Loving Kindness Meditation

Loving-kindness meditation: The original name of this practice is 'Metta Bhavana," which comes from the Pali language. Metta means love, friendliness, or kindness: hence ‘loving-kindness’ for short. It is an emotion, something you feel in your heart. Bhavana means development or cultivation. Loving-kindness meditation is free from any expectations or bindings. With love and kindness meditation comes self-compassion, increased focus and attention, and a deep sense of self.

Transcript

Loving kindness meditation. Take a few moments now to become settled in a warm and comfortable place where you can be by yourself for a while relaxed and uninterrupted. Take a posture that for you embodies a sense of dignity and wakefulness. If you're sitting allow the spine to be tall, Strong and the shoulders relaxed and the chest open and your neck long with your chin balanced towards the floor. Focus on the breath and then expand attention to the whole body for a few minutes until you feel anchored in your body and settled in your mind. When the mind wanders acknowledge where it went remembering that you have a choice now either to kindly escort it back to whatever you had intended to focus on or instead to allow your attention to drop into the body to explore where you are experiencing the concern or distraction. Feel free to use any previous meditations as part of your preparation for this meditation. When you're ready allow some or all of these phrases that we're about to recite to come to mind changing the words if you choose so they can connect to you in a personal way so it becomes your own gateway into a deep sense of friendliness and kindness towards yourself. The phrases are may I be free from suffering may I be as happy and healthy as it is possible for me to be may I have ease of being repeating may I be free from suffering may I be as happy and healthy as it is possible for me to be may I have ease of being repeating once more may I be free from suffering may I be as happy and healthy as it is possible for me to be may I have ease of being taking your time now and imagine that each phrase is a pebble dropped down deep into a well you're dropping each one in turn then listening to any reaction in your thoughts feelings bodily sensations or impulses to act there's no need to judge what arises this is for you to observe to listen if you find it difficult to bring forth any sense of friendship towards yourself perhaps try bringing to mind a person or even a pet who either in the past or present has loved you unconditionally once you have a clear sense of their love for you see if you can return to offering this love to yourself may I be free from suffering may I be happy and healthy may I have ease of being may I be free from suffering may I be happy and healthy may I have ease of being may I be free from suffering may I be happy and healthy may I have ease of being remain here for as long as you wish before moving to the next when you're ready I invite you to bring to mind a loved one sense them feel them you may even envision them before you and in the same way using he she or they as you prefer repeating the phrases may he she or they be free from suffering may they be as happy and healthy as it is possible for them to be may they have ease of being may they be free from suffering may they be as happy and healthy as it's possible for them to be may they have ease of being may they be free from suffering may they be as happy and healthy as it is possible for them to be may they have ease of being once again see what arises in mind and body as you hold this person in mind and heart wishing them well once again allow responses to come as they do take your time pause between phrases listening attentively breathing when you're ready to move on choose perhaps a stranger someone that you might see at the local store you may not know their name but you can get a sense of them this may be someone you see regularly or perhaps someone that you see on the bus or at your local cafe someone that you recognize but not know the name of someone you feel quite neutral about recognize that although you do not know them they probably also have a life full of hopes and fears as you have they too wish to be happy as you do so keeping them in heart and mind repeat the phrases and wish them well may they be free from suffering may they be as happy and healthy as it is possible for them to be may they have ease of being may they be free from suffering may they be as happy and healthy as it is possible for them to be may they have ease of being may they be free from suffering may they be as happy and as healthy as it is possible for them to be may they have ease of being notice what arises let it be as it is now if you wish to extend this meditation further you might wish to bring to mind someone whom you find difficult perhaps in the past or in the present and this does not have to be the most difficult person in your life but whoever you choose now intentionally allow them to be in your heart and mind acknowledging that they too may wish or have wished to be happy and to be free from suffering repeat these phrases holding them in your vision or a sense of them in your heart and mind may he or she be free from suffering may he or she be happy and healthy may he or she have ease of being pausing and listening noticing sensations in the body as we repeat this twice more I'll pause where you will add their name may be free from suffering may be happy and healthy may have ease of being may be free from suffering may be happy and healthy may have ease of being may be free from suffering may be happy and healthy may have ease of being see if it's possible to explore these feelings without censoring them or judging yourself remember that effect anytime you feel overwhelmed and drawn away by intense feelings or thoughts you can always come back to the breath in the body to anchor yourself back in to the present moment treating yourself with loving kindness and finally extend loving kindness to all beings including your loved ones and strangers and those whom you find difficult the intention here is to extend love and friendship to all living beings on the planet and remembering that all living beings including you feeling the presence of your heart and mind with the intention to share loving kindness as we repeat these phrases may all beings be free from suffering may all beings be happy and healthy may all of us have ease of being may all beings be free from suffering may all beings be happy and healthy may all of us have ease of being may all beings be free from suffering may all beings be happy and healthy may all of us have ease of being may all beings be free from suffering may all beings be happy and healthy may all of us have ease of being take time to sit with the breath and body resting in clear awareness of the present moment whatever your experience of this practice acknowledge your own courage in taking the time to nourish yourself in this way with loving kindness