Hi and welcome to this guided loving-kindness meditation,
Also called a metta meditation,
Perhaps one of the most beautiful meditation styles around.
This practice is going to help you to cultivate more compassion and more peace and kindness and also helps us to practice forgiveness.
So start in a comfortable seated position or lying down if you prefer completely on your back.
If you're lying down allow the hands to be away from the body,
Palms facing up.
And if you're seated make sure that you grow your spine nice and tall,
Lengthening from the crown of the head,
Palms of the hands rest on your knees.
Close the eyes.
Start to shift your awareness to your breath just watching your inhales and exhales through the nose.
If you're lying down you may want to now place both hands over your heart.
And I want you to repeat in your mind saying to yourself with emotion and feeling,
May I be well,
May I be happy,
May I be peaceful and may I be loved.
It might be quite difficult saying these words to yourself for the first time,
Perhaps just allow whatever wants to arise any thoughts or feelings to just float by as you repeat to yourself,
May I be well,
May I be happy,
May I be peaceful,
May I be loved.
Just acknowledge any feelings that may arise,
Pleasant or perhaps otherwise and allow them to flow over you as you repeat to yourself,
May I be well,
May I be happy,
May I be peaceful and may I be loved.
As you start to bring to mind someone who you really love and appreciate,
Someone that you are so grateful for having in your life and as you start to think of this person you bring up their face,
Their image in your mind and with a smile on your face you repeat their name mentally three times.
And as you look them in the eyes you say to them with feeling,
May you be well,
May you be happy,
May you be peaceful and may you be loved.
And as you say these words really visualise the loving kindness energy radiating out touching this other person as you repeat,
May you be well,
May you be happy,
May you be peaceful and may you be loved.
See each word you say as a wish for this person,
Allowing them to receive your gifts as you repeat one last time,
May you be well,
May you be happy,
May you be peaceful and may you be loved.
As you allow that image of the person to slowly fade away.
And then bringing up into your mind the image of someone you are not particularly close to but have no feelings for or against.
Perhaps it's someone you pass on the way to work,
Maybe it's someone at the store or a server or a bartender you see you don't particularly know very well,
Just someone you recognise but you have no closeness to.
And as you bring up the image of this person in your mind as best as you can,
You direct your loving kindness towards them saying,
May you be well,
May you be happy,
May you be peaceful and may you be loved.
As you feel your energy radiating out towards this person,
See them receiving your kindness as you repeat,
May you be well,
May you be happy,
May you be peaceful and may you be loved.
As you allow that image of the person to slowly fade away.
Begin to think of someone in your life who you have a little difficulty with.
Perhaps it's a family member or a friend or partner,
Someone you are experiencing a hard time or some conflict with.
Bring that person up into your mind now.
And imagine like they are sitting in your room,
As you look them in the eyes and say,
May you be well,
May you be happy,
May you be peaceful,
May you be loved.
And it can often be really quite difficult to do this.
Just allow anything that wants to arise to show itself,
Feel your feelings and allow them to pass by as you look this person in the eye and state,
May you be well,
May you be happy,
May you be peaceful and may you be loved.
Being gentle with yourself,
No matter how challenging this may be.
Try and really feel your words radiating out,
Touching this person.
Perhaps adding just a little more emotion behind them as you say the words,
Filling into them.
May you be well,
May you be happy,
May you be peaceful and may you be loved.
Now visualize your loving kindness,
Energy radiating out and touching that person that you are really close to,
That you love and appreciate.
Imagine them feeling what you are sending them.
And then see your loving kindness touching the person you don't know particularly well but you often see.
And then see your loving kindness reaching out to this person you've perhaps struggled with.
See them receiving your kindness,
Your gifts.
As you bring it completely back to yourself,
Directing your kindness towards yourself as you repeat,
May I be well,
May I be happy,
May I be peaceful and may I be loved.
Taking a few breaths here to tune into any sensations,
Feelings that want to arise.
Just bringing a smile to your face.
Taking a deep breath here before you gently blink your eyes open,
Wishing you the most wonderful day.
