Welcome to this loving kindness meditation which is sometimes referred to as a metta meditation.
This practice is a very old traditional Buddhist meditation that is said to be more than two and a half thousand years old and hark back to the time of the Buddha.
The word metta translates from Pali which is the language of the time to love or kindness or friendliness and in that sense this meditation is an offering of love and friendliness towards others and towards ourselves.
It is a beautiful practice and it's one that's quite subtle.
You might not instantly feel the benefits of this meditation but with regular practice over time you might find that it allows for a softening.
A softening of the edges or the hard places that harshness within yourself whether it's in the way that you treat yourself or perhaps in an increase of compassion or non-judgment towards others.
In that sense it can be a really profound and powerful practice and many people have said that this meditation with time has had the capacity to change their life.
Traditionally a loving kindness meditation moves through different steps directing a mantra of loving kindness towards yourself,
Towards someone you love,
Towards a broader community in your life and then the fourth step is directing the mantra to somebody that you might have some form of challenge with.
That can be quite a bit of energy so depending on your interest that fourth step is really optional for you today.
If you do decide to move forward with that fourth step I recommend choosing somebody that you experience a mild form of challenge with rather than a larger relational rupture as it doesn't hold space to go into that experience with a great level of depth to really process and untangle that experience.
As we move through the practice of loving-kindness I'll say the mantra and the invitation is for you to repeat it either silently or quietly to yourself.
As we move forward to begin you might take a moment here to get cozy.
Maybe that's popping on a few extra layers.
Maybe it's taking a moment to find a position that feels supportive today.
Maybe it's a sense of settling in,
Nestling into the surface that you're resting on,
Arriving here.
You could even reach your arms out or legs,
Take a stretch or take a sighing breath.
Perhaps it's taking a few moments here just to be with life exactly as it is.
So witness the truth of this moment,
To meet life and to meet your experience of it.
And to begin you might like to draw your awareness to the parts of your body that are resting on the surface below or behind you.
Perhaps leaning into that support,
Encouraging your body to be heavy as it sinks into the support system that you're resting on.
Another option is to center your awareness to the space around your heart.
Maybe softening here.
You can place your hands over your heart or invite in a smooth breath,
Directing it to the space around your heart.
This sense of internal holding,
Softening here.
Noticing if there are any emotions or sensations that meet you as you center here.
Sometimes this is the first step towards loving-kindness,
Is meeting it all here just as it is,
Just as you are.
Letting the truth of this moment be exactly as it is.
When you are ready to begin the first mantra you might like to repeat internally or to yourself.
May I be happy.
May I be well.
May I be free from all kinds of suffering.
May I live my life with ease.
I'll repeat that again two more times with the invitation to allow the loving-kindness of this ancient mantra that millions of people have practiced around the world over many years to sink into your body without needing to try too hard to reach for the words,
Just allowing them to be and whatever feelings to arrive to be here to.
May I be happy.
May I be well.
May I be free from all kinds of suffering.
May I live my life with ease.
May I be happy.
May I be well.
May I be free from all kinds of suffering.
May I live my life with ease.
As we move towards the next stage of the meditation you might consider somebody that you love or somebody that you feel loved by and choose to direct this mantra towards them.
And if it's helpful you might visualize them in your mind as you invite in these feelings of loving-kindness and direct it towards them.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you be free from all kinds of suffering.
May you live your life with ease.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you be free from all kinds of suffering.
May you live your life with ease.
Inviting these feelings of loving-kindness to sink into your body.
Moving towards the third stage of the loving-kindness meditation and the invitation is to direct this to anybody in our community or a community itself that might be experiencing anxiety or tension in their bodies at this period of time.
This might be a community within your life who might be experiencing challenge,
Who may be supported by additional compassion by this sense of loving-kindness and friendliness directed towards them.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you be free from all kinds of suffering.
May you live your life with ease.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you be free from all kinds of suffering.
May you live your life with ease.
In this final chant of the mantra you may decide to stay with this community and direct the final stage of the mantra towards them or the invitation is to call to mind somebody that you may be struggling with or experiencing some minor form of challenge to the level of energy that you have available today.
Noting that you're really in charge of how and in what way you direct this mantra.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you be free from all kinds of suffering.
May you live your life with ease.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you be free from all kinds of suffering.
May you live your life with ease.
Taking a moment to perhaps notice any sensations or feelings or emotions that arise to meet you here.
This might be messages from your body or from your brain or from your heart.
Any life that is arising that would like to be acknowledged here.
Sometimes a little bit of wisdom arises in these moments and if there's a way that you can honor that and honor your time here through the meditation it could be placing a hand over your heart or hand to hand at heart center in prayer position.
Sealing the meditation here and this generous act of loving-kindness and the beauty of this ancient mantra that is vital and relevant today.
When you're ready to ease your way out of the practice it might be with a stretch or a yawn or maybe a clearing breath.
