Mindfulness practice 20,
Metta,
Loving-kindness.
Get comfortable in a seated position.
Breathe.
With your eyes closed or gaze down,
Focus on your inhales and exhales.
Let go of any distractions that come into your awareness.
When you are ready,
Focus on someone you love,
Someone who brightens your day simply by entering the room you are in.
Focus on that person.
Notice what happens in your body when you consider this person.
Do you feel your heart opening?
Do you get an expansive feeling in your body?
Do you feel your body moving?
Do you feel your body moving?
Do you feel your body moving?
Do you feel your body moving?
Do you get an expansive feeling in your chest or your body?
Do you automatically smile?
Now slowly,
Silently offer this person Metta or loving-kindness.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be free from suffering.
May you be at ease.
Notice what happens in your body as you offer this Metta.
This meditation can often bring a warm sense of peace.
Sit with that feeling as long as you like.
When you are ready,
Call to mind someone in your life who you don't know well.
Perhaps you would like to get to know them better,
But for now they are on the sidelines of your life or bystanders you pass on the street.
Perhaps even think of yourself walking down a street and you notice the people around you.
You can cultivate connections simply by opening your own heart in their direction.
Now slowly,
Silently offer those around you Metta or loving-kindness.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be free from suffering.
May you live with ease.
Notice any effects this practice has on you,
Your body,
Or even your own sense of well-being.
Now when you are ready,
Call to mind someone with whom you have had some challenges in the past.
It could be from years ago or someone with whom you had a recent disagreement that brought about negative feelings or residual negativity toward this person.
If this is your first time with this practice,
I recommend starting with someone who has not done severe harm,
But rather toward whom you feel a mild discontent or unrest.
Notice what happens in your body as you focus on this person.
Does your posture change at all?
Does your heart feel a little more contracted?
Perhaps that feeling comes out of self-preservation.
Remember,
It is perfectly fine to protect yourself.
We don't have to sacrifice our own well-being for another's.
We are simply focusing on the impact the negativity has on our own bodies.
That is the energy that no longer serves us that we can begin to release with this practice.
Without getting caught up in the situation that caused your negative feelings about this person,
See if instead when you are ready,
You can offer this person meta.
Sometimes this takes a bit of a paradigm shift.
Know that you are in no way condoning their behavior,
But rather attempting to alleviate your own suffering from carrying the weight of the impact they have thrust upon you.
Know that if they hurt you or someone else,
They were hurt.
This is one step toward alleviating suffering in you and in the world.
Slowly,
Silently offer this person meta or loving kindness.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be free from suffering.
May you live with ease.
Notice any release at all in your body.
Is there even the slightest bit of expansion compared with the contraction you felt before?
If so,
You are on your way to healing.
Not for them,
But for you.
Finally,
Recognize that you are a human being.
You are one of the billions of living beings that are currently alive and breathing on this planet.
This includes other humans,
Animals,
Plants,
Etc.
Slowly,
Silently offer yourself and all living beings meta or loving kindness.
May I and all living beings be well.
May I and all living beings be happy.
May I and all living beings be free from suffering.
May I and all living beings live with ease.
When you are ready,
Take another deep breath and flutter your eyes open.
Stretch your body and take a moment to transition your focus back into the room.
Welcome back.
Feel free to journal now about your experience or about any ideas or insights that arose for you.
