What I was going to do then is the loving kindness meditation,
Which is also known as Metta in Sanskrit.
I think Metta is Sanskrit or Pali,
I can't remember which,
And that means loving kindness.
And this is a Buddhist practice.
It was one of the first meditations that I learned and I love it because we start by sending loving kindness towards ourselves.
And it's really important because we have to resort ourselves first before we can send loving kindness to others.
And there are five stages.
So the first stage,
As I said,
Is loving kindness for ourself.
The second stage is a good friend.
The third stage is what is known as a neutral person or somebody we don't know very well.
And the fourth stage is a person who we call difficult,
Who we have challenges with.
It doesn't have to be our archenemy,
It could even be a friend or a loved one where there's a bit of tension.
And in the final stage,
We bring it all together.
And then we spread loving kindness throughout the world.
In that final stage,
Not only are we including living beings,
And that's not just human beings,
It's all sentient beings.
Let's include sending loving kindness to the earth as well.
So I will,
It will be roughly five minutes a stage.
Don't you don't have to remember all that if you're new to the practice,
Just I will obviously guide you through it.
There's no music,
I don't use music.
And also,
There will be periods of silence for you,
You know,
So you haven't got me going on at you all the time as well.
So when you're ready,
Well,
Assume you're ready,
You're here.
And we get into a comfortable position.
And and if you wish,
You can close your eyes or you might like to have like soft focus on something in front of you,
You might like to light a candle,
Incense burning over there.
So whatever you need for your meditation space.
I just take a moment now just to ground yourself in your posture,
Making sure that your back is straight,
But not too stiff in a natural,
Relaxed posture.
I'm feeling the grounds beneath you and the support of the earth.
And as the sound of the bell dies away,
Just connecting with the breath.
And as you breathe,
Just letting go of anything that you need to let go of,
Giving it back to the earth.
And perhaps as you breathe,
Imagine breathing up from the center of the earth through the soles of your feet,
Or whatever is supporting you.
And breathing up with your breath.
That love into your heart.
With the intention of cultivating loving kindness for yourself.
And just notice how that feels.
Even if it feels a bit strange to send yourself love,
Just notice that you're not trying to force anything that isn't there already.
You're just creating the space for love to arise naturally.
And if you find it helpful,
You can use phrases like,
May I be well,
May I be happy,
And may I be free from suffering.
Breathing in,
Coming back to the breath,
If the mind wanders off,
With the intention of wishing yourself well.
And now in the second stage,
We're cultivating metta,
Loving kindness,
For a good friend.
And as you bring your friend to mind,
Notice what arises.
And how does that feel in the body?
Is it easier to wish your friend well than it is yourself?
Just observing without judgment.
And again,
If you find it useful,
You can use the phrases,
May they be well,
May they be happy,
May they be free from suffering.
And just notice how that lands.
So feelings of loving kindness arise naturally,
When you bring your friend to mind.
Remember,
We're just observing what's already there,
Not trying to force anything.
May they be well.
May they be happy.
May they be free from suffering,
And from the causes of suffering.
And now just reconnecting with the earth.
If you're sitting on a chair,
Feel,
Feeling the connection between your feet and the earth,
Or whatever is coming into contact and supporting your weight.
Feeling the breath.
And how it feels to be here in this present moment.
As you bring to mind somebody who you maybe know by sight,
It could be a colleague or a neighbor,
Somebody who works in the local shop.
But you have no strong feelings for them either way.
You're just here with the intention of wishing them well,
Wishing them happiness.
Equally as we would ourselves and our friend.
And notice how that feels.
And you can engage the imagination.
Seeing their friends,
Their family,
Their hopes and dreams.
Seeing their common humanity.
And knowing they just want to be happy,
Like us.
And again,
If you find it helpful,
You can use the phrases,
May they be well,
May they be happy,
May they be free from suffering.
And if you find it harder to maintain an interest in this person,
Just notice that too,
Without judging.
Remembering to be kind to yourself at all times.
And if your mind wanders off,
Come back to the breath and feeling the connection with the earth.
And now in the fourth stage,
We bring to mind a person where we have some difficulty,
Or they may have some difficulty with us.
And as you do,
Notice any feelings or thoughts that arise and how that feels in the body.
And remembering at all times to remain feeling connected with the earth and the breath.
And now we're just investigating,
Is it possible to wish this person well?
And looking past our differences.
We don't have to like somebody to wish them well and wish them happiness.
Maybe we can start to see that they're suffering and they want to be happy,
Just like we do.
And if you find it challenging,
Then come back to sending loving kindness to yourself and having compassion for yourself.
You can use the phrases,
May they be well,
May they be happy,
May they be free from suffering and from the causes of suffering.
And notice how that lands,
Is there resistance?
Coming back to the breath and the body,
Feeling the connection with the earth if your mind wanders off.
And at all times being gentle and kind with yourself.
May they be well,
May they be happy,
May they be free from suffering and from the causes of suffering.
And now in the final stage,
Bring into mind all four people,
Ourselves,
Our friend,
The neutral person and the difficult person.
And all the while remaining connected with the breath and the earth.
And can we wish all four people love and metta,
Loving kindness,
Equally without preference.
Notice how that feels,
Not trying to force anything,
Just noticing.
We can wish all beings well,
Equally.
And you can use the phrases,
May they be well,
May they be happy,
May they be free from suffering.
And notice how that feels in your heart and in your body.
And now the intention is to spread that sense of loving kindness and well wishing to include more and more beings.
So wishing everyone well,
Wishing them happiness.
And then we spread that beyond to include more and more people,
Our families and loved ones and friends,
Other people around us,
And surrounding area where you are.
And not only human beings,
Include animals,
Birds,
Fish,
Insects,
All living beings,
Plants and the earth itself.
And you can imagine that love is spreading like a wave beyond your local area to the rest of the town or city,
Wherever you are.
The county,
The country,
And eventually the whole world and beyond.
Wishing all beings well,
Equally,
Wishing them happiness and freedom from suffering.
And now for the last minute or so,
Just let go of any effort.
Just sitting,
Just being,
And allowing yourself to integrate the benefits of the practice that you will take forward with you as you go about the rest of your day.
Positively impacting everybody that you come into contact with.
We don't just do this for our own benefit,
But for the benefit of all beings.
Well thank you everybody for joining me today,
So take care everybody,
Go well and lots of love.
