live with ease.
May they live with ease.
Now we're going to call to mind a person that you have a negative association with.
Someone that has caused harm to you or somebody that you love.
And offer loving kindness to this person.
May they be happy.
May they be safe.
May they live with ease.
May they be happy.
May they be safe.
May they live with ease.
May they be safe.
May they be happy.
May they be safe.
May they live with ease.
If your mind begins to wander,
Just know that that's okay.
Come back to your breath,
Back to your mantra.
May they be happy.
May they be safe.
May they live with ease.
May they live with ease.
Now we're going to call to mind a collective of people,
Whether that is a company,
A country,
A religion,
A community,
A family.
Just take a moment to think of the collective and we will offer a loving kindness to them.
May they be happy.
May they be safe.
May they live with ease.
May they be happy.
May they be safe.
May they live with ease.
May they live with ease.
May they be happy.
May they live with ease.
Now we're going to again cultivate a sense of loving kindness towards yourself.
Bring awareness to your heart space and offer loving kindness to yourself.
May I be happy.
May I be safe.
May I live with ease.
Observe and notice any physical or emotional shifts from now and when you first offered loving kindness to yourself.
May I be happy.
May I be safe.
May I live with ease.
May I live with ease.
May I live with ease.
May I live with ease.
May I live with ease.
May I live with ease.
May I live with ease.
May I be happy.
May I be safe.
May I live with ease.
It's never too late to turn on the light.
Our ability to break an unhealthy habit or turn off an old tape doesn't depend on how long it's been running.
A shift in perspective doesn't depend on how long you've held on to an old view.
Then you flick the switch in the attic and doesn't matter whether it's been dark for ten minutes,
Ten years,
Or ten decades.
The light still illuminates the room and banishes the dark.
A quote by Sharon Salzberg.
Begin to come back to your breath,
Come back to your body,
And invite some subtle movement into your fingers and your toes.
Crunch up your face with an inhale,
Bring your shoulders up to your ears,
And exhale with a sigh and let everything go.
Release come to softness.
Bring your hands together in front of your heart and start to rub them together,
Creating warmth and friction.
From there,
Breathe a warm breath into your hands and cup them over your eyes.
Finally drag your fingers down your face and start to use your hands to tap your thighs,
Your arms,
Your shoulders.
When you're ready,
Keep your gaze soft and low and open your eyes.
Return to your natural,
Habitual breath.
Thank you for sharing your time,
Your space,
And practicing metta,
Loving-kindness meditation.
Just know that you have the ability to practice this anytime,
Anywhere,
For any length of time.
Thank you so much.
Again,
My name is Pita.
Namaste.
