Hi and welcome.
My name is Rachel and today I'll be guiding you through a metta meditation.
Metta is also known as loving-kindness.
This practice is extremely simple and profound and I'm sure that you will end this session feeling different in the sense of compassion towards yourself and others and the world around you.
So before we dive in,
Find yourself in a comfortable space whether that is lying down or seated.
You can even sit up against a wall to support your spine.
Allow your eyes to close or if that is not in your meditation practice,
Soften your gaze and pick a point on something that is not moving to focus your gaze.
Today's practice starts with sending loving-kindness to yourself and then you will send it to someone that you love and lastly you will send it into the entire world to all living beings.
Let's start by taking a deep breath in and a full breath out.
Do that two more times.
Inhale and exhale.
Last one.
Sending loving-kindness to yourself.
You'll repeat these phrases silently in your mind's eye after I say them.
May I be safe.
May I be healthy.
May I be happy.
May I be free from my suffering.
May I walk through this life with ease.
Take a deep breath in and out.
Now in your mind's eye,
Picture someone that you love.
I know that several people might pop up but do your best to pick just one person today.
Allow that person to become crystal clear in your mind's eye.
Maybe it's they are at somewhere that they feel joy and calm and ease or maybe they are simply standing in front of you,
Palms open,
Waiting and ready to receive loving-kindness.
Good.
So now that you have it,
Take one more deep breath in and out.
May you be safe.
May you be healthy.
May you be happy.
May you be free from your sufferings.
May you walk through this life with ease.
Seal this in with a deep breath in and out.
Good.
Allow that person to slowly move out of your mind's eye as you begin to pull in all living beings.
You might envision a globe or you might start to envision the tiniest of creatures to the tallest of trees and everything in between.
Take a deep breath in and out.
May all living beings be safe.
May all living beings be healthy.
May all living beings be happy.
May all living beings be free of their sufferings and may all living beings walk through this life with ease.
Last time we seal everything in.
Deep breath in and out.
Thank you for practicing Metta loving-kindness today with me.
I hope you have a beautiful rest of your day or evening wherever this finds you.
And then you come back to this practice anytime you need a simple reset to embody love.