Welcome and thank you for joining me in this meditation.
In a few moments I will be guiding you through a traditional Buddhist meditation called a Metta Bhavana meditation or loving-kindness meditation.
In this meditation you'll bring to mind various different people or groups of people and send to them kind loving thoughts.
With this type of meditation you always begin by thinking about yourself first and then start to move outwards.
It's important to start with yourself as you need to show love and care for yourself before you can share that with others.
So first of all find a comfortable position for this meditation.
You might like to sit or lie down.
Whatever position you choose you're looking for maximum comfort,
Minimum effort and you need to be warm throughout the whole of the practice.
So just allowing your body to settle and letting your whole body be supported by the surface beneath you.
Just feel your body relaxing and releasing with each out breath.
So begin the meditation by bringing an image of yourself into your mind and say these phrases to yourself May no harm come to me.
May I be happy and well.
The next person or group of people are close family members.
If there are one or two family members you do not get on with then put them to one side.
We'll come back to them later.
And now visualize that one person or small group of people and say to them may no harm come to you.
May you be happy and well.
Now extend the circle to include cherished friends.
Maybe only one person comes into your mind or maybe more than one person appears.
Whoever appears just welcome them all and say may no harm come to you.
May you be happy and well.
Now turn your attention to acquaintances.
People you like or have more neutral feelings to.
Maybe neighbors,
Maybe people you meet when walking around your neighborhood,
Maybe the local shopkeeper.
Again only welcoming those for the time being that you feel positive about.
Those you find it difficult to be with,
We'll come back to them later.
Now thinking about these people say to them may no harm come to you.
May you be happy and well.
And now think about the people who work hard to keep us safe.
The emergency services,
The people who work in the medical profession,
The armed forces.
Think about all the challenging circumstances they meet on a regular basis as part of their everyday jobs.
Imagine yourself saying to them may no harm come to you.
May you be happy and well.
And now think about all the different countries and places you have visited.
All the people you've met on your travels and say to them may no harm come to you.
May you be happy and well.
Turn your attention now to people who may be suffering at this moment.
People who feel hopeless and forgotten.
People who have recently lost loved ones.
People who are struggling with long-term health problems.
Whoever comes to mind welcome them and say to them may no harm come to you.
May you all be happy and well.
Now we come to the hardest part of the meditation.
When we think about people we do not like.
Those people you find it difficult to be with.
For this part of the meditation do not think of someone who generates strong feelings in you.
Instead it could be someone you find irritating or frustrating.
Not someone who makes you feel angry or scared.
In a few moments I'll ask you to send kind loving thoughts to that person or group of people.
And when you say these phrases you will probably feel uncomfortable and insincere.
You are only human after all.
But as you say the words bear in mind that these people also have fears,
Hopes and dreams like any other person.
So bearing that in mind say to them may no harm come to you.
May you be happy and well.
And now send loving thoughts of peace all around the world.
Send out peace to the east,
Peace to the west,
Peace to the north,
Peace to the south.
Imagine each positive thought you have forming a ray of light and peace.
Each one may be small and seem insignificant.
But the collective rays of light from everyone who practices this meditation will produce a glow the whole world can see.
It will shine into all those dark spaces.
These rays of light will join with millions and millions of rays of love and light from around the world until this whole world is glowing in a golden light of love and peace.
Visualize this tiny precious globe which is home to all of us suspended in a universe so vast that we cannot comprehend it.
And now say to all beings on this precious planet may no harm come to any of you.
May you all be happy and well.
And now you may like to stay resting or sitting.
You might like to start moving again.
Just take a few slow deep breaths in and out of the body and use those breaths to bring energy back into your body.
Then become aware of your whole body.
The parts of the body being supported by your surface beneath you.
Start moving your body slowly,
Wriggling fingers and toes,
Circling hands and feet,
Moving your arms and legs.
And then just stretch your whole body out.
Just move whichever way you want to to help your body wake up again.
And then bring your hands into namaste.
Thank you.
