Take your time finding a comfortable seated position.
Maybe you want to grab some blankets or pillows.
It's more comfortable to lie down.
You certainly can.
Welcome to this loving-kindness meditation,
Which is also known as a Metta meditation.
What we're going to be doing is cultivating a sense of love and compassion for others and ourselves.
As you're getting ready,
Maybe you want to close your eyes gently or just keep a soft gaze.
We'll start by taking a few deep breaths,
Inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth at a comfortable and slow pace.
Allow your body to relax with each exhale,
Releasing any tension.
Allow your shoulders to drop.
I'll invite you to bring your attention to your heart center,
The area in the middle of your chest,
Which is the center of love and compassion,
Where we will be focusing.
As you're bringing there,
I'll bring us in with the bell as we begin to really drop in.
I invite you to shift your focus to your breath,
Inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly.
Feel the sensation of the breath entering and leaving your body.
Let each breath bring a sense of calmness and relaxation.
As you continue to breathe,
Scan your body for any tension.
You begin to notice any tightness.
Consciously release it with each exhale.
Allow your body to become more and more relaxed.
With each exhale.
Now,
I invite you to set an intention for this meditation.
I'll offer one,
But you can certainly have your own.
You might say to yourself,
May I be filled with love and compassion.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be at ease.
You can repeat these silently to yourself.
You simply allow yourself to hear them.
Just allowing the intention to resonate within you.
Repeat that intention once more before we move on.
May I be filled with love and compassion.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be at ease.
Now,
I'll invite you to picture someone that you love dearly.
Someone for whom you have uncomplicated feelings of warmth and affection.
It could be a friend,
A family member,
Or a beloved pet.
Hold their image,
Their name,
In your mind and in that heart space and repeat these phrases with them in mind.
May they be filled with love and compassion.
May they be happy.
May they be healthy.
May they be at ease.
Now,
I invite you to come back to that intention.
Grounding back into our intention for this meditation by extending these wishes back to ourselves.
May I be filled with love and compassion.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be at ease.
Next,
Expand your loving kindness to someone that you feel neutral about.
A person that you encounter regularly that maybe you don't know very well.
Once you have them in mind,
You'll repeat these phrases thinking of them.
May they be filled with love and compassion.
May they be happy.
May they be healthy.
May they be at ease.
Now,
Begin to focus your attention maybe to someone with whom you're having challenges or conflicts.
Keep it to one person.
You can always repeat these meditations with different people,
Different times.
This is just this intention.
Picture this person that you might be having challenges or conflicts with.
First one that came to mind.
We'll repeat these.
May they be filled with love and compassion.
May they be happy.
May they be healthy.
May they be at ease.
Then,
I invite you to expand your loving kindness to include all living beings.
Continuing with that anchor of your breath,
Inhaling and exhaling the tension.
Envision a world filled with love and compassion.
And what that could look like.
We'll repeat these phrases.
May all beings be filled with love and compassion.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be healthy.
May all beings be at ease.
And allow these phrases to radiate from that heart space like ripples spreading out into the world.
Gently bring your awareness back to your breath.
Taking a few deep breaths to inhale positivity and exhale any remaining tension.
When you're ready,
You can begin to flutter the eyes open.
Maybe take a moment to notice how you feel.
Take a moment to look around the room noticing the colors and the objects in the room around you.
Consider how you feel this experience of loving kindness.
Each time you practice might be different.
The people that come to mind might be different.
And it's a practice.
We'll close out with a bell.
Before I do that,
I just want to encourage you to carry this energy of loving kindness with you as you go about your day and feel free to return to this practice as needed.
