Hi,
My name is Nina Grunewald and I'm here today to guide you through a beautiful Metta meditation.
First,
Let me tell you a little bit about Metta.
In this meditation,
We will be sending good wishes to ourselves,
A loved one,
A person that we feel neutral toward,
And a person that we feel has vexed us or who we find a bit difficult.
Now,
It's very important to be kind with yourself,
Always.
So if you struggle sending kind wishes to yourself,
Just go gentle,
Or pause,
Or wait for the next prompt.
And when you choose somebody who has hurt you,
Go really gentle as well.
Don't choose somebody who has vexed you deeply,
But start practicing with someone who has maybe irritated you recently,
Especially if this meditation is new to you.
Okay?
Good,
Beautiful.
Now,
Let's get settled into a positive,
Relaxing meditation position that feels really comfortable to you.
Let's start by taking a deep breath in through your nose and exhaling through the mouth,
Letting everything go.
And taking another deep breath in through your nose into your belly and letting it all go.
Taking another deep breath in through your nose into your heart space and releasing on the exhale and letting the breath come back to its natural rhythm.
And every inhale arriving more in this moment,
Noticing the support that's underneath you and just noticing how your breath travels in and out quite naturally through your nose without you needing to do anything for it.
And taking stock of how you feel in your body today,
In this moment.
And releasing any obvious tension that's here,
Relaxing your forehead,
Your jaw,
Your cheeks,
And just fully letting go and arriving here.
If any thoughts are active,
That's okay.
Just simply let them be.
They're a part of meditation.
Just recognize their presence and let them relax and pass by on their own.
Now I invite you to picture yourself in front of your inner eye.
And I know that this can be awkward,
So let's turn on the light of self-kindness like the light bulb in a rarely visited basement.
It might feel funny to adjust to it,
But just give yourself a moment to see your own shape and face in front of you,
Like in a mirror.
And give yourself a smile,
Maybe a shy smile or a wide one or a cheeky smile,
Whatever feels right to you.
And so now begin to wrap yourself in loving-kindness like in a warm blanket by a fireplace in a cold winter night.
And repeat these phrases in your mind.
May I be peaceful.
May I be happy.
May I be well.
May I be safe.
May I be free from suffering.
Breathing that in,
Taking that in.
Now picture someone you love deeply in front of your inner eye.
A sweetheart,
A pet,
A friend,
A family member or a partner.
Someone when you think of them you can't help yourself but smile and feel filled with love and a pure desire for them to be well and happy.
And see them in front of your inner eye now.
Now repeat the same phrases in your mind.
May you be peaceful.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you be safe.
May you be free from suffering.
Take a deep breath in and keep your attention here for a few moments on how it feels,
Noticing where you feel this in your body and you're opening the well of loving-kindness in your heart.
And once it's open you can dip down and draw it more as needed.
You can let it overflow.
But if it hasn't been open in a while and the cover has rusted a bit,
Be patient.
It's only a matter of time and practice.
Now keep that light of loving-kindness shining and your attention to a person you feel neutral toward.
Or someone you don't think about a lot.
Someone who is peripheral to your life,
Whose happiness you might not have thought of much before.
And see them in front of you.
Good.
And with the same earnestness and open-hearted desire for their well-being,
Wish them well.
May you be peaceful.
May you be happy.
May you be safe.
And may you be free from suffering.
And hold on to the idea of them feeling good and safe and happy for a moment.
And if you can,
Picture things in your head.
Picture how their face might look if they were truly at peace.
Worry lines,
Anxiety,
Fear,
Anxiety,
Fear,
Fear,
Fear,
Fear,
Fear,
Fear,
Fear,
Fear,
Fear,
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May you be peaceful may you be happy may you be well may you be safe may you be free from suffering keep breathing breathing that in and don't let the lights go out let the medicine work in your system for a few moments and feel into it breathe into it and give yourself another smile now while keeping your eyes closed is there something that you feel like you would like to take away from this experience this can be a realization or a simple recognition of a feeling just notice good now take that medicine and bring it with you as you slowly come back to the present moment taking a few deep breaths in letting the breath wake up your body slowly wiggling your fingers and your toes and whenever you're ready crack open your eyes and bring this energy into your day thank you
