Metta Meditation - Loving Kindness For Self And Others

Metta Meditation is a beautiful Buddhist practice where we generate feelings of kindness and friendliness for ourselves and those around us. Sandra gently guides you through this ancient practice to help you open your heart and develop greater compassion and wisdom.

Transcript

Metta translates as loving kindness and this meditation is about developing love and kindness for ourselves and then opening our hearts to share that love,

To share that kindness and compassion with others in our community.

So we'll start the meditation practice by practicing kindness to ourselves.

Settling down into our bolster or blanket and taking the time to just ask yourself,

How is it to be you today?

Is there anything else you need to be comfortable,

Even 10% more comfortable?

Allow the thoughts and sensations and sounds of the day to fall away as you breathe all the way in,

Filling your lungs with fresh rejuvenating oxygen.

Allowing the out-breath to carry away any tightness,

Any tension,

Any worries or concerns from the day.

This is the time for you.

Nowhere to be,

Nothing to do,

No demands or expectations.

Just simply a time to rest in your own being,

To rest in your own heart.

So taking nice deep breaths in and then releasing and letting go.

And we're going to do this for 12 rounds as we settle into our meditation posture.

And you can count each round of in-breath and out-breath by gently moving your thumb along your fingers,

Along the big finger pads.

So breathing all the way in and then releasing all the way out.

And as you breathe,

See if you can tune in to the sound of your breath.

Breathing all the way in and releasing all the way out.

And again,

And again.

And when you get to the end of the 12 breaths,

Allow your breath to settle into a nice even smooth rhythm.

And notice how much calmer your body feels.

Sense and feel all the distractions of the day,

All the noise,

The clutter,

Any worries and concerns,

Any desires,

Just gently fall away.

And I want you to imagine your mind like a bubble moving down into your heart area.

As you settle into your heart-mind,

You might like to just put your hands on your chest.

And feel the gentle rise and fall of every in-breath and out-breath.

And we're going to start the metta meditation by building feelings of kindness and compassion,

Feelings of friendliness towards our own being.

And we'll repeat four little phrases.

The first phrase,

May I feel safe and secure.

Feeling safe to close down our eyes and tap into our inner world,

Into our heart-mind.

Second,

May my mind be happy and clear and at peace.

Thirdly,

May my body support me with strength and wellness.

And most importantly,

May I move through my day with ease.

Bring a smile to your face.

Even if you don't quite feel like smiling,

Just smile.

And notice the calming effect it has on the body.

Gently wishing for yourself to feel safe and secure.

To have a clear and happy and calm mind.

Feel your body supporting you with strength and wellness.

So that you can move through your day with ease.

Feel the kind words settle in your heart.

And feel a gentle warming of the heart and chest area.

Feel your chest expand.

Your heart start to open just a little bit.

I choose to feel safe and secure.

I choose for my mind to feel free and calm and clear.

I choose for my body to support me with strength and wellness.

No matter what its ability.

And I choose to move through my day and walk this path of life with ease.

Allow the body to really sink down.

Letting go of any tension or tightness.

This is the time for you.

I am safe and secure.

My mind is calm and clear.

And at peace.

My body protects me,

Supports me with strength and wellness.

And I move through my day with ease.

Allow yourself to breathe deeply.

Smile at this gift.

You bring to your own being.

Safe,

Secure,

Calm,

Happy,

Peaceful mind.

Body relaxed.

Supporting you with health and vitality.

Allowing you to move through your life with ease.

Next I want you to bring someone to mind who's close to you.

Now it could be a person.

Like a child,

A parent.

Maybe your partner.

Someone who it's easy to feel affection for.

Or it could even be a pet.

A pet that is always there to show you unconditional love.

I want you to bring that person or being to mind.

Imagine their face or their presence smiling at you.

As you offer them your heartfelt wish for them to feel safe and secure.

For their minds to be happy and free and at ease.

For their bodies to support them with strength and wellness and vitality.

And for them to move through their day and their life with ease.

Open your heart.

And maybe even imagine them sitting next to you.

You might be holding their hand.

Or maybe you're walking together.

Imagine them receiving your good merits.

Imagine them feeling safe and secure.

Them smiling with a happy and free and calm mind.

Their bodies supporting them with strength and vitality and good health.

Allowing them to walk through their day with ease.

Walking or sitting together.

May you both feel safe and secure.

May your minds be happy and calm and peaceful.

May your bodies be safe and secure.

May your bodies support you.

Healthy bodies supporting you with strength and wellness.

Allowing you to walk through your day with ease.

Feel the effects on the body.

Feel the effects on the heart mind.

As you inwardly smile.

Feel a sense of warmth as your heart opens just a little bit more.

Now I want you to turn your attention outwards just a little bit.

And bring to mind someone in the community.

Now it might be someone who walks past your front yard during the day.

Could be the person at the checkout.

The person at the post office.

Maybe you got coffee this morning.

Or waved at someone in the park.

You don't really know much about them.

But what you do know is on a deep level.

Just like you wish to feel safe and secure.

To have that happy and clear and calm mind.

Strong body.

And walk with ease.

This person too.

They also wish for those things.

Imagine yourself opening your heart and sending these good merits to that neutral person.

Imagine them receiving those wishes.

Like a tangible energy.

You might even imagine a stream of light.

Imagine them receiving your good merits.

Imagine them feeling safe and secure.

Their minds calm and clear and happy.

Their bodies.

Just feeling a little bit lighter.

Bringing more health and vitality into their being.

Allowing them to move through their day with ease.

Imagine them smiling.

Feel the radiation of your good wishes,

Your metta.

Giving them just a little bit of love.

To feel safe and secure.

To have a happy and clear and calm mind.

To have a strong,

Able body.

No matter what their ability.

Allowing them to move through their day with just a bit more ease.

And now we're going to radiate that metta out even further.

Imagine everyone in our meditation group spread all over the city.

Open your heart.

And send out metta.

Wishing for each person at the meditation group,

In our little group,

To feel safe and secure.

To have a clear and calm and happy mind.

To feel the comfort of a healthy,

Strong body.

To be able to move through their evening,

Their days with ease.

Feel the calmness in the body.

Feel the expansion of the mind.

The abundance.

The inherent goodness that comes from wishing well for others.

Now imagine,

As far as you can imagine,

All the people you know.

Imagine them receiving your good merits.

No matter where they are in the world.

Imagine them,

In these strange days,

Feeling safe and secure.

Imagine them,

Finding just a bit more peace.

With clear and calm and happy minds.

Imagine them with healthy and strong bodies.

Imagine them moving through their days with ease.

Feel the lightness start to build in your chest and your heart.

Feel the softening of your body.

With this outpouring of metta,

Of kindness,

Of compassion.

All the people,

All the health workers,

The people making decisions.

The people staying home.

All wishing for the same universal thing,

That everyone may feel safe and secure.

That everyone and every being may have a calm and peaceful,

Clear and happy mind.

No matter what the circumstances bring.

Everyone being supported.

No matter what their physical ability.

Everyone.

No matter where they are.

Finding even a moment of ease.

Feeling the safety,

The security,

The freedom to move through their day with ease.

As you radiate these wishes outwards,

Start to look inwards again.

Place your whole attention on your mind,

On your heart-mind,

And watch what happens.

Notice the spaciousness,

The abundance,

Like a vast horizon.

Free of worry or fears.

Content in our own calmness and happiness.

And begin to listen deeply.

Listen deeply to the sound of your own breathing.

The sound of the breath as it comes into the body,

Filling up the lungs.

And then letting go.

Each and every breath.

Breathing in,

Just a little bit deeper.

And let go,

Just a little bit more.

Let go and find a moment of calmness and happiness.

Follow the breath to its very end.

To the point where it turns to breathe in,

And breathe out.

Let go,

Just a little bit more.

And then breathe in even deeper.

Right to the top of the lungs.

And then let go,

Even more.

Let go,

And feel even more peace,

Release.

Breathe in completely.

Let go completely.

And again,

Let go completely.

And feel complete peace.

I'll end the meditation by singing a small Pali chant.

Basically wishing that all beings,

Wherever they may be,

May feel at peace.

Feel happiness,

And move with ease.

LOKA SAMASTA SUKHI NO BAWATU OM MANTI SHANTI When you are ready,

You might just gently move the fingers and toes.

Sit back up.

Gently rub your hands together,

Making them nice and warm.

Move your hands up to your eyes.

And listen until the very end of the third ring.

And then gently let them open,

And come back to the room.

Reviews

Beautifully clear and resonating home. Thank you Sandra