Welcome to the session.
I invite you to take a seat.
Or lie down.
And get yourself comfortable.
And close down the eyes if you wish.
Just begin slowing down the breath and through the nose.
Low into the belly.
And slut.
Today we're going to be practicing meta meditation.
Or a loving-kindness meditation.
We are going to foster feelings of positivity and connection.
To herself.
And to others.
This is a sister practice to mindfulness.
It's one that is offered by.
Every book.
Every course.
Every retreat.
You go deep on the mindfulness work.
Deep into the self.
Focusing.
Becoming aware of where your mind is and bringing it back again and again and again.
But then you end with this heart space expansion practice.
Is opening.
This connection.
This softening.
And initially.
If this is your first time doing it.
This practice may feel.
A bit contrived.
Or a bit challenging.
But with practice and time.
It's like any other skill.
You soften.
But before we get into it,
There's two ways you can look at this practice.
Way number one is that our thoughts and intentions can impact the external world.
What some people would believe a prayer to operate.
You hold someone in your heart space.
You wish them well.
And they improve.
But that's not necessarily necessary for this practice.
This is an internal practice.
With fostering feelings internally,
In ourself.
Towards people.
And by doing so we are impacting ourself.
Calming ourself down.
Opening ourself up.
Impacting.
Our relationships and how we move in the world.
And by doing so.
We will impact how we actually act in the world.
Thereby changing it.
This practice works regardless of your spiritual beliefs.
Taking it other slow.
Calming breath.
Bring into your mind's eye to your heart space.
The image of someone.
Or something.
It is easy.
To love.
Child.
Or someone that you deeply connect to.
In an uncomplicated way.
Visualize a connection between you and them.
A strand of love.
And you could say the words.
Or the intention behind the words.
May you be free of ill will may you be free of suffering.
May you be full of loving-kindness May you be happy.
May you be free of ill will.
May you be free of suffering may you be full of lovingkindness May you be happy.
May you be free of ill will.
That you be free of suffering.
May you be full of lovingkindness.
May you be happy.
We're not trying to force these feelings.
Just fostering them.
Offering them.
The words or the intention behind the words.
Perhaps with visualization.
Of a connection or strand of love and compassion,
From your heart to theirs.
Now if you like,
You can stay with that person.
Or you can shift the focus to yourself to you in this moment.
Or if that is a struggle.
Perhaps you over your lifetime.
Or you as a baby.
Once again with the words or the intention behind the words May I be free of ill-will.
May I be free of suffering.
May I be full of love and kindness.
May I be happy.
May I be free of ill will.
May I be free of suffering May I be full of lovingkindness.
May I be happy.
May I be free of ill will.
May I be free of suffering.
May I be full of loving kindness.
May I be happy.
Once again you could choose to stay meditation on yourself or if you like,
You could choose to move on.
Picturing A.
Stranger.
Or an acquaintance in your mind.
Perhaps someone that you've met.
You don't quite know.
Someone at a shop you frequent.
Not someone you're particularly close to.
Someone that you have neutral feelings towards.
Once again with the words or the intention behind the words.
Perhaps visualizing.
Compassion.
From your heart to theirs.
May you be free of ill will.
May you be free of suffering may you be full of lovingkindness.
May you be happy.
May you be free of ill will.
May you be free of suffering.
May you be full of lovingkindness May you be happy.
May you be free of ill will.
May you be free of suffering.
May you be full of love and kindness May you be happy.
Now you can choose to remain with that person.
Or you can try to use someone that is challenging someone then.
Perhaps hasn't been kind to you.
Or perhaps has been very unkind to you.
This can be.
Struggle when you're beginning this practice of metta meditation.
But if we consider those words.
If this person who has wronged you or is wronging you.
Was free of ill will.
Was free of suffering.
Was full of loving kindness.
And was happy.
Chances are they would not be acting in the way that they are.
Is one way for him.
Another is to imagine them as a baby.
Innocent.
Before life perhaps impacted them,
Corrupted them.
The third reframe is to offer love.
Because it is still a choice that you can make.
Regardless.
You can still offer love.
Picturing that person.
May you be free.
Available.
May be free of suffering.
May you be full of loving-kindness May you be happy.
May you be free of ill will.
Then you'll be free of suffering.
May you be full of love and kindness May you be happy.
May you be free of ill will.
May you be free of suffering.
May you be full of loving kindness May you be happy.
And finally,
We're going to expand.
Expand this too.
People in our community.
Country.
The world.
And if you like,
To all living beings.
May all living beings.
Be free.
Female will.
May they be free from suffering.
May they be full of love and kindness.
May they be happy.
May all living beings be free of ill will.
May they be free of suffering.
May they be full of love and kindness.
May they be happy.
May all living beings be free of ill will.
May they be free of suffering.
May they be full of loving kindness.
May they be happy.
This practice of metta meditation.
Mindfulness meditation is a skill.
And what that means is that with practice.
.
.
You improve.
With practice it gets easier.
With practice,
Feelings of loving kindness.
Towards everyone you meet will begin to radiate.
This is one that you can do at the end of a formal meditation session.
Or as your practice.
And it's also one that you can do.
When you were around other people.
You're talking to someone.
You're in a group.
People you know,
People you don't know.
Just imagine a connection.
Strand of love and compassion from your heart to theirs.
And offer them those words.
And just see how you feel in response.
From my perspective when I do this.
There's a.
And expansion.
And also a release.
It feels good.
To foster these feelings towards other people.
And you will see it or it will be seen upon your face.
Even if someone is mistreating you.
Or being rude.
Nonetheless other than love.
It's a pretty good way to de-escalate the situation.
Whether or not you believe these words to be impacting the external world.
Or just your own internal world.
Either way as you operate on the world and in the world.
It will impact it.
You will be kinder.
You will be more compassionate.
That will spread.
For that reason alone it's worth practicing.
With that said.
.
.
I want to thank you for joining me in this session.
And may you be free of all will.
May you be free of suffering May you be full of love and kindness.
And may you be happy.
