In this meditation we'll practice metta,
Loving kindness for all the beings in the world and for those that we love.
It's a Buddhist practice that works with the fact that love and compassion is something we carry within us always.
With metta meditation we cultivate the feelings of loving kindness and compassion.
So get into a comfortable position,
It can be seated,
On the floor,
On a cushion or maybe even on a chair,
But you can also be lying down,
Whichever you prefer at the moment.
Make sure that your body is well supported so that you can relax as much as possible while being alert.
This way you can focus more on the experience of this meditation.
You can have your eyes closed or leave them open,
But with a soft gaze or focused on a fixed point at least a meter in front of you.
And we'll begin with bringing our attention to the body.
Take a moment to feel your body,
Your legs,
Your buttocks,
Your back,
The abdomen,
Your chest,
Shoulders,
The arms,
The hands,
The neck,
Your head,
And your face.
And now bring your attention to your breath.
Where can you feel the movement of your breath?
Perhaps you can notice the air going in and out of your nose,
Movement in your ribs or your abdomen.
Just notice how the body expands when you inhale and how it relaxes when you exhale.
You don't need to change anything.
Just notice what you feel right now by observing the change in each moment.
Feel how the body is breathing.
And now bring your attention to the mind and observe how it is there.
Is it quiet or are there lots of thoughts?
And each time when the mind gets involved with a story from the past or from the future,
As soon as you realize,
You can bring your attention back to your body and to your breath,
To the present moment.
And it doesn't matter how many times you have to do that.
That is the practice.
And now we'll continue with metta.
Take a moment to notice the world that you live in,
Envisioning all the people,
All living beings,
Big and small,
Whether you know them or not.
And for all these beings,
We're going to send good wishes because we all want peace and happiness in the world.
You can repeat these wishes quietly in your mind.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
And it's not just about repeating these phrases.
It's also about feeling it.
Feeling your wishes as a physical sensation inside of your body.
May you be safe.
May you be at peace.
And when you say,
May you be at peace,
Feel that in your body,
A sense of peace that you wish for the world.
May you be free from suffering.
May you be loved.
May you experience joy.
You can repeat these wishes or you can add your own wishes.
What are your best wishes for the world?
Wish them and feel them in your body.
Focus on the feeling that you're generating of love and compassion within you.
Keep breathing and feeling the support of the earth beneath you.
Wishing beautiful things for all the beings in the world.
And now,
Bring your attention to a person that you love,
A person with whom you have a very easy relationship,
Where it is easy to feel love and compassion.
Visualize this person,
Their face,
Their body,
The life that they are living,
And connect with the feeling that you want that person to be happy and at peace.
And you can cultivate metta to that person by wishing them,
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
May you be safe.
Repeating it slowly so that you connect with the intention and meaning of what you're wishing for your dear person,
Feeling it within you.
May you be at peace.
May you be free from suffering.
May your heartfelt dreams come true.
Keep visualizing that person,
Sending these wishes by focusing on the feeling of loving kindness and compassion for that person.
May you experience joy.
Now,
Slowly let go of the wishes and refocus on your body,
Your breath,
And the connection to the earth beneath you,
The space around you,
And sensing this feeling of love and compassion that you've been cultivating during this practice.
You can carry this feeling of loving kindness and compassion into the rest of your day.
If you had your eyes closed,
Little by little,
You can open your eyes and again become present and active in the world around you again.
