A Full Heart - A Loving Kindness Meditation

This meditation is based on the Buddhist Metta Bhavana Meditation, or Loving Kindness. We will cultivate a sense of compassion and love within our own heart through powerful visualisation methods, before allowing that to overflow to people that we know, and eventually to encompass the whole World and all living beings on it.

Transcript

Hello and welcome.

For today's meditation you can either find a seated position that works for you,

Such as sitting on the floor on a cushion,

Or if that isn't inviting for you today you can also do this meditation led down,

But only if you're sure that you won't doze off to sleep.

Wherever we are can we remain alert and aware of my instructions as we move through this meditation today.

So once you've decided where you're going to land,

Seated or lying down,

Just take a moment to settle yourself in a place that feels comfortable,

Taking any props and adjustments that you might need and finding yourself in a place that you're not likely to be disturbed.

And then when you've found the place that works for you today,

Perhaps coming to close down the eyes and if completely closing the eyes doesn't feel that inviting for you,

Then you can even have just a half close and maybe focus the gaze out on a point in front of you.

And then from here just begin to become aware of how the face feels in this moment.

How would it feel to soften through the forehead and the jaw?

How would it feel to soften all of the muscles around the eyes?

And the face becoming so soft that it resembles that of a sleeping child.

And if we can try to keep this level of softening through the face throughout the practice today.

Notice if we are holding excessively through the shoulders,

Allow the weight of the arms to gently release and soften through the shoulders and the neck.

And then just becoming gently aware of your breath here.

Resist the urge to change the breath in any way and just become aware of your natural rhythm of breath as it moves in and out of the body.

Notice where you feel the breath most present.

Where is that movement of expansion and contracting happening most obvious to you?

Is it in the abdomen,

Chest,

Perhaps both?

And then taking a slightly fuller deeper breath in through the nose,

Filling up the lungs entirely.

Hold it at the top and then take another little sip of breath in and then exhale through the mouth.

Once again we take a fuller breath in through the nose,

Filling up the lungs entirely.

Another little sip at the top and then exhale through the mouth with a sigh.

Last one now,

Fully in.

Little sip and release.

And just allowing your breath to return to its natural rhythm.

And then we're going to move the awareness now to the chest.

The whole of the region of the chest.

Notice the beating of the heart.

Can you feel the beating of the heart most in the front of the body,

The back of the body or the side of the body?

As the heart continuously pulses in and out,

Contracts and releases.

And every time the heart pumps,

There's a movement of blood all the way throughout the body,

Into the brain,

All the way down into the toe.

These rivers moving through the body with every pulse of the heart.

And this happens without any need for conscious control.

We're just simply observing and witnessing as it happens,

Moment by moment.

And now from here we're going to move the awareness from the organ of the heart right to the center of the chest.

Which we can think of as the energetic heart center.

And this lies directly in the middle of the chest and also in between the breastbone and the spine.

So it also lies deep within the torso.

Take a moment to move your awareness there and just become aware.

Again,

We're not trying to change anything or create anything or influence anything.

We're just simply noticing whatever is present for us in this space.

In this space of the energetic heart center.

And perhaps as you hold your awareness there,

You notice things shift and change moment by moment.

And then we're going to come into a visualization from here.

So keeping the awareness in this energetic center deep within the center of the torso,

Center of the chest.

And then with your visualization you're going to visualize a small golden light in the center of the chest.

A small golden light shining brightly in the energetic cave of the heart.

All around the light is vast open space.

And directly in the center shines brightly this small golden light.

We're going to visualize this light as the light of compassion.

The light of kindness.

The light of love.

And for you this light might even appear as another color.

And the color doesn't matter too much.

It's just whatever appears for you personally.

What does this light of compassion look and feel to you?

What does it feel like within your energetic heart space?

And then just as the physical heart moved blood around the body,

This energetic center of the heart will begin to move this light of love and compassion throughout the body.

So visualize now as the light of compassion begins to move from the heart center and expand.

Growing.

Eventually filling up the entire chest.

This entire sacred cave of the heart.

And then visualize it as it expands even further.

Moving down into the belly,

The back.

Visualize it moving down through the arms.

And all the way to the fingertips.

Visualize as it fills up the legs with this light.

All the way to the tips of the toes.

The body is filling up like a cup being filled with water.

With this energetic light of compassion.

It then also moves up through the neck and into the face.

Softening all of the muscles as it moves.

Resoftening through the jaw and the forehead.

And all of the muscles around the eyes.

Your whole body is now glowing with this light of compassion.

How does it feel to bathe in compassion?

How does it feel to be completely covered in a warm light of love?

Coming from your own energetic heart center.

And then with this visualization still in mind,

You're going to repeat the words to yourself in your head.

May I be safe.

May I be full of love.

And may I find real peace and happiness.

May I be safe.

May I be full of love.

And may I find real peace and happiness.

Just repeat that a couple of times to yourself.

With this visualization in mind.

And we'll gently release.

Now you're going to bring to mind somebody in your life who you love dearly.

This could be a family member or a friend.

Whoever first comes to your mind,

Just picture this person in front of you.

Sitting directly in front of you.

And this light of compassion that's filled up your entire being starts to overflow from your heart space.

And starts to pour into theirs.

Slowly and gradually filling up their entire being.

With the same light of love and compassion.

Until to their whole being,

Their whole body is glowing with this light of love.

Coming from your heart space.

And then repeating the words to this person in your mind.

As you hold them in your awareness.

May you be safe.

May you be full of love.

And may you find real peace and happiness.

May you be safe.

May you be full of love.

And may you find real peace and happiness.

Just repeating this one more time to this person.

And as we repeat the words,

Try to really feel the essence of them within your body.

Safety,

Love,

Peace and happiness.

And then we gently let this person go from our mind,

From our awareness.

And we bring to mind somebody in our life.

Who we see often.

But don't have a strong connection to.

So you might bring to mind somebody you see at the local shop.

Somebody you perhaps see walking down the street.

Or on your way to work.

Again,

Whoever comes to mind.

We picture this person sat in front of us.

Holding them in our awareness.

As this light of compassion overflows from our heart.

And pours into theirs.

Until this human is also full of this light of compassion coming from your heart.

And then once again repeating the words to this person.

May you be safe.

May you be full of love.

And may you find real peace and happiness.

And we gently let this go.

And then finally from here we're going to start to allow this light within us.

To overflow once again from our heart.

This time it moves from where we are.

And moves outwards to those closest to us in this moment.

So perhaps if you're at home it would move towards those you live with.

Including your pets and animals.

And then visualize as it begins to expand even further.

This overflowing of love from your heart.

And starts to move further and further.

Passing from person to person.

From animal to animal.

Eventually every person within your town or city.

Is full of this light pouring from your heart.

And then allow it to move further even still.

Filling up your entire country.

Moving into the ocean.

And then your heart overfills so much with compassion.

Eventually engulfing the entire planet.

With this light of love.

Coming from your heart.

Not one soul left untouched.

And then from here.

Visualizing the earth glowing and pulsing.

With this radiant light.

You repeat the words in your mind.

May we all be safe.

May we all be full of love.

And may we all find real peace and happiness.

May we all be safe.

May we all be full of love.

And may we all find real peace and happiness.

And again the words are repeated in our minds.

But we feel them within our body.

The words don't carry the meaning.

It's the intention within our body.

That carries that light of compassion.

And then we softly and gently let this go.

And then gently drawing our awareness back into our self.

And back to the sacred cave of our own heart.

So just holding your awareness there in the center of your chest.

Just notice how it feels now in this space.

And then really gently and slowly we might find a little bit of movement.

Perhaps just a wiggle of a finger.

Maybe a gentle deepening of the breath.

And then just allow your hands to come together at the heart center.

Find a little bow of the head down towards your heart.

And just take a moment here to pause in gratitude.

And then only when you feel ready.

And not a moment before.

You might come to gently open your eyes.

Thank you so much for practicing with me today.

Have a lovely rest of your day or evening.

And see you soon.