Metta Loving-Kindness Meditation

Metta meditation is focused attention on the happiness and wellness of others. This meditation will leave you feeling light, free and calm, and may even positively impact the health of those you choose to focus on in the practice. 

Transcript

You are listening to the Motherhood Unstressed podcast,

And I'm your host,

Liz Carlisle.

Thank you so much for joining me for another guided meditation.

Thank you for creating a space of peace and calm in your day,

For taking the time to set an intentional practice into place,

For taking the time for yourself and creating this intentional space for your mental,

Physical,

And spiritual well-being.

The hardest part is already done because you've settled down and you've pressed play.

And everyone who is meditating to this energetically is connected to you too.

Feel that energy as you get deeper into the practice.

And that's really what we're doing today,

Is we're connecting with others.

We are intentionally sending good thoughts and positive energy to people outside of ourselves.

And often what is the case is when we have anxiety,

We have worry,

It's because we're so focused inward.

My dad always used to say,

Look outward,

Focus outward,

And now he was not practiced in Buddhism or metta meditation,

Which is what we're going to be doing today.

On some level,

He understood that the more we focus our benevolence on others,

The better we feel,

Happier,

Calmer,

More peace.

So get settled and we'll dive right in.

You could do this meditation lying flat on your back in a comfortable chair or sitting cross-legged.

If you are laying down or you are seated in a chair,

Try not to cross your legs during this.

Have your feet firmly planted on the ground so you can fully connect.

And if you're sitting cross-legged,

Have your hands gently resting on your knees.

If you need energy,

Have your palms facing the ceiling.

If you need more grounding,

Have your palms facing down,

Cupping your knees.

Let's take a deep breath in together to get started.

Deep breath in,

Hold,

And release.

Again,

Deep breath in,

Hold,

And release.

Again,

Deep breath in,

Hold,

And release.

Again,

Deep breath in,

Hold,

And release.

Now return to gentle rhythmic breathing.

Notice the sensation of the inhalation and exhalation on your body.

The slightest sensation of the air moving into your nose,

Going down your esophagus,

Filling your lungs,

And then making its way out.

Like tides on the sand coming in and going out,

Your breath is the rhythm of your life and one that you can actually control to bring more peace and calm in your day.

So as we breathe together now,

And you're noticing these body sensations,

I want you to actively feel your heart beating,

And imagine that there's a slight crack.

With every breath,

The crack opens just a little more,

Until a light is pouring out of your heart space.

When you breathe,

It opens up more and more,

And that light has a physical warmth to it.

It spreads out from your chest to your shoulders,

Loosening,

Relaxing,

Restoring.

From your shoulders,

It goes up your neck,

Again softening your tissue,

Releasing toxicity,

Bringing you into a state of peace and comfortability within your body.

Moving further along,

It goes up the back of your head,

To the top of your scalp,

Almost like fingers.

You might feel a ticklish sensation.

Bring that sensation down your forehead,

Over your nose,

Your mouth,

Your throat.

If you've been holding back things that need to be said,

This is unblocking that.

Take it down your sternum,

Into your belly,

Releasing tension,

Releasing anxiety there.

To each hip,

Your right,

And then the left.

If you're sitting cross-legged,

You might notice your hips sinking deeper into the floor with this release.

Isn't it amazing that you're doing all of this with your breath and your mind?

Take it down further,

Down into your pelvis,

To your legs,

To your knees,

Your shins and your calves.

Down into your ankles,

Into your feet,

To the tips of your toes.

And if you didn't feel anything in your toes,

You might notice that now.

Slight buzzing sensation,

Life energy.

Come back,

Take a deep breath in,

And let it all go.

And just sit with yourself for a moment,

Fully in your body,

Fully aware of the powerful force within you that you've forgotten due to busyness,

Daily anxiety,

Your phone,

Your kids,

Work,

Whatever.

Right now,

You're back,

And you're present,

And you're actively healing your body with this loving energy that you yourself create from within.

Now with that in mind,

I want you to imagine someone that you love so deeply,

And they're next to you,

To the right of you.

Imagine them looking at you.

Feel the love,

The support,

The caring emanating out of them through their eyes.

Know that they would do anything for you.

Be there at a moment's notice.

Not hold anything against you,

Any mistake,

Or expect anything from you in return.

Take in that love and accept it.

Now I want you to imagine a person to your left,

Someone influential in your life,

Who guided you,

Supported you,

Perhaps a teacher or mentor,

A grandparent,

Anyone who changed the course of your life in some positive way.

Imagine them looking at you with pride,

Proud of what you've done with your life and what you do every single day,

Living up to their expectations for what you can do in your life.

Feel that pride,

That support.

See it through their eyes and accept that from them now.

I want you to take the positive energy now that you feel in your body and through your open heart that we've cracked open,

And I want you to send that love to the person to your right,

The person that's been there through everything,

Who would do anything for you,

And develop their body with your loving energy.

It can be a greenish color or a white golden light.

Send a love so forceful from your body around them and say this in your mind,

May you live with ease.

May you be happy.

May you be free from pain.

May you live with ease.

May you be happy.

May you be free from pain.

May you live with ease.

May you be happy.

May you be free from pain.

Moving over to the person to your left,

Your guide,

Your support,

Your inspiration,

Your teacher.

Envelop them with the white golden light,

Perhaps green.

Send them healing,

Loving energy,

Admiration,

Appreciation,

And say these words,

May you live with ease.

May you be happy.

May you be free from pain.

May you live with ease.

May you be happy.

May you be free from pain.

May you live with ease.

May you be happy.

May you be free from pain.

Keep breathing.

And if you like,

You can now expand that energy from the two people you've chosen to a wider circle of those that you love.

You might not even love this wider circle.

It might be acquaintances,

Coworkers,

An elderly neighbor,

Anyone in your life.

Expand your energy outward,

Loving benevolence.

Send them wishes of happiness and peace.

Envelop their body with your light,

Your healing energy.

Do this now.

And in a minute or two,

I'll bring you back into your body.

Take a deep breath in now,

Hold,

And let it go.

Take notice of your state of mind.

How different you feel now compared to when you first pressed play.

You might feel lighter,

Happier,

More carefree.

Aches and pains be diminished or completely gone.

It's the noticing,

Along with your breathing,

That makes all the difference in your body.

And makes you more in tune with the powerful invisible forces of the universe.

Just know that what you just did healed someone else,

Even if they're not aware of it.

You actually did connect with them.

It's pretty cool.

So thank you for doing this meditation with me and everyone else tuning in all over the world.

We're united in our sense of purpose and a sense of inner knowing that there's something more than what you see in front of you in your day-to-day.

There's something more out there uniting us all in love,

In kindness,

In benevolence.

Thank you for being a part of that community.

I appreciate you so,

So much.

Until next time,

Namaste.

Reviews

Beautiful , soothing, and expanding.

Beautiful and loving
The chimes in the background made her a tad hard to hear at times