Meditation 5: Loving Kindness
by Dan Huston
Loving-kindness can help us nurture compassion for ourselves and others. This meditation involves offering particular wishes to particular people with sincerity, while staying open to the emotions that may arise within you as you offer those wishes.
Transcript
These meditation instructions guide you through what's called a loving-kindness meditation.
In some ways,
It may feel quite different from the others,
Though it still falls under the umbrella of mindfulness meditation.
Once you've found a posture that feels comfortable to you,
Listening to a general overview of loving-kindness and then practicing the meditation that follows.
As we open to the moments of our lives,
We will likely notice not only beautiful aspects of life that we otherwise may have overlooked,
But also aspects of life we don't like,
Including things about ourselves and others.
During such moments,
We may be tempted to push those observations away,
Or we might fixate on them,
Ruminate about them,
And distort them with our thoughts,
Such that they become our entire reality.
Neither of those approaches is usually very productive.
If we are to stay fully present during unpleasant experiences,
It's important that we nurture compassion toward ourselves and others,
So we can hold both pleasant and unpleasant observations in our awareness.
Having kindness meditation helps to nurture that kind of compassion.
We'll begin the same way we have begun the other meditations,
Finding a posture that feels comfortable to you,
If you haven't already,
Closing your eyes,
If you'd like to have them closed,
And bringing awareness to your breath,
Allowing your breath to be an anchor to this moment.
Beginning when your mind wanders,
And without judgment,
Gently bringing attention back to your breath.
Loving kindness consists of offering wishes to yourself and others.
Sometimes those wishes are chosen by you,
And other times they are given to you by the person leading the meditation.
For this meditation,
I will be suggesting particular wishes to offer.
In the future,
You may wish to choose your own,
Or modify those I give you now.
It's important to note that people sometimes have intense experiences during this meditation.
It's not uncommon for people to cry.
If you feel that impulse,
Allowing tears to flow is okay.
It's your choice whether to allow yourself to go that deep into the experience.
As you offer these wishes,
Doing so with as much sincerity as possible,
Paying attention to any emotions that may arise in you.
For instance,
You may notice a reluctance to offer the wishes to a particular person.
Or if you are offering the wishes to yourself,
You may notice a resistance to accept the wishes.
Or there may be moments when you're full of joy as a result of offering the wishes.
Whatever emotion you experience is okay,
Noticing those emotions as part of your experience during this meditation.
Now,
With as much sincerity as possible,
Offering the following wishes to yourself.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I live in peace.
Repeating those phrases to yourself.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I live in peace.
Observing any emotions you may be feeling as you repeat these phrases to yourself.
You might feel that offering these wishes seems like a silly thing to do.
Or you might find that it's difficult for you to wish these things for yourself.
You may even feel like you don't deserve them.
Whatever emotions you're feeling,
Observing them and accepting them as part of your present experience.
Holding them with the same sense of gentleness and acceptance as you do other aspects of this moment.
Continuing to repeat those phrases to yourself.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I live in peace.
Now bringing to mind someone who has had a positive impact on your life.
Someone you care about deeply.
Maybe a mentor or a parent.
Maybe a friend or a relative.
Maybe a teacher or a coach.
Someone you feel grateful to have in your life.
It could even be a stuffed animal or a pet.
Imagining that person is right here in front of you now.
And offering that person the same wishes that you wished for yourself.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you live in peace.
And continuing to offer those wishes to that person.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you live in peace.
Now bringing to mind someone you don't really know but with whom you come into frequent contact.
Maybe it's a toll booth operator or a cashier at a grocery store or convenience store you frequent.
Or it could be a server at your favorite restaurant.
Or even at the bus stop,
A custodian.
Once you have someone in mind,
Imagining that that person is with you now and offering those same wishes to him or her.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you live in peace.
Repeating those phrases with sincerity.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you live in peace.
The next person I'm going to suggest you offer the wishes to.
You may not want to.
If that's the case,
You can choose to offer the wishes to anyone you have offered them to so far.
Yourself,
Someone who's had a positive impact on your life,
Or an acquaintance.
But if you'd like,
Bringing to mind someone with whom you are in conflict.
It could be a recent conflict that seems petty but you just can't let go of.
Or it could be a conflict that has been going on for a long time,
Perhaps years.
One that feels unresolvable.
Imagining that the person with whom you are in conflict is here with you now and offering the same wishes to him or her.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you live in peace.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you live in peace.
Now,
If there are other people in the building in which you are meditating,
Holding them in your awareness and offering them the same wishes,
You might begin by imagining two people at a time and gradually expanding the number of people you hold in your awareness as you offer the wishes.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you live in peace.
Imagining perhaps not only the people in your building but others as well.
Family members,
Friends,
Classmates or colleagues,
Offering all of them the same wishes.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you live in peace.
May you live in peace.
May you be happy.
May you live in peace.
May you live in peace.
May you live in peace.
May you live in peace.
May you live in peace.
May you live in peace.
May you live in peace.
May you live in peace.
May you live in peace.
May you live in peace.
May you live in peace.
May you live in peace.
And when you're ready,
Without rushing,
Going ahead and ending the meditation by opening your eyes,
Stretching if you need to stretch.
4.5 (161)
Recent Reviews
Taj
October 29, 2018
Awesome session! 🙏🏼
Geraldine
September 29, 2017
Thank you for this 🙏❤️❌
Astrid
April 19, 2017
Creates a deep peace. Thank you!
Heide
April 16, 2017
A sense of peace and acceptance washed over me during this beautifully guided contemplation.
Sequoia
April 6, 2017
Short guided metta meditation with introduction and ending. No intro or ending bell. I really liked this. Thank you.
Linda
March 27, 2017
Just what I need. Thank you.
Sherri
March 27, 2017
Thank you 🙏 That was great😃
Luis
March 27, 2017
Complete, well explained and easy to follow. Great experience.
Deborah
March 26, 2017
Great narration. Good advice to think kindly of yourself and others.
Cyril
March 26, 2017
Just what I needed!
Wende
March 26, 2017
Great introduction to loving kindness meditation!
Gen
March 26, 2017
Wonderful, will repeat often
Andrea
March 26, 2017
Wonderful, thanks!
Luna
March 26, 2017
Lovely and instructive. Thank you.