This is Mettā,
Loving kindness meditation.
Mettā comes from the Buddhist tradition and it consists of repeating phrases of loving kindness and sending loving thoughts towards ourselves and others.
It opens your heart in a beautiful way and it is the foundation of self-love.
According to Buddhist teaching,
You can search the whole universe and you will not find any being more worthy of your love than yourself.
This is why we start with ourselves.
Self-love is the foundation that helps us build healthy relationships and truly love and serve others.
The practice consists of repeating phrases of loving kindness infused with intention.
In this meditation I will guide you through three stages of the loving kindness practice.
First,
We start with ourselves.
Then we send loving kindness towards a loved one,
Like a family member,
Partner or good friend.
Then a neutral person in our life,
Someone we saw maybe a few times but we don't really know.
We will be repeating the traditional phrases that I learned from my teacher Kaci Ananda.
There are many versions of Mettā meditation,
However this one really opens my heart.
To start the meditation,
Please find a comfortable seat on the meditation cushion,
On a bolster,
You can also sit on a chair with both feet on the ground.
Make sure that your spine is upright,
The crown of your head above the base of the spine and that you can sit comfortably in this position for the duration of the meditation.
Relax your shoulders,
Allow your hands to rest on your thighs,
Keep the neck long and very gently tuck the chin in.
Close your eyes and soften the face.
With your eyes closed,
Start connecting with your breath.
As you deepen the breath,
Notice that your abdomen and chest are gently rising,
Filling you up.
As you exhale,
Abdomen and chest are sinking back towards the spine.
Inhalation is rising,
Exhalation is falling.
As you follow your breath in this way,
Try to refine your breath.
The breath is deep,
Smooth and silent.
The exhalations are the same length as the exhalations and there is no gap or pulse in between the breaths.
Please continue.
Notice that when you breathe this way,
You are turning your attention inwards and you are connecting to the present moment.
Your breath is the link to the present moment.
When you keep your attention on the breath,
You gradually allow the mind to calm down and to drop into a state of relaxation.
And if you have thoughts appearing on the surface,
Don't worry,
Just keep on focusing on your breath.
Just a few more deep breaths like this.
Let go slowly of this conscious control of the breath and keep your awareness inwards.
Once the mind is internalized,
We can more easily connect with the loving kindness and send it towards ourselves and others.
Bring your attention towards the heart center.
And silently repeat the following phrases towards yourself.
May I be filled with loving kindness.
May I be healthy in body and mind.
May I be safe from inner and outer dangers.
May I be happy and free.
As you repeat these phrases,
Really feel it into your heart.
It's not just about the words,
It's about the feeling inside.
The feeling of an open heart that melts all fear,
All limitations.
Please repeat.
May I be filled with loving kindness.
May I be healthy in body and mind.
May I be safe from inner and outer dangers.
May I be happy and free.
Please repeat it one more time internally.
Feeling the loving kindness opening your heart and filling your whole body.
You are the person that needs your love the most in the entire universe.
Your love is the foundation of all love.
May I be at ease.
May I be safe.
May I be healthy.
May I be happy and free.
Feel your breath going in and out of your nostrils and abdomen rising and falling.
And remember that this breath anchors you to the present moment.
Every time you notice,
You drift away with your thoughts.
Let's move to the second stage of this meditation.
Think about a person that you love,
That you feel close to,
A person that makes it really easy for you to open your heart.
It can be even your pet,
Like your dog or your cat,
Because they give us unconditional love.
And repeat the following phrases towards that person or maybe your dog,
Your choice.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be healthy in body and mind.
May you be safe from inner and outer dangers.
May you be happy and free.
Please continue repeating these phrases silently and sending loving kindness towards a loved one.
Notice your heart opening and radiating with love.
It could be that a lot of emotions arise on the surface,
Sensations that you feel in your body as you continue with the practice.
Just allow them to be.
Don't try to change anything.
It means your heart is opening.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be healthy in body and mind.
May you be safe from inner and outer dangers.
May you be happy and free.
Feel the love radiating from your heart,
Feeling not only your entire body but maybe even feeling the space around you.
Love is so powerful,
The most powerful emotion,
Energy in the universe.
Moving to the third stage of this practice.
Think about a person that you don't really know well.
Person that you saw a few times,
Maybe even see frequently but you don't have a close relationship with that person.
And simply wish well,
Send your loving kindness towards that person.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be healthy in body and mind.
May you be safe from inner and outer dangers.
May you be happy and free.
Please continue repeating the phrases of loving kindness.
As you keep your awareness in your heart,
In your body and breath,
Notice the love,
Loving kindness expanding,
Radiating from the inside out.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be healthy in body and mind.
May you be safe from inner and outer dangers.
May you be happy and free.
If English is not your native language,
You can also repeat these phrases in your own language or make your own version of it.
It's not about the exact words,
It's about the intention and the energy you are sending out.
May you be at ease.
May you be safe.
May you be healthy.
May you be happy and free.
For the final stage of this meditation,
Simply rest in these vibrations of loving kindness.
Feel into your heart.
Prayer.
Start deepening your breath again.
As you remain in that space of openness,
Wishing well,
Loving kindness.
Bring your hands to prayer.
Gently lower your chin.
And when you are ready,
Slowly open the eyes.
