Metta Meditation: Loving Kindness

Let's begin.

Let's begin by finding a way to be in the body where you feel comfortable.

Perhaps if you're sitting upright,

You find that space,

That way of being where each vertebra sits upon the one below it.

Finding a way to stack the spine,

To activate the strength.

The strength in your frame,

The strength that comes without effort.

And then perhaps adjusting the head.

Finding that space where your head rests at the top of the spine,

Almost as if it's floating weightlessly.

Once you find that place in your body,

That way of being,

I invite you to take a deep breath.

Drawing air in through the nose and out through the nose.

And as you breathe in,

Imagine yourself bringing deep peace into the body.

And as you breathe out,

Imagine yourself letting go of any tension,

Any story that may be stuck in your thoughts base.

Just allow it to travel out on the out breath,

Bringing in peace.

Breathing out tension.

And as you breathe in and out like this,

You may notice the sensation of the cool air moving in through your nostril,

Breathing in the cool and breathing out the warm,

Feeling that warm air exiting your body.

Breathing in and breathing out.

Let's bring our awareness now to the top of the head.

You're going to invite some ease into the body as we shift our awareness to each place.

Allow yourself to send this calming energy you've been breathing into this space.

As I name each place in the body,

Bring your awareness there and breathe into it.

From the top of the head,

Begin to feel yourself letting go.

Moving into the forehead.

Breathing in that calming,

Peaceful energy,

Allowing the body to let go,

To relax.

In the back of the head,

Releasing,

Unclenching,

Letting go.

Let's move into the jaw,

Breathing calming energy into the jaw,

Letting the jaw open slightly,

Letting the tongue rest gently on the bottom of the mouth.

Breathing into the neck,

Noticing if there's any tension that's crept back into this space and just meeting that tension with love,

Not with judgment and allowing it to melt,

Letting go.

Bringing the awareness to the shoulders where we carry these burdens,

Our daily efforts.

Let's allow our shoulders to release whatever they're carrying to let go.

Allow the shoulders to creep down the back,

Welcoming a sense of ease.

Then breathing down into the chest and the heart space,

Feeling that heart space really opening up.

This space is key for our well-being.

So let's take a few deep breaths deep into that seed of peace deep down inside of us and just really nourishing and nurturing this space.

Letting your energy brighten.

Let's continue going through the body,

Shining a light,

Releasing tension,

Moving on to the stomach,

Bringing awareness to the low back,

Noticing the hips.

And as soon as you have your awareness in these spaces,

Feel yourself letting go,

Feel the invitation.

Your effort is not required.

Breathing into the thighs,

Softening the knees,

Noticing the legs.

From the bottoms of the feet,

Imagine drawing breath up through the bottoms of the feet all the way up to the top of the head and then breathing it out again all the way back down through your body and back through the bottoms of your feet.

By letting go of tension and clearing these spaces in our body,

We create more space for grounding energy.

We breathe it up through our feet,

Feeling it connecting us to our true nature and breathing it back down into the ground below you,

Releasing anything that doesn't resonate with peace and calm.

I invite you now to bring your awareness back into the heart space and directing your breath back into the heart,

Allow yourself to grow this space,

Keeping all of your awareness and your focus on the heart space.

Allow this bubble of energy to expand,

Allow yourself to tap into it to really feel it growing swelling inside you,

Allowing it to grow all around you,

Expanding and covering you,

Creating a bubble of heart energy,

This compassionate loving vibration that we send out,

Out into the space around us.

Feel in this moment how supported and loved you are,

Knowing that you're connected to the ground and that you have the capacity to transmute heart energy into loving kindness.

Feeling that space around you,

That beautiful loving energy,

Knowing that it is coming from the self,

I invite you to say to yourself,

May I know peace,

May my heart remain open,

May I know the beauty of my own true nature,

May I be healed,

May I be the source of healing for others.

And as we say these words to ourselves,

We invoke the power that is held in them.

I invite you now in your mind's eye to imagine someone with whom you have a loving relationship.

And as you picture this person,

You may feel that space in your heart swell naturally.

I invite you now to surround the image of this person with the same loving energy,

This energy that you surrounded yourself with.

Allow it to extend and envelop this image of this person.

And then I invite you to offer them the same words you offer to yourself.

May you know peace.

May your heart remain open.

May you know the beauty of your own true nature.

May you be healed.

May you be the source of healing for others.

And in your mind's eye now,

I invite you to imagine someone with whom you have a neutral relationship.

It might be a friend,

An acquaintance or coworker.

Just allow yourself to complete that picture in your mind.

And then begin flowing this heart energy out from your heart space toward this person.

Remembering that you are flowing the energy of the earth through your body and the earth's energy is infinite.

Drawing that earth energy up through the ground,

Up into the body,

Flowing it out through the heart,

Directing it toward your neutral person.

And let's extend those same words to them,

Really feeling this in your heart space.

May you know peace.

May your heart remain open.

May you know the beauty of your own true nature.

May you be healed.

May you be the source of healing for others.

And now I invite you to bring an image of someone with whom perhaps you have a more difficult relationship with.

Noticing the change in your body as you draw this image in your mind,

But keeping in mind that your heart energy is plentiful and is fueled by the ground.

Bringing your awareness into your heart and intentionally spreading this love energy toward this person,

Surrounding them in compassion and forgiveness.

I invite you to share those same words again,

Truly feeling it in your heart space.

May you know peace.

May your heart remain open.

May you know the beauty of your own true nature.

May you be healed.

May you be the source of healing for others.

Breathing in,

Allowing yourself to really feel that connection that you have forged with this person.

This loving,

Accepting connection.

And now let us extend our energy to everyone.

To everything.

To the earth,

The sky and the trees.

To all beings.

May all beings know peace.

May all beings remain open.

May all beings know the beauty of their own true nature.

May all beings be healed.

And may they be the source of healing for others.

And feeling as you extend your compassion and your love,

Feeling that connection that you have.

This connection that you have with the earth,

With all of the beings here.

Knowing that you are part of the whole.

And that we are one.

Stay,

Take,

Mazel to all beings.

And then slowly,

Very gently,

Begin to bring your awareness back into the body,

Maintaining that connection that you feel with all beings,

Maintaining that connection that you feel in your heart space.

Begin to invite any small and subtle movements into the body,

Bringing yourself back in your own time to a wakeful state.

Namaste.