Metta Kindness Guided Meditation

A loving-kindness meditation practice to embody compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity. To cultivate one-pointed concentrated attention, out of which the powers of these evoked qualities emerge, transfiguring the heart.

Transcript

Welcome, My name is Nikki from True Equanimity Yoga. Today I'll be leading you through a Metta or loving kindness mindfulness meditation practice with a focus on compassion. When we come from a place of compassion we're able to have more acceptance of ourselves and others. The aim of this mindfulness practice is to connect you to your heart and create a sense of compassion and kindness. So I invite you to come to sit on a chair or on the floor comfortably, Straight spine, Relaxed back, So the breath can flow through the body, Sitting with energy. So let us begin by parking your body, Tensing parts of the body on the in breath and relaxing them on the out breath. I'd like to take your awareness down to the feet and tense from the toes to the thighs on the in breath and let the legs soften on the out breath and letting the awareness come up higher as you tense the pelvis, The hips, Might squeeze the buttocks together on the in breath and let this area soften on the out breath. Tensing the front, The back, The sides of the torso on the in breath, Letting these areas soften on the out breath. Tensing from the shoulders down the arms or the weight of the hands on the in breath, Letting both arms soften on the out breath. Tensing the neck, The face, The forehead, The scalp on the in breath, Letting any tension in these areas go on the out breath. You might like to let your hands just rest in your lap, On your thighs or down by your sides, Whichever feels comfortable to you. On an out breath, Take a soft downward glaze or if you feel comfortable to do so you might close your eyes. Notice if you can allow yourself to let go of any holding, To let go into the safety of the surface below. Can you visualize or imagine that you are fully supported as you sit in this meditation practice? I invite you to welcome in your breath, Feel your body breathing, Take your awareness to the breath, Breathing in through the nose and out through the nose. Being a witness to your breath, No need to change it. Simply notice your breath as it is. Notice where you feel the breath in your body. You might feel it in the nose, The throat, The chest, The belly. See if you can allow your breath to slow, The exhale to lengthen. Can you find your center? Allow the body to soften with each exhale. As you invite in a sense of openness, Relaxation and calm. Your mind will get distracted by things that are not your inhale or your exhale. It could be sounds, Feelings, Thoughts, Physical sensations. Whatever the distraction you encounter, Consider it a friend gently reminding you that you can always return your focus to your breath. If a thought arises, Be aware of it, Maybe say to yourself I'm thinking, Then let it go. As best you can, Allow your mind to settle, To be naturally quieter and still. I invite you to take a moment to check in and notice how you are feeling today. If there are any areas of tension, Can you bring in kindness and compassion? You might like to direct your breath there. You might find this area softens and shifts just by placing the breath awareness there. I invite you to gradually bring your awareness to the heart space, That area at the center of your chest. As you breathe into your heart center, Allow it to expand with each breath, Creating a sense of openness, Expansiveness, Spaciousness. You might even like to imagine as if it's the heart itself breathing in and breathing out. As you hold your breath awareness there, You might have a sense of your heart's energy. You might feel it as a warmth, Sensation, See it as a color, Just simply tuning in to the feel of your heartbeat. You might even like to place your hands over or on the heart area for a few breaths, Feeling into the heart, Allowing this to release oxytocin into the body, Bringing a sense of calm, Feeling this positive energy expanding within your heart space. You can choose to leave your hands here or let them rest back in the lap. I invite you to notice if you can let go of self-judgment and speak to yourself kindly, To speak to yourself the way you would a friend. You might like, Even like to breathe in a sense of gratefulness and appreciation for all that you do. Breathe this into your heart as you inhale and exhale and really feel it in the body, Not just as a thought, But a felt sense of compassion and kindness towards yourself. I'd like to allow that feeling to expand out from the heart throughout your entire body, Filling every cell with a sense of love, Kindness and appreciation. You might even like to imagine this spreads out even wider into the space that surrounds you, The space that connects you with others, The space that enables you to share this loving and compassionate energy. Can you see, Sense or feel your heart's energy expand and extend this compassion out to a person who might need it today? Someone that might need some love and kindness, Maybe someone in your life is experiencing some challenges or suffering at the moment. Allow the heart's energy to widen further to them, Offering them your warmth, Strength and compassion. Feel the impact this might have on them to receive this kindness and compassion. You might even like to visualize that you're giving them compassion, Warmth, Strength on each exhale and on each inhale imagine you are removing all their suffering, Pain and regret, But without taking this on yourself. You might even like to broaden this practice of compassion to include people in your life that are a little challenging right now, Acknowledging that they might be experiencing difficulties that you might not be aware of, That they are just like you and want to be happy and be loved. Have a sense of the impact this has on your relationship to love and live from an open and compassionate heart and trusting in the heart's infinite ability to expand, Extend that even wider now to include all living beings in the warmth of your heart. Know that just like you they have their struggles, They want to be understood and to be loved. Allow yourself to sit in this feeling, The connection of your heart to theirs. Consider how interconnected you are with others as you take a moment to think about the people who've made today possible for you. Take a moment to be grateful to all of those who contribute to your ability to live your life the way that you do. I invite you to simply sit with a sense of gratitude and you might like to bring yourself back to rest in the awareness of your own heart. Sit in the heart space for a few breaths. You might even like to bring that breath awareness back as if you could breathe into your heart space, Breathe out from the heart space. Maybe imagining you can breathe in light, Love, Joy and breathe out self-compassion. Maybe sending some self-compassion to yourself. As you rest for a few moments and then you will hear my voice and the bell. As we come to the end of this practice we invite you to place your hands on or over your heart space once again. As we extend this wish to all beings, May we be happy, May we be healthy, May we be peaceful, May we accept ourselves just as we are. May we live free from pain, Suffering and fear. May we walk through the world gently with ease, Grace and an open heart filled with compassion. I invite you to choose to become aware of your physical body as it sits here in its place of meditation. Gently drawing your awareness back into the head, Drawing your awareness back to the heart center, Drawing your awareness into the limbs, The arms, The legs, Feeling the surface below your feet, Feeling the surface that you are sitting or resting upon. I'd like to begin to bring a bit of gentle movement back into your fingers and toes. Gradually bring your awareness back to the breath, Maybe deepening it slightly. In your own time, No hurry, Bring your full attention back to the place where you're sitting, The sounds, Any sensations. And when you are ready, You can slowly begin to open the eyes. You might like to place the hands over the heart space again as you bow your wise mind to your compassionate heart. You might like to dedicate the benefits of this practice today to the world around us, Sending it out there to wherever it's needed in the world. Thank you for practicing with me today.