Welcome to your Loving Kindness Meditation.
A Loving Kindness or Metta meditation is a practice for helping us see the goodness in ourselves and others.
It allows us to break free from the us versus them mentality,
Recognizing our common humanity with everyone.
Let's begin by finding a comfortable seated position.
It can be on a chair or a cushion or bench on the floor.
Finding a posture that is upright and alert,
Yet comfortable.
Allowing the eyes to gently close or rest half open in a slight downward gaze.
And begin scanning the body from head to toe,
Releasing any obvious tension.
Unclenching the jaw,
Resting the shoulders down away from the ears,
Relaxing the belly.
And you can consider taking a couple deep cleansing breaths and then allow the breath to be natural.
Inviting the breath to be your connection to the present moment.
Now visualize a wide open sky,
Vast,
Expansive,
Blue.
Imagine that you can see an impression of a smile in the sky and sense into the openness and receptivity that this allows.
Now merging your mind with the sky.
Allowing the impression of the smile to spread down into your eyes.
Letting the corners of your eyes lift and your brow to soften.
Then allowing it to spread down to your lips in a slight smile.
And then inviting the smile to spread down into your heart space.
Feeling the expansion in your chest.
Allowing the shoulders to rest comfortably and the hands to be soft.
Sensing into the space and openness that this creates and the gentle and kind presence that's come forward.
Now picture someone in your life who you love a lot,
Where the love comes easily and is uncomplicated.
It could be a parent,
A partner,
A child,
A pet,
A spiritual figure.
Taking some time to reflect on the qualities that you most cherish about them.
Maybe it's their humor,
Their kindness,
Their vitality for life.
Breathing gently and recite the phrases inwardly directed to them.
May you be safe and peaceful.
May you be healthy and happy.
May you know a deep and natural peace.
May you accept yourself just as you are.
Holding them in loving kindness in your mind as you gently repeat these phrases.
Now imagine them lovingly gazing back at you,
Wishing for you too to be held in loving kindness.
Picture them saying to you kindly,
May you too be safe and peaceful.
May you be healthy and happy.
May you know a deep and natural peace.
May you accept yourself just as you are.
Receiving these wishes gracefully.
Allowing them to repeat these well wishes to you.
Noting to yourself how it feels to receive this love.
Now taking it in and turning it towards yourself.
You may consider placing a hand on your heart and saying to yourself,
May I be safe and peaceful.
May I be healthy and happy.
May I know a deep and natural peace.
May I accept myself just as I am.
Now picture a neutral person in your life.
Someone that you're somewhat familiar with,
But that you don't have any strong negative or positive feelings for.
And directing these well wishes to them.
May you be safe and peaceful.
May you be healthy and happy.
May you know a deep and natural peace.
May you accept yourself just as you are.
Now picture someone in your life with whom you have a difficult relationship with.
Someone who evokes anger,
Fear or hurt.
Begin by taking a moment to try to see past the mask.
To see some aspect of their basic goodness.
It may even help to imagine them as a child or at the end of their life.
Can you recall to yourself one quality about this person that you admire?
Reminding yourself that all beings wish to be happy and avoid suffering,
And that life matters to this person just as it does to you.
And when you're ready,
Reciting the phrases inwardly directed to them.
May you be safe and peaceful.
May you be healthy and happy.
May you know a deep and natural peace.
May you accept yourself just as you are.
This meditation may at times feel mechanical or awkward,
Or even irritation or anger may arise.
If this happens,
Extend patience and kindness to yourself for whatever arises.
Taking a moment to honor and reflect on the goodness that you've brought to this meditation.
A dear one,
Yourself,
A neutral one,
A difficult one.
And sense into your shared humanity,
Vulnerability and basic goodness.
Now imagine that this loving presence that you've cultivated over the past few minutes is expanding and extending all around you,
Above and below you,
All around you.
And begin sending the well wishes to all living beings.
May all beings be safe and peaceful.
May all beings be healthy and happy.
May all beings know a deep and natural peace.
May all beings accept themselves as they are.
Take a moment to reflect on the loving presence that is here.
Dwell in this space of love and acceptance.
This presence is more the truth of who you are.
This is your true identity.
Bell
