Welcome to this loving kindness meditation.
In this practice we will focus on cultivating feelings of compassion,
Love,
And kindness toward ourselves and others.
Metta is the word for loving kindness and Vana means development or cultivation.
And through this practice we will develop these qualities in our hearts starting with ourselves and gradually extending them to others.
Begin by finding a comfortable and quiet place to sit.
You can sit on the chair or on the ground or on the floor as long as your posture is upright but relaxed.
Close your eyes gently and take a few nice deep breaths.
Inhaling through your nose a nice deep inhale and as you exhale through your mouth release any tension or any distractions.
A few more nice deep breaths.
Breathing in through your nose,
Exhaling through your mouth,
Letting go of any tension,
Letting go of any distractions.
Allow your body to settle into a state of calmness and openness.
And now let your breath be natural.
No efforting on the inhale nor the exhale.
Just let your body breathe and bring your attention to this now moment,
This present moment.
Feel the sensations of your physical body.
Tune into your physical body and notice any areas that might be holding tension.
And then bring your awareness to any of those areas and allow yourself to soften and to release any discomfort.
And now let's begin by focusing on cultivating loving kindness for yourself.
Repeat the following phrases either aloud or silently.
Allowing the words to sink deeply into your heart.
And as you say these words imagine that they are like a gentle warm light surrounding you,
Filling you with love and compassion.
May I be happy.
Receive the vibration of those words.
May I be happy.
Allow that vibration to be infused into every cell of your being.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
Receive that vibration.
May I be healthy.
Like a warm gentle light surrounding you.
Feel it.
May I be healthy.
May I be grounded.
Feel that in your heart.
Feel that in your spirit and your soul.
May I be grounded.
May I be grounded.
Feel yourself surrounded by this vibration.
May I live with ease.
Allow the vibration of those words to fill you with love and compassion.
May I live with ease.
May I live with ease.
Allow yourself to feel the truth of these words.
You deserve love,
Kindness,
And happiness.
And picture yourself surrounded and infused by a glowing warm light radiating love and peace.
And just bask in that light for a little bit more time.
And if any resistance arises simply notice without judgment and return to the vibration of this glowing warm light surrounding you,
Infusing you,
Radiating love and peace.
Now bring to mind someone you care about deeply.
It might be a friend,
A family member,
Or anyone who is close to your heart.
Imagine this person standing before you smiling and radiating warmth.
And as you think of them silently or aloud repeat the following phrases to them and for them.
May you be happy.
Look into their eyes as you say this and feel the truth.
May you be happy.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be healthy.
Sending that energy to them,
Feeling them receive it.
May you be healthy.
May you be grounded.
May you be grounded.
Still looking into their eyes,
Sending this from your heart to theirs.
May you be grounded.
May you live with ease.
May you live with ease.
Visualizing them surrounded by a warm radiant light.
And now sense that as you've sent these wishes to them,
There is love and compassion flowing naturally from your heart to theirs.
And just spend a little bit of time here experiencing that connection and allow this feeling of connection to grow stronger with each breath that you take.
Next,
Bring to mind someone you feel neutral about.
Perhaps someone you don't know very well,
Like an acquaintance or someone you see regularly but don't have strong feelings about.
Picture them in your mind's eye and silently or aloud,
Repeat these phrases for them.
May you be happy.
Sending that energy from your heart to theirs.
May you be happy.
May you be happy.
May you be happy.
May you be happy.
Feel the truth of your wish.
Watch them receive this wish.
May you be healthy.
May you be grounded.
May you be grounded.
May you live with ease.
Sending this wish from your heart to theirs.
May you live with ease.
May you live with ease.
And notice how the heart begins to open even to the very last breath.
Bring to mind someone you may not have a strong emotional connection with.
And just spend a few more moments in time here allowing your kindness to extend toward them from your heart just as naturally as it did towards yourself and your loved one.
Now bring someone to mind whom you may have had conflict or difficulty.
Someone with whom you feel challenged or frustrated.
This may be a person you hold difficult feelings toward or someone you find it hard to forgive.
As you think of them,
Allow any judgment or resentment to soften.
And speak internally or externally the following phrases with the intention of offering them the same love and kindness you have already sent to others.
May you be happy.
May you be happy.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be healthy.
May you be grounded.
May you be grounded.
May you be grounded.
May you live with ease.
May you live with ease.
May you live with ease.
Letting go of any remaining negativity and instead choosing to offer your compassion freely as an expression of your desire for their well-being.
And visualize them surrounded by the same radiant light of love and warmth.
Trust that this practice will help to dissolve barriers between you and others.
Finally,
Expand your circle of loving kindness to include all beings everywhere.
Human beings,
Animals,
And all sentient beings,
Things with consciousness around the world.
Visualize the earth surrounded by a brilliant warm light filled with love and compassion.
And feel your heart open wide as you send the following wishes to all living beings.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be happy.
Sending this light from your heart around the world,
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be healthy.
May all beings be healthy.
May all beings be healthy.
May all beings be grounded.
Sending this wish from your heart around the world.
Everyone,
Everything,
Everywhere.
May all beings be grounded.
May all beings be grounded.
May all beings live with ease.
May all beings live with ease.
May all beings live with ease.
Allowing your heart to stretch beyond all boundaries,
Embracing the interconnectedness of all life.
Send your love and kindness freely,
Without any limitation.
And spend a little bit more time here just imagining,
Visualizing the energy of this kindness spreading around the world.
Touching every being,
Everything it touches with peace,
Joy,
And compassion.
Take a moment now to rest in the feeling of loving kindness you've cultivated.
Feel the warmth in your heart.
Knowing that by offering love to others,
You're also strengthening your own well-being.
Allow yourself to be present in this feeling of love.
And know deep within your heart that this is always available to you.
As we bring this meditation to a close,
One more time,
Speak aloud or silently to yourself the following four phrases and feel the energy reverberate through your body and your energy field.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be healthy.
May all beings be grounded.
May all beings live with ease.
As we come to a close,
Take a few deep breaths.
Gently bringing your awareness back into your body.
And when you're ready,
Open your eyes and return to the space around you.
And set the intention to bring this sense of loving kindness with you out into your day.
