Loving Kindness (Metta) Meditation

Welcome to today's Metta loving kindness meditation.

So thank you for joining me today from wherever you are.

And I invite you to find a position that you're comfortable in,

Whether that be a seated position for you today,

With maybe some back support,

Or if you're feeling inclined to be supine.

Whatever the posture that best supports you today,

I encourage you to gift yourself that loving kindness from the posture that you assume for your meditation.

A reminder that this is a live recording,

So there might be some sound that comes into the space.

Welcome that sound in the environment that you're in,

And in the environment that I'm in,

And just let the sound be a sound vibration that we welcome at any time.

Let's begin by taking a deep breath in together,

In through the nostrils,

And feel your presence,

I am.

And as you breathe out through the nostrils,

Or through the mouth,

Whichever you prefer,

Feel He now.

I am He now.

So feel every subsequent breath as it naturally moves at the rhythm in your body at this moment.

And in this meditation,

We're cultivating this openness,

This welcoming in the heart.

We're cultivating compassion,

And joy,

And appreciation,

Forgiveness,

And joy.

It's something that even when we're having a difficult day,

A difficult time,

A difficult moment,

That we can feel the sense of acceptance,

Knowing that all things shall pass.

So let's begin our metta meditation,

Loving kindness.

Now that you've found your comfortable position,

If you would like to gently close the eyes,

You're welcome to,

Or you may choose to keep them open.

And allow yourself to settle in,

And to soften in to your body,

And to your breath.

And we'll begin with a soft focus on the mind and body settling,

And arriving in this moment.

Where you are,

Can you feel the rising and releasing as the body breathes?

Notice the softness,

The coolness,

The warmth,

The movement of your breath in your body.

And you can choose to notice where the breath is being felt.

You're feeling it more in the abdomen,

Or in the chest,

Or the throat.

Just notice where you're feeling the breath at this time.

We're not changing the breath in any way,

Simply observing the breath as it is in this moment.

And now cultivating a little awareness around your heart centre.

As you breathe,

Just feeling this soft focus at the heart centre.

And see if you can follow the beginning of your inhale,

As it expands into the heart space.

Noticing the transition from inhale to exhale,

And following the exhale all the way out,

To the end of the exhale,

The transition to the inhale.

And we'll maintain a soft anchoring here of the breath.

So if and when the mind wanders gently,

Lovingly,

Kindly bring it back to this space,

We're cultivating here in our hearts,

As we breathe in and out.

We'll begin the practice by bringing to mind yourself in this moment,

Right now.

Connecting with your own deepest intentions for happiness,

Ease and safety.

And you don't need to dive into stories of what will make you happy,

But connect with that natural desire you have to be at peace.

You can cultivate this intention with an open heart to your own wellbeing.

And with the following metafrases,

You can silently recite them,

Or audibly,

Whichever resonates with you.

To repeat now,

These words as if they were your own.

May I be happy.

May I be healthy.

May I be safe.

May I be at ease.

May I be happy.

May I be healthy.

May I be safe.

May I be at ease.

May I be happy.

May I be healthy.

May I be safe.

May I be at ease.

As you breathe naturally,

Noticing the intention that you've seeded through these metafrases for yourself.

Now I invite you to bring forward a loved one.

Maybe a partner,

A dear friend,

A child,

Someone that you love dearly.

And you might visualise them before you,

You might call them into your heart,

Feel their presence.

Once you've made this connection,

Start to cultivate that intention for metta,

For your loved one.

And you can repeat these phrases again silently or audibly.

We repeat.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you be at ease.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you be at ease.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you be at ease.

Feeling the intention for loving kindness now to your loved one,

Just noticing how that feels now that you've shared that.

That clear intention to cultivate metta for a loved one.

And as you breathe naturally,

Lovingly,

Compassionately,

Release your loved one.

And I invite you now to bring forward a neutral person.

And someone that you may just know from your local store,

Someone that you don't have too much history with,

Just a neutral person that you don't have any judgments around.

It's always a tough one.

And welcome that person into your space now.

You might visualize them before you or bring them,

Their presence into your heart.

And once you feel that connection with this neutral person,

Let's share the metta phrases with them.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you be at ease.

May you be healthy.

May you be happy.

May you be safe.

May you be at ease.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you be at ease.

Noticing that feeling of connection with this person,

This neutral person.

As you breathe naturally.

With care and consideration for this person,

For yourself.

And when you're ready,

Release them.

Now I invite you to bring forward a pet.

Maybe your own,

Maybe your friend's,

Maybe one that you saw walking the other day.

And just bringing forward an animal that you feel any connection to or that you can just recall how they made you feel.

And just bring presence of this animal in to your heart.

Let's share the metta phrases with this animal that you've chosen to bring into your heart,

Your pet.

An animal that you feel a connection with.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you be at ease.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you be at ease.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you be at ease.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you be at ease.

Notice what's present for you this moment.

To share this metta intention to your desired pet.

And as you breathe naturally,

You're ready to gently release them.

I now invite you to bring forward someone that you're being challenged by,

Not someone that's too difficult that you find difficult to even think of without getting any anxiety or stress,

But someone that you just feel a little challenged by at this moment that you're comfortable to bring into your space.

So welcoming that person that you are feeling challenged by this time.

And don't force this,

Simply allow it to be and if it doesn't feel comfortable then choose someone that you can feel comfortable with,

Someone that you're ready to bring in with the resolve to share loving kindness.

So either see them before you or feel that presence and maintain an open heart.

And as you soften and release,

Share with them your metta intention.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you be at ease.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you be at ease.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

Notice how you're feeling this time as you soften a little more,

Allowing compassion and love to move through you.

This intention of loving kindness.

When you're ready release that person.

As you breathe naturally,

Just feeling where the breath is breathing in your body.

Allowing the softness of your mind and body to be felt.

And I now invite you to welcome anybody that comes to mind,

Anyone that you would like to connect with at this time.

So see this person before you or feel their presence in your heart.

And now sharing the intention of metta with this person you've chosen.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you be at ease.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you be at ease.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

Notice how that feels to share your intention for loving kindness with this person you've chosen.

And as you turn the corners of your lips and start to feel that inner and outer smile permeate through every cell in your body.

You might choose to turn the palms up as a mudra posture of complete surrender.

And as you let go of the person that you've just shared your metta intention with,

We're now open to sharing loving kindness with all sentient beings.

So feel that expansion,

Feel that infinite love,

Compassion,

Kindness that we can cultivate at any time,

Anywhere.

And as you breathe this breath in this body,

Can you feel your infinite capacity to love,

To be kind,

To be caring,

To be compassionate.

So as we open to all sentient beings on this planet and beyond.

May we be happy.

May we be healthy.

May we be safe.

May we be at ease.

May we be happy.

May we be healthy.

May we be safe.

May we be at ease.

May we be happy.

May we be healthy.

May we be safe.

May we be at ease.

As you breathe.

Can you feel loving kindness permeating to every cell,

Every molecule,

Every fiber of your being?

Knowing that love has no boundaries.

It's infinite,

Eternal.

Let's bring all of that metta intention that we've expanded and expressed.

Let's bring it all back home to our heart and to ourself.

As you gently bow your head towards your heart,

Feel all of that intention,

Loving kindness,

Come back to you.

May I be happy.

May I be healthy.

May I be safe.

May I be at ease.

We repeat.

May I be happy.

May I be healthy.

May I be safe.

May I be at ease.

Once again.

May I be happy.

May I be healthy.

May I be safe.

May I be at ease.

Can you let yourself be still now?

And feel what needs to be felt.

Hear what needs to be listened to.

Breathe this breath in this moment and be in the sweet surrender of now.

There's nothing to achieve.

There's nowhere else to be.

Simply be here now.

This container of loving kindness.

Each breath.

Breathe this breath in this moment and be in the sweet surrender of now.

Breathe this breath in this moment and be in the sweet surrender of now.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you be at ease.

Namaste.