Welcome to this loving kindness or metta meditation.
Please make yourself comfortable either seated or lying down.
You might wish to place your hands over your heart center.
So go ahead and gently close your eyes and take some deep breaths in and out.
Now bring to your mind's eye the image of someone for whom you have great affection.
Someone whom you love fully and deeply and warmly.
This could be a partner,
A family member,
A friend,
A pet,
Or even a sacred being.
Picture that someone and imagine gazing at them with loving kindness.
Notice how it feels in your body to hold them in loving kindness.
Where in your body do you experience that sense of great affection?
And as you continue to keep that someone in your mind's eye,
Imagine sending them the following wishes.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be at peace.
Now keep breathing in and out in the space of loving kindness and let the image of that cherished someone dissolve as you bring to mind the image of someone you feel neutral about.
It could be someone in your community or at your workplace.
Someone who is in your general orbit but whom you don't know very well.
And imagine gazing at them with loving kindness and sending them the following wishes.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be at peace.
And notice with curiosity and without judgment what you're experiencing in your body at this moment.
Now as you keep breathing in and out in the space of loving kindness,
Let the image of that neutral someone dissolve and picture in your mind's eye someone with whom you've struggled.
Perhaps you've quarreled with that someone or they've hurt or upset you in some way.
And as you picture them,
Keeping in mind that we are all connected,
See if you can look upon them with loving kindness and send them the following wishes.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be at peace.
And just take a moment to gently explore what it feels like in your body to hold that someone in loving kindness.
And please know that there is no right or wrong way to feel in this moment.
So now go ahead and let the image of that challenging someone dissolve and expand your internal gaze to envelop the whole planet.
Mountains,
Rivers,
Deserts,
Forests,
People,
Other animals,
Plants.
Look upon all of it with your heartfelt loving kindness.
Breathe into that and let it marinate in your body and observe how that feels as you offer the following wishes.
May we all be happy.
May we all be healthy.
May we all be at peace.
And finally,
Breathing into your loving kindness,
Gradually zoom back in from our planet,
To your region,
To your country,
To your city or town,
To your neighborhood,
To your home,
And now to you yourself.
And imagine gazing at yourself,
Looking into your own eyes with great affection,
And offer yourself the following wishes.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be at peace.
You might wish to gently tap or stroke your heart center if that nourishes you.
And notice what it feels like with curiosity and without judgment to offer loving kindness to yourself.
And as we've come full circle,
Let all that loving kindness soak into you and emanate through you for a few more deep breaths.
Now go ahead and gently open your eyes.
Thank you for being here today and for offering your wishes for happiness,
Health,
And peace to yourself and to the world around you.
