Hello and welcome to your meditation practice.
Today we're going to do a practice that some of you might have heard before or even practiced before.
It's called a Metta meditation.
Metta meditation can also mean a loving-kindness meditation.
And this traditionally Buddhist practice can have a profound effect on our minds,
On our nervous system,
And in the energy of the body.
And specifically,
It takes us into our heart center.
I feel like the human condition is often one that more easily orients towards fear or scarcity rather than love and abundance.
And I feel like it's just part of being human.
And so it's our job,
It's our responsibility to do what we can to reorient ourselves towards love and abundance and openness.
And so I invite you into this practice to expand your heart,
To expand the energy of the heart into the spaces around you and towards the people around you.
And I understand that this isn't always an easy practice,
But let's give it a go and see where it takes us.
So,
Wherever you are,
Take a comfortable seat.
You can sit up on a cushion or on the floor.
You can sit on a chair.
You can recline back on the couch if that makes more sense to you.
Or lie in bed.
But just get yourself really comfortable.
Allow yourself to soften a little bit.
You can close your eyes now.
And if you're sitting up,
I invite you to kind of lengthen your spine.
Relax your jaw.
Relax your shoulders.
Relax the space between your eyebrows.
And bring your attention to your breath for a moment.
Feel the breath as it draws sweetly into the body.
And as you exhale,
Just allow everything to soften a little bit more.
Good.
Do that again.
Take a deep breath in through the nose and a deep breath out.
And as you continue to orient for a moment just towards your breath,
Turn your awareness to your heart center.
Maybe it helps to bring your hands to your heart for a moment.
And as you breathe,
See the breath maybe as light.
And see the breath now as light moving into your heart center as you breathe in.
And as you breathe out,
Feel the breath as light.
Radiate through your entire body.
Inhale,
Breath moves into the heart center.
Warm,
Soft.
Exhale,
Breath radiates through the body.
Do that for another moment for yourself.
What does it feel like just to soften your heart a little bit more?
Just to orient towards the heart,
Towards expansion,
Towards love.
After your next exhalation,
You can have your hands still on your heart if that's comfortable.
Or certainly you can put your hands on your legs or in your lap for a moment.
We're going to start the Metta Meditation now.
We'll be directing our attention and our intentions towards different people.
And you'll be repeating a series of words to yourself.
So first,
I want you to direct these words to you,
To yourself.
With the most full and honest and heartfelt intentions.
So repeat these words to yourself.
May I be happy.
May I be kind.
May I be strong and healthy.
And may I know joy and ease in this lifetime.
May I be happy.
May I be kind.
May I be healthy and strong.
And may I know joy and ease in this lifetime.
And now I'd love for you to see in your mind's eye or picture someone who challenges you.
Maybe it's someone you've had a hard time seeing eye to eye with.
Or someone you've recently had an argument with.
Or maybe it's someone from your past,
Right,
From long ago.
And you're holding on to some resentment or anger.
Perhaps it's even someone that you actually haven't met yet.
But you just don't understand where they're coming from.
Or you don't agree with that person.
But see that person in your mind's eye,
Sitting right in front of you.
And to this person,
You're going to look right back at them.
And look right into their heart.
And you're going to repeat these words to them.
May you be happy.
May you be kind.
May you be healthy and strong.
May you find joy and ease in this lifetime.
May you be happy.
May you be kind.
May you be healthy and strong.
And may you find joy and ease in this lifetime.
Maybe now you can just see that person there.
And just feel that person and let them walk into your heart.
Just let them settle in your heart.
What does that feel like?
What does that feel like to choose to let that happen?
To let that person come into your heart.
So now in your mind's eye,
You're going to picture in front of you someone that you love deeply.
Someone that loves you unconditionally.
Who's always there for you and brings you incredible joy.
It could be a teacher.
It could be a spiritual leader.
It could be a partner,
A child,
Or a parent.
It could even be someone that you don't know,
But just who you honor greatly.
But whoever that is,
See that person sitting right in front of you.
And you very likely might smile at them.
And as you're looking at this person deeply into their eyes,
Seeing into their heart,
You're going to repeat these words to that person.
May you be happy.
May you be kind.
May you be healthy and strong.
And may you find joy and ease in this lifetime.
May you be happy.
May you be kind.
May you be healthy and strong.
And may you find joy and ease in this lifetime.
So maybe now you can see that person looking right back at you smiling.
And let that person,
Let him or her,
Let them walk right into your heart.
Settle right in there into your heart space.
All right.
We're going to do this one more time,
Everybody.
Okay,
So now I'd like you to imagine if all the people across the globe could enter into your heart.
See all the people on the planet doing the human thing,
Working jobs,
Raising families,
Having struggles.
And I want you to imagine every single human on this planet.
See them as complete and whole.
And as they sort of settle in front of you,
You're going to repeat these words to them.
May you all be happy.
May you all be kind.
May you all be healthy and strong.
And may you all find joy and ease in this lifetime.
One more time.
May you all be happy.
May you all be kind.
May you all be healthy and strong.
And may you all find joy and ease in this lifetime.
What does it feel like now?
Just to sense that everybody on the planet,
Every being,
Could reside in your heart.
Just for a moment.
Let that settle in.
Maybe you take your hands back to your heart again if they're not there.
And just notice the energetic space of your heart,
How it feels right now after that meditation.
Notice that our capacity to love is so vast,
It's so much greater than we even know.
Notice how we can choose love over fear,
Abundance over scarcity.
So I invite you to continue to meditate on these words.
Carry them with you throughout the day or into your night.
Maybe you even journal on them for a little while.
And you're always welcome to write any words down on the paper in front of you,
And even change the words of the metta meditation so that it suits you.
All right,
Friends.
Thank you so much for spending this time together and for yourself and for those around you and for the planet.
All right,
Everybody.
Namaste.
