Find a position that allows you to be both comfortable and alert for your meditation.
Eyes can be closed or open with a soft downward gaze.
Bringing the attention into the body,
Feeling what's there right now in this moment.
Metta meditation is an intention for kindness,
An intention to be better friends with ourselves and others.
Bringing a sense of unconditional friendliness.
Realizing that we all want the same thing.
We all want to be happy and we all want to be free from suffering.
So I invite you now to bring your attention to your chest or heart area.
If you like you can place your hand there to feel a deeper sense of connection.
And if there's another area in the body where you connect to love and kindness then you're welcome to bring the attention there instead.
Noticing how you feel right now.
How does your heart feel right now?
Just checking in.
No need to change anything.
Just checking in as you would with a loved one.
Hey how you doing?
How's your heart?
And as we start we'll be sending wishes of well-being to others and ourselves.
And this is a practice to intentionally open the heart and cultivate friendliness.
So sometimes it might feel a little weird.
Might even feel a little fake or contrived.
And I invite you to bring a sense of curiosity and openness and see what happens.
So now I invite you to think of someone in your life who's easy to love.
And it doesn't really matter who it is.
Just someone who when you think about them it's easy to feel gratitude and appreciation for their presence in your life.
Could be a friend or family member,
Alive or past.
Could be a pet or spiritual or public figure.
And when you choose that being I invite you to picture them sitting with you.
Maybe they're sitting and holding your hand.
Maybe they're simply looking at you and feel what it feels like to be in their presence.
Notice what you feel grateful for about them and their presence.
Notice what you appreciate about being in their presence.
Notice where you feel that in your body as you feel that gratitude and appreciation for this person or this being in your life.
And now I invite you to imagine saying to them coming from this place of care and and love.
May you feel safe and protected.
And as you say these words see if you can feel in your body that feeling when you feel safe and protected.
How does that feel?
Bring in that feeling as you wish to them.
May you feel safe.
May you feel safe and protected.
May you be healthy or if you prefer may you be free from pain.
Feel free to choose whatever phrase of well-being works best for you.
And imagine that feeling of being free from pain,
Feeling healthy in the body as you say to them may you be healthy.
May you be healthy.
May you be happy.
And feeling that sense of what it's like when you know happiness and a deep sense of peace.
May you be happy.
May you be happy.
May you live your life with ease and bringing in that feeling of ease being without suffering.
May you live your life with ease.
May you live your life with ease.
And now take a moment to notice how it feels to extend these wishes to this person or this being that you care for.
You might even notice where you feel whatever it is that you feel.
And now I invite you to imagine this person looking at you with the same gratitude and the same appreciation and the same loving care as they wish back to you.
May you be safe.
May you feel safe and protected.
May you feel safe and protected.
May you be healthy or may you be free from pain.
May you be healthy and vibrant.
May you be healthy.
And now they wish to you may you be happy.
May you know true happiness and deep peace.
And feel what that's like to have someone truly wish you happiness and peace.
May you be happy.
May you be happy and know deep peace.
May you live your life with ease.
And I invite you to feel what that might feel like to be without suffering.
May you live your life with ease.
May you live your life with ease.
And see if you can take it in now.
Just take in these words of well-being that this person has wished to you with so much care.
What does that feel like in the body right now?
And take another moment to notice how this feels in the body.
And as I read these words you can notice how this is received in the body as well.
Marinate in love and you turn from tough to tender.
It's what love does.
Allow it to work its magic and love transforms even the most difficult mornings into opportunities for grace to trace its finger up your spine and leave you glad to be alive.
You
