This loving kindness or metta meditation is meant to help instill and cultivate a sense of loving kindness and compassion to ourselves and all beings.
So come to find a comfortable posture.
This can be done seated or lying down.
And take a moment to notice what is it that you need in this moment.
And as you settle into your posture of choice,
Whether that's seated or lying down,
Once again noticing,
Are you truly comfortable in this posture?
Is there anything that you can do to make yourself even just five percent more comfortable?
If so,
Give yourself the gift in honoring your body and its needs and make those adjustments.
Also knowing you can make adjustments at any point in the practice.
In this loving kindness or metta meditation,
We'll be offering loving kindness to ourselves.
A being that we love.
Someone that we feel neutral around.
Someone that we're having a challenging time with.
And then we'll offer loving kindness to all beings.
To start,
Simply notice your natural breath as it is in this moment.
Without a right or a wrong way to breathe,
Just notice your natural inhale and exhale.
With a gentle,
Compassionate awareness and curiosity,
Just simply notice your natural breath as it is in this moment.
Without trying to change it or force it,
Just notice.
If it's comfortable,
I invite you to place a hand on your heart center,
Deepening that connection to your heart center.
The home of unconditional love and compassion.
You're more than welcome to keep your hand at your heart center throughout the entire practice.
You can also lower it down at any point.
To begin,
We'll be offering ourselves loving kindness.
So in your mind's eye,
See an image of yourself,
However it is that you naturally appear when you think of yourself.
And first just notice what arises as you see yourself in your mind's eye.
Notice the thoughts,
The feelings,
And allow yourself to breathe into whatever it is that you're feeling and thinking.
With a sense of gentle,
Compassionate awareness,
Just noticing and naming whatever it is that is arising.
And then we'll begin to offer ourselves loving kindness.
To repeat the following phrases,
Silently or out loud.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be peaceful.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be peaceful.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be peaceful.
And then just taking a moment to notice whatever is present for you in this moment.
With that gentle,
Compassionate awareness and curiosity,
Just noticing.
Now in your mind's eye,
See someone or something,
A pet.
It can even be Mother Earth.
See someone or something that you love very,
Very deeply.
And once again,
Notice what arises as you see this being in your mind's eye.
And then we'll send them some loving kindness.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be peaceful.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be peaceful.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be peaceful.
And then once again,
Noticing any thoughts,
Feelings,
Sensations that may be present.
Remembering to breathe.
Now we're going to be sending loving kindness to someone that we feel neutral around.
So this can be someone that works at your local grocery store,
Maybe someone you pass in the street every now and then.
You don't really have any particular feelings around this person.
You see them,
But you feel neutral around them.
Try not to get stuck in picking,
And just notice the first person that comes to mind.
See them in your mind's eye.
Notice any thoughts,
Feelings,
Sensations that arise.
And we'll send this person,
This being,
Loving kindness.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be peaceful.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be peaceful.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be peaceful.
And once again,
Noticing whatever it is that's arising for you in this moment.
And now we're going to send loving kindness to someone that we're having a hard time with.
This can be someone that maybe cut you off when you were driving,
Someone that you're having a fight with.
If you're new to the practice,
I do invite you to offer someone a little bit less charged than someone that you maybe have had a lifelong challenge with.
So again,
Maybe someone that cut you off or was rude to you.
Maybe someone that posted something that doesn't align with you on social media.
See that person in your mind's eye.
And once again,
Notice with a gentle,
Compassionate awareness and curiosity what arises for you when you see that person in your mind's eye.
And it's important to remember to breathe through this one.
Connect to your breath.
Connect to that gentle,
Compassionate awareness as you sit with whatever is arising.
And we'll send this person to the best of your ability,
Any amount,
Some loving kindness.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be peaceful.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be peaceful.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be peaceful.
And again,
Sitting with whatever is arising for you in this moment.
Breathing into the sensations,
The thoughts,
The feelings.
And now we're going to send loving kindness to all beings on this planet.
So all of the human beings,
All the plant life,
All of the animals,
Everything on this earth,
Including all of Mother Earth,
We will send loving kindness to.
So however this appears in your mind's eye,
See that.
Once again,
Notice what arises.
And let's offer all beings,
All life,
The entire planet,
Loving kindness.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be peaceful.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be peaceful.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be peaceful.
And sitting with whatever is present for you in this moment with that gentle compassionate awareness,
With that deeper sense of loving kindness.
And then letting that go and simply returning to your breath.
Just noticing and being present to your breath as it is now in this moment.
Maybe noticing any shifts or changes.
Or maybe noticing if it's still exactly as it was before the practice.
There is no right or wrong here.
We're just noticing.
And as you're present to your breath,
Just notice once again any thoughts,
Any feelings,
Any sensations that are present for you.
And then letting that go and beginning to deepen your breath.
Rub the thumb over the fingertips.
And place both hands on your heart center.
One on top of the other.
And gently bring the chin in towards the chest,
Bringing your mind's eye towards your heart center.
And before closing the practice,
We're going to once again offer ourselves loving kindness.
Just one round.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be peaceful.
And allowing your hands to fall to your lap or by your side.
With the chin in towards the chest,
Very softly allow the eyes to begin to flutter open,
Integrating your inner and your outer worlds.
And then whenever you're ready,
Allowing the head to rise.
Bringing your integrated awareness back into the room.
And may you have loving kindness for yourself and all beings.
