Welcome.
Let's begin this Metta meditation together.
Metta is a practice of loving kindness,
A warmth,
A love that is extended from your heart outward.
A light that is much like the light of the morning sun,
Gentle,
Radiant,
And limitless.
So let's begin by taking the time to relax and allow your body to settle into stillness.
And by allow,
I mean to give yourself permission to take the support of the seat beneath you.
If you're lying down in bed,
To feel the earth beneath you,
Supporting,
Holding you up,
Offering you a place where you belong.
And feel the sky around you that provides every breath as you feel the breath moving through you.
Each inhale is a soft invitation to be present right here,
Right now in your body.
And each exhale is a quiet release.
As you feel supported,
Feel that you can really let go.
And as you let go and release,
Your heart begins to open.
You feel safe.
You feel at ease in your body.
You feel at home in your breath.
This feeling of ease,
We call this in the yoga tradition Sukha.
And it translates as an agreeable,
Pleasant,
Or happy mental space.
A place where your body and your mind and your breath are easy.
You don't have to try so hard.
And as you can feel supported and you can ease off on so much effort,
The heart can begin to open and we can let ourselves feel open,
Even vulnerable in this present moment.
Medha means loving kindness.
It's a feeling that exists as a natural state of being for everyone.
Where the mind and body feel easy.
And we feel a deep and lasting sense of peace and belonging.
I'd like you to think of the last time you felt like you really,
Really belonged.
And this often comes in the experience of feeling like someone sees you.
Like they see who you are and they radiate back to you a feeling of gratitude.
Like you did something or you said something or simply the fact that you're here meant something to them.
And as you receive that feeling from them,
You felt like almost like an affirmation of yourself.
This might have come from a dear friend or family.
It might have come from your parent or child.
It might have come from one of your furry friends,
Your dog or cat this morning.
It might have come from a teacher,
A mentor,
A guide.
Whoever gave you the gift of loving kindness,
Thank them.
And hold that feeling here in its home in your heart.
And you might be able to feel that as a warm glow in your heart.
And let's bring our attention now just to the feeling.
So we let the memory fade into the background.
And we bring the feeling,
A felt sense of gratitude into our hearts.
This is what it feels like to receive loving kindness,
Metta.
In this meditation,
We're going to feel what it feels like to give it.
This radiant light of loving kindness in your heart like the sun.
Let's begin with a simple ancient prayer.
Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu.
Om shanti shanti shanti.
May all beings in all places be happy and free.
And may my thoughts,
My words and my actions contribute in some way to that happiness and freedom.
This is the metta meditation.
Holding that radiant sun in your heart.
You can feel almost like the sun itself.
It wants to shine.
And so we hold space for others in our hearts.
From the metta sutta of the Buddha.
In gladness and in safety,
May all beings be at ease.
Whatever living beings there may be,
Whether they are weak or strong,
Omitting none,
The great or the mighty,
Medium,
Short or small,
The seen and the unseen,
Those living near and far away,
Those born and those yet to be born.
May all beings be at ease.
Begin to let your awareness extend outward,
Radiating naturally as you breathe.
As you inhale,
The loving kindness in your heart is fed by the breath.
The loving kindness is fed by the air in the sky as it remains in your body.
And as you exhale,
You release and shine out from your heart.
The sincere wish that others would feel seen,
Would feel value,
That they belong,
That they're appreciated,
That they are loved.
As you begin to sense others,
Those that you love,
Those you know,
And those you don't know,
Feel your heart gently holding them.
Let none deceive another or despise any being in any state.
Let none through anger or ill will wish harm upon another.
Even as a mother protects with her life,
Her child,
Her only child,
So with a boundless heart should one cherish all living beings.
Not merely an emotion,
But a cultivated state of being.
Medha is a turning of the heart toward connection.
It is a balm for anger,
An antidote to isolation,
And a refuge of boundless goodwill.
Medha is the natural home of an awakened heart.
Now join me in softly repeating these phrases inwardly.
We begin by extending our Medha to ourselves,
Recognizing sometimes you can be your worst critic.
May I be happy,
May I be healthy,
May I be safe,
And may I live with ease.
Bring your hand to your heart and feel yourself giving and receiving.
Now bring to mind someone who you love,
Someone who makes you feel seen.
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
May you be safe,
And may you live with ease.
Now picture someone who you barely know,
Someone that you have neutral feelings towards,
Maybe a stranger.
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
May you be safe,
May you live with ease.
And now we bring into our hearts those that we find difficult.
Those people,
A neighbor,
A co-worker,
Someone who you find difficult loving.
And we look for the strength to bring those people and situations that are difficult into our hearts.
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
May you be safe,
And may you live with ease.
And we bring all beings into our hearts.
Maybe you imagine beginning on your neighborhood,
Those right around you,
Into your city,
Those in your family,
The places you've lived.
Widening circles,
Circles that become so wide they include everyone,
Everywhere.
Maybe you see the earth as a whole,
A single ecosystem supporting human beings and a diversity of life of more than human beings.
May all beings be happy,
May all beings be free from suffering,
May all beings live with peace in their hearts.
Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu.
Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu.
Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu.
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.
Feel the heart as spacious,
Soft and steady,
Radiant with kindness,
No boundaries.
Let this be your practice,
Your gift to the world,
The presence of love itself.
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