Loving-Kindness Practice
Metta or loving-kindness is one of four Buddhist virtues (Brahmavihara). This meditation involves visualizing sending loving-kindness towards self, a mentor, a person you have conflict with, all living beings, and yourself again. This meditation helps to increase loving-kindness.
Transcript
Hello,
My name is Dr.
Brett Wade.
Welcome to this meditation called loving kindness or Metta.
Metta is a Pali word which is the language of the Buddha.
This meditation is exploring developing loving kindness which is one of the four Buddhist virtues called Brahma Vihara.
There are four as I mentioned Buddhist virtues.
The first one loving kindness which we're going to do through this meditation.
Second one is compassion.
The third one is empathetic joy and the fourth Buddhist virtue is equanimity or balance.
If you're ready to begin developing a meditation for loving kindness,
Start by finding yourself seated in an upright and dignified posture.
Holding your body upright but not holding it with rigidity.
Assure that your hands and feet are in a comfortable and symmetrical position.
Close your eyes or if you prefer have your eyes half lidded and a downward gaze.
Begin to open your heart chakra by focusing all your sensations around your heart.
See if you can feel warmth beginning to emanate or grow from your heart.
Start to visualize if you can a beautiful emerald green color swirling around your heart.
A vital green color.
As you take a breath in,
Notice that this wonderful green color in fact expands as your belly moves out and it retreats just slightly as you exhale and your belly comes back in.
In fact with each cycle of breath in and out that beautiful green color expands and contracts giving it a sense of vitality.
Begin by generating this kind feeling towards yourself,
A loving feeling towards yourself.
Feel or notice any areas of mental blockage or numbness or self judgment or self hatred.
Then I want you to drop beneath that place and come right into the heart.
This area where we care for ourselves,
Where we want strength and health and safety for ourselves.
Bathe in that beautiful emerald green surrounding your heart.
Now repeat the following phrases to yourself three times.
May I be happy.
May I be well.
May I be safe.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
Each time you say these phrases see that beautiful green light around your heart growing with intensity.
Repeat this to yourself two more times.
May I be happy.
May I be well.
May I be safe.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
May I be happy.
May I be well.
May I be safe.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
Now let's move to sharing loving kindness with another person.
Let's think about sharing loving kindness with a mentor or somebody you have deep respect for.
This could be a family member,
A friend,
A colleague,
An acquaintance or maybe somebody you've never met but you consider them to be a role model.
Visualize this person if you can,
Bring them to your mind and see if you can picture a beautiful green light surrounding their heart as well.
Now connect your hearts.
Connect your beautiful green light surrounding your heart with their green light surrounding their heart,
Seeing a stream of green light connecting you.
Now we're going to use the following three phrases.
Each time you use these phrases see the light around your mentor's heart growing with intensity,
A beautiful green light.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you be safe.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
Let's repeat this two more times.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you be safe.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
And one more time.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you be safe.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
Now let's try to send loving kindness to somebody that might be a little bit more challenging.
Let's try sending loving kindness to somebody who you in fact might even have conflict with.
This could be a friend,
It could be a family member,
It could be a neighbor or a co-worker.
Once again bring this person to your mind if you can.
Try to visualize with them also a beautiful green light surrounding their heart.
Once again connect the beautiful green light in your heart with theirs with a stream of green light.
Let's repeat the following phrases three times.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you be safe.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
Let's repeat that two more times.
Each time seeing the green light around their heart growing brighter.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you be safe.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
One more time.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you be safe.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
Now let's back away visually for a moment and pull back and let's bring to our minds now the whole planet.
This beautiful blue dot that we live on.
Let's surround the planet earth with the most wonderful green light.
We're going to be sending loving kindness now to all beings on the earth.
If you can visualize the planet surrounded with this green light now connecting back to your heart with a stream of green light.
Every time we repeat the phrases we'll see that green light surrounding the planet growing and pulsing with intensity.
Three times let's repeat these phrases.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be well.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings be peaceful and at ease.
Two more times.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be well.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings be peaceful and at ease.
Finally let's bring our attention and our focus back to ourselves.
Let's begin to focus back on our own heart.
We should see now that this beautiful green light that we started seeing it surrounding our heart has now in fact filled and expanded to our entire chest.
See this wonderful green light if you can radiating out in all directions.
You may notice in fact an increased warmth from where you started all around your chest.
Let's repeat the following three phases which started this meditation.
May I be happy.
May I be well.
May I be safe.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
Two more times.
May I be happy.
May I be well.
May I be safe.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
And one more time.
May I be happy.
May I be well.
May I be safe.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
Now let's bring your full attention back to this time and this space.
Just gently start to wiggle your fingers and toes.
If your eyes aren't already open just gently allow them to flutter open.
Notice how you feel.
Maybe you feel a little bit lighter.
Maybe you feel a little bit more loving.
Carry this sensation,
This feeling with you throughout the day.
And anytime you need to come back to this meditation.
I hope you've enjoyed this Metta or loving kindness meditation.
This is one of the four Buddhist virtues,
Loving kindness.
I look forward to guiding you again on a meditation very soon.
Peacefully,
胜德而Л Debatte otro de Okay,
Ready?
4.6 (961)
Recent Reviews
Catia
August 22, 2024
Only just starting to incorporate Metta meditation to my repertoir. I'll be saving this track and spinning it regularly to practice, thank you! 💚
Siobhán
December 24, 2021
May you be happy, well, safe, peaceful and at ease. 🙏 A beautiful meditation. Thank you.
Mathilde
July 25, 2021
Very usefull for my evening practice, to end the day with kibd thoughts for the world. Thank you🙏💛🧡❤💚
Sabrina
February 14, 2021
Perfect for Valentine’s Day/Self-care Day! Thank you 🙏🏻
Kate
February 11, 2021
10/10 this was the best loving kindness meditation I’ve ever done. It wasn’t perfect and I felt 100% present and focused. I also am not a huge fan of the phrase loving kindness so hearing that it is also called metta was helpful.
CyndyM
February 5, 2021
I like the structure of this Metta meditation. I look forward to using it regularly. ☮️
Chad
January 6, 2021
Good basic primer on Loving Kindness. Thanks!
Sarah
December 26, 2020
Very nice, thank you!
Bill
November 30, 2020
Calming, centering meditation.
Donna
November 19, 2020
Simple and lovely.
Erin
November 12, 2020
I really felt the green calming energy surrounding me. Thank you
Jane
October 14, 2020
Great. I find this practice difficult, but this was a well-paced meditation. Well-delivered. Great voice. Thankyou 🙏
Maddyp123
October 11, 2020
Thank you for an informative, clear session. It helped me bring positive feelings toward myself and a family member who is struggling.💖
Charmaine
October 8, 2020
I love this guided loving kindness! I really needed this practice today. Thanks, Brett! May you be happy, well, safe peaceful and at ease!
Seth
October 4, 2020
A wonderful meditation for loving kindness. Thank you!
Bailey
September 18, 2020
Great pace. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jamie
September 14, 2020
Great loving kindness meditation. I enjoyed the color visualization around my heart.
Michael
September 10, 2020
very good and helpful. no music!
Ankit
June 28, 2020
Good meditation.