Change in the world comes from individuals,
From the inner peace and individual hearts.
Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water,
The actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects.
This quote by the Dalai Lama resonates deeply with me and serves as a beautiful primer for a Metta practice.
Metta is a Pali word that has been translated loosely as loving-kindness,
Universal goodwill,
Or unstoppable friendliness.
Metta is a practice that creates space to cultivate unconditional compassion and gratitude for all.
In this sound meditation practice,
We will begin sending that feeling or sentiment to ourselves and gradually expand it outward,
Eventually wishing compassion,
Gratitude,
And generosity for the entire world and all beings,
Even the people who challenge us the most.
After we'll rest in our loving-kindness practice held by the soundscape of Himalayan bowls.
Begin by relaxing gently on your back in Savasana or corpse pose,
Ensuring that you've supported yourself,
The body,
With any props that you may need to ensure maximum comfort for the practice.
Make sure that the spine is neutral and long,
Gently closing the eyes and rest the hands right at our heart space,
Palms touching the chest,
Allowing us to feel the gentle rise of the chest on the inhale and noticing the gentle release on the exhale.
Allow yourself to take a moment just to notice the rhythm and flow of your breath.
Loving-kindness practice always begins with a blessing for ourselves.
So with awareness resting on yourself,
Begin to cultivate a soft loving heart towards the fullness of yourself.
This will include your suffering,
The joy,
Your power,
Your potential,
The totality of you.
Take a moment and breathe in deeply through the nose and as you exhale,
Extend to yourself the following sentimental wishes.
May I be at peace.
May my heart remain open.
May I awaken to the light of my own true nature.
May I be healed.
May I be a source of healing for all beings.
And may I find peace in an uncertain world.
Allow yourself to see,
Sense,
Or feel yourself receiving these wishes.
Allow yourself to inhale gently through the nostrils and then audibly exhale out of the mouth.
Tim O'Children says,
Without loving-kindness for ourselves,
It is difficult,
If not impossible,
To genuinely feel it for others.
Next,
Expand your circle of awareness,
Bringing into mind and to focus someone that you love unconditionally.
Allow that person to come into focus and with awareness of this person resting here,
Begin to cultivate that soft,
Loving heart towards that person,
Again,
Inclusive of that person's whole existence,
Their suffering,
Their joy,
Their power,
Their potential.
Take a moment,
Breathe in deeply,
And extend to them the following sentiment.
May you be at peace.
May your heart remain open.
May you awaken to the light of your own true nature.
May you be healed.
May you be a source of healing for all beings.
May you find peace in an uncertain world.
Begin to picture them receiving these wishes.
Allow yourself to inhale gently through the nostrils and then audibly exhaling out of the mouth.
We'll begin to expand the circle even wider,
Bringing into mind a person that you recognize in the world,
But you may not be that intimately close or familiar with this person.
Think of someone that you have a feeling of neutrality for,
Maybe a familiar stranger.
And with awareness of this person resting here,
Cultivate that soft,
Loving heart towards that person,
Including their suffering,
Their joy,
Their power and potential.
Take a moment,
Breathe in deeply,
And extend to them the following sentiment.
May you be at peace.
May your heart remain open.
May you awaken to the light of your own true nature.
May you be healed.
May you be a source of healing for all beings.
May you find peace in an uncertain world.
Picture them receiving these wishes.
Inhale gently through the nostrils and then audibly exhaling out of the mouth,
Releasing everything.
And just know that if you find your mind wandering through this practice or find this a bit difficult,
It's okay,
But just create space to notice and maybe lean into some of that difficulty,
Just being aware without judgment.
It will begin to expand that circle just a bit wider,
Bringing into your mind someone you may be connected to a source of difficulty or obstacle for you at the moment.
Maybe someone who represents a level of frustration or misunderstanding.
And with awareness of this person,
Begin to cultivate that soft,
Loving heart towards this person.
Again,
With the focus on the totality of who they are,
Their suffering,
Their joy,
Their power,
Their potential,
Taking a moment to breathe in deeply and allow yourself to extend to them the following sentiment.
May you be at peace.
May your heart remain open.
May you awaken to the light of your own true nature.
May you be healed.
May you be a source of healing for all beings.
May you find peace in an uncertain world.
Allow yourself to see,
Sense,
Or feel them receiving these wishes.
And allow yourself to inhale gently through the nostrils and then audibly exhale out of the mouth.
Lastly,
We'll begin to expand this circle out to the entire world,
To all the people around us,
Inclusive of all life on this planet.
And with awareness on all living beings,
Turn that soft and loving heart towards them all.
Creating space to include the collective suffering,
The collective joy,
That collective power and potential.
Take a moment to breathe in deeply and extend the following sentiment.
May all be in peace.
May all hearts remain open.
May all awaken to the light of their own true nature.
May all be healed.
May all be a source of healing for all beings.
And may all find peace in an uncertain world.
Allow yourself to see,
Sense,
Or feel all people receiving these wishes.
Inhale gently through the nostrils and then with a big exhale out of the mouth,
Just release.
That release should allow you to relax and rest into the radiance of this cultivated loving kindness.
As I begin to integrate the sound of the Himalayan bowls into the practice and experience.
Allow yourself to rest gently in the silence for about one minute.
Allow yourself to gently bring your awareness back to the breath.
Let yourself be in a state of deep meditation.
Take a few moments to appreciate and feel what's been generated through this practice.
Even if there's been some difficult parts of the practice,
Just know that this practice has the potential for you to see spaces and opportunities to grow.
Sometimes through loving kindness,
Meditation,
We get confronted with some of those opposite feelings,
Maybe anger or sadness.
But allow yourself to refrain from rejecting those feelings.
Instead using them as signposts to direct you towards maybe a deeper level of compassion.
Even as this practice comes to a close,
Remember to radiate this feeling of loving kindness inwardly and outwardly.
As you begin to gently blink the eyes open and bring gentle movement into the body,
I'll leave you with this quote by Dr.
Martin Luther King.
Whatever affects one directly,
Affects all indirectly.
This is the interrelated structure of reality.
