Welcome.
According to the Vedic texts,
The seat of consciousness is in the heart,
And one of the first teachings of the Buddha was metta.
Translated from the language of Pali,
It generally means loving-kindness.
And I know it to be a fairly supercharged meditation as it can bring forth and unpack old stories,
Emotions,
And trauma for integration,
Clarity,
And ultimately less suffering.
It is recommended to begin giving loving-kindness to oneself,
Then maybe to a stranger who you may intuit as someone who is struggling.
We all have silent battles going on underneath that strong exterior.
So send metta to those who are currently battling.
Next,
You might give metta to a family member,
Loved one,
Or friend.
This becomes even more charged and emotional as you know their story and some of their history in relationship to your own life.
And finally,
One of the most supercharged and challenging practices for metta is to choose someone that you would consider an enemy.
This is to say,
Someone you struggle greatly with,
Or even someone who hurt you deeply.
Personally,
I held a great deal of resentment towards a parent of mine,
And others,
Actually,
That traumatized me as a child and into my adult life.
I have prayed and given metta to those individuals,
Which in turn released me from the hold and suffering that was eating away at me from the inside out.
Resentment is a cup of poison,
Which you pour for your enemy and end up drinking yourself.
But I think for today,
I feel the need to give metta to all sentient beings,
As I'm sure you're familiar with the many battles,
Wars,
And so many beings that are currently suffering in the world.
So let's find a comfortable seat or lying position and hold yourself in a way that's present and that you're inwardly attuned.
Feel free to wrap yourself comfortably in a blanket or have your favorite drink like the cup of tea near me now.
Move at any time,
Open or close your eyes.
Basically what I'm saying is take care of yourself during this charged practice.
Stay within your window of tolerance.
And if you feel triggered,
Please self-regulate in a way that is safe whenever you feel the need.
And now take some clearing breaths.
Clear out some tension,
Relax certain parts of the body that may be in some kind of holding pattern.
I'm going to repeat four statements for all sentient beings to receive loving kindness.
Feel free to change the words to suit you.
Give loving kindness to yourself or someone specific.
As I repeat the four statements,
There may be one you feel today,
A feeling in your gut or your heart center,
That seat of consciousness.
Choose that phrase and repeat silently to yourself again and again.
So let's take another clearing breath.
May all beings be free from danger.
May all beings have mental happiness.
May all beings have physical happiness.
May all beings have ease of wellbeing.
When your mind wanders,
Which it always does,
Gently bring it back without criticism or judgment.
It's the nature of your mind to think.
So return,
Be kind and begin again.
May all beings be free from danger.
May all beings have mental happiness.
May all beings have physical happiness.
May all beings have ease of wellbeing.
And now be kind to yourself.
Be tender with yourself.
You may even want to write down in a journal,
Your feelings,
Your thoughts,
Anything that came up during the meditation.
Feel free to continue this meditation or repeat daily.
I appreciate you taking the time to practice and give back to yourself and the world around you.
