Greetings and a warm welcome to this loving kindness meditation.
In loving kindness or metta meditation,
Our focus rests upon the silent repetition of phrases that generate feelings of love,
Kindness and compassion towards oneself and then others.
I encourage you to approach this technique with a sense of openness,
Allowing your awareness to transition from the realm of the mind to the sanctuary of the heart.
So I invite you to find a comfortable position,
Have a fidget,
Have a stretch,
Roll your shoulders,
Do whatever you need to do to get as comfortable as you can in this moment.
And when you're ready,
Gently lower your eyes and just take a moment to notice how you're feeling.
Not changing anything,
Not labeling anything as good or bad,
Just observing how you're feeling.
And then becoming aware of your breath,
Just noticing the movement of breath in the body.
You may notice slight rising and falling sensation or even the movement of the belly as it fills with air and gently gets pulled back towards the spine as you exhale.
And without any force,
Just slowing the breath down ever so slightly,
Beginning to extend both the inhale and the exhale in a way that's comfortable for you.
Just breathing into a nice soft belly,
Just letting the body know that it's safe,
It doesn't have to be anywhere else,
It doesn't have to be doing anything else.
It can just rest,
Be still and breathe.
Just allowing each exhale to dissolve any tension that might be in the body today,
Softening,
Releasing.
As you bring to mind an image of yourself,
Holding this image gently in your mind,
If it feels right for you,
You might picture yourself smiling,
Looking happy.
But just do this in a way that works for you.
As we begin this loving kindness practice,
By firstly wishing ourselves well,
Deeply believing that we are worthy of kindness,
Love,
Compassion.
And you can offer yourself this by silently repeating the following phrases.
May I be happy,
May I be healthy,
May I be safe and may I live with ease.
May I be happy,
May I be healthy,
May I be safe and may I live with ease.
Silently repeating these phrases to yourself now,
In a rhythm that works for you.
And just letting that image of you gently go now.
As you bring to mind someone you love,
Someone who,
When you think of them,
It makes you smile.
Your heart feels full,
You feel sensations of kindness and compassion.
Holding this image gently and wishing this person well,
By silently saying,
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
May you be safe and may you live with ease.
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
May you be safe and may you live with ease.
Seeing if you can send these words from the heart rather than the head.
And now gently letting that image go.
And now bringing to mind an acquaintance,
Someone you don't know that well.
Maybe a work colleague,
A neighbour,
The person who makes your morning coffee.
And although you don't know them that well,
We know that just like you,
They want a life of joy,
Kindness,
Compassion,
Love and to be seen.
And so I invite you to be that person,
To send them those things.
From the heart.
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
May you be safe and may you live with ease.
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
May you be safe and may you live with ease.
And now allowing that image to gently dissolve.
As you now bring to mind someone who challenges you,
Someone who maybe you've had difficulties with in the past.
And I encourage you to hold this image in a way that is comfortable,
That works for you.
But if this is too much,
You can picture a loved one or even yourself again.
But if you can hold this image of a challenging person in your life,
Understand that behind everything,
Deep down,
They want the same things as you.
Kindness,
Love,
Peace.
And you be the person to send that to them and wish them well.
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
May you be safe and may you live with ease.
Now gently letting that image go.
As you start to open your awareness now to the people you know,
The neighbours,
The colleagues,
The strangers.
Opening the awareness to take in the streets around you,
The buildings,
The cities,
The towns,
The countryside.
With each inhale expanding that awareness to stretch across seas,
Reaching other countries.
Opening that awareness further to take in all living things.
Each and every one of them.
And understanding that we all want love,
Kindness and compassion in our lives.
And so now we offer loving kindness to all living things.
May you all be happy,
May you all be healthy,
May you all be safe and may you all live with ease.
Allowing these words to radiate from your heart.
And now just letting the technique completely go and just resting for a moment in this space you've created for yourself.
Becoming aware now of the contact you're making with the floor,
The chair,
Whatever surface is supporting you.
Noticing the temperature of the space on your hands or your face.
Noticing any subtle movements of air.
As you take a couple of nice deep breaths in through the nose,
Releasing through the mouth.
As you gently blink open your eyes.
And before moving,
Just taking the space around you.
Colours,
Shapes,
Shadows.
Notice how you're feeling.
No judgment,
No criticism.
So with sincere gratitude I extend my thanks to you for joining me today and I look forward to sitting with you next time.
