Welcome dear listener.
My name is Anne and I'm going to guide you today in a loving kindness meditation,
Also known as Metta.
Sometimes we may feel off-centre,
Particularly in these uncertain days and we are all in need of a little extra love.
Practicing kindness is one of the best ways to create and cultivate happiness in ourselves and others.
We all have a natural disposition for kindness but sometimes we don't nurture and express this as well as we could.
Loving kindness also decreases the stress response and increases empathy and social connection.
A loving kindness meditation involves receiving and sending good wishes towards ourselves and or others.
By repeating a series of mantras,
Either silently or as a gentle whisper,
We will extend compassion and friendship to ourselves and all living beings.
Today's Metta meditation focuses on establishing health,
Happiness and inner balance.
So let's start by coming to a comfortable seat on a cushion or your favourite chair with the spine tall and free.
Allow the feet to connect to the earth and maybe rest the hands on the lap or on the legs.
The shoulders falling away from the ears and all the muscles in the face and jaw relaxing.
Softening the gaze or closing down the eyes,
Enabling the whole body to rest and feel heavy and supported.
Bringing your awareness inwards now and dropping into a place of stillness.
Turn your attention to your heart and let's take some heart breaths together.
Inhaling through the back of the heart and exhaling through the front of the heart.
Inhaling calm through the back of the heart.
Exhaling peace through the front of the heart.
Inhaling calm.
Exhaling peace.
Inhaling go.
Envision enveloping yourself with calm and peace as you take another deep breath.
And from that quiet place draw to mind an image of yourself.
It could be of you sitting here today in meditation or maybe it's a snapshot from another moment in your life.
Know that whatever arises first is usually the best image to choose.
Allow that vision of yourself to grow strong and clear in the mind's eye.
Really observing what you are wearing,
The expression on your face.
I invite you to offer yourself loving kindness.
Repeating after me silently or as a whisper.
May I be healthy.
May I be happy.
May I live in balance.
Visualize yourself as a vibrant healthy and happy version of yourself in balance with all that life offers.
Enter that vision enabling it to permeate into your body committing those wishes to yourself.
May I be healthy.
May I be happy.
May I live in balance.
Imagine filling up your well with kindness so that you have more than enough to share out into the universe.
As you repeat once more.
May I be healthy.
May I be happy.
May I live in balance.
And now bring to mind someone who cherishes you deeply.
Someone close to you.
One who loves you very much.
It could be a person from the past or present.
Someone living or who has passed away.
Imagine that person standing next to your right shoulder and sending you their love and best wishes.
And now see that you are surrounded by many people who love you and who have loved you.
Your friends,
Family,
Pets.
All sending you well wishes for your health,
Happiness and safety.
Bask in the warmth of the love coming from all sides around you.
Allow yourself to be filled and overflowing with kindness.
Turn now to the person on your right side.
Remember the love that you feel back to that person.
Just like you,
That person wishes to be healthy,
Happy and whole.
So send them well wishes.
Repeating silently or whispering after me.
May you be healthy.
May you be happy.
May you live in balance.
Send those well wishes to all of those around you.
All of the people just like you need a healthy,
Happy and balanced life.
Send out kindness to all of those loved ones.
May you be healthy.
May you be happy.
May you live in balance.
And finally,
Send loving kindness to beings everywhere.
Expanding your awareness further around you to include all living beings,
Humans,
Animals and other creatures.
May you be healthy.
May you be happy.
May you live in balance.
Just as I wish to.
Bringing that kindness into the universe.
May you be healthy.
May you be happy.
May you live in balance.
This guided metta meditation is now complete.
Let's see if you can take time,
A minute or two,
To simply sit with the effects of the practice.
And perhaps notice if anything has shifted through offering yourself and others loving kindness.
Wishing you a day filled with grace and ease.
Thank you for meditating with me.
I send you much love and many blessings.
Namaste.
