Hello,
My name is Courtney,
Also known as Self-Care Creature,
And right now we're going to move through a Metta meditation practice.
For more information about Metta,
Feel free to look to the description of this meditation.
This will be a shorter Metta practice where we will be moving through each phase for about two minutes.
Feel free to find a comfortable seat,
Find any little wiggles that you need to begin your practice.
Get those wiggles out,
Sitting up nice and tall through the spine,
Feeling into your sits bones,
Taking a couple of grounding breaths here.
It's possible with an exhale,
Allowing the belly to sink in towards the spine,
And with every inhale,
Relaxing and expanding through the belly,
Beginning to release the jaw and the tongue as you breathe here.
Taking a couple of sighs can be very nourishing for the nervous system.
In the practice of Metta,
We begin with ourselves.
Offering love outward is easier when we know how to offer it inward.
With sincerity,
I invite you to place a hand over your own heart,
Or just noticing the sensation of hands in your lap,
And repeat the following phrases.
May I be happy.
May I be well.
May I be safe.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
Breathing here and repeating this to yourself several times for the next minute and a half or so.
May I be happy.
May I be well.
May I be and feel safe in my body and my life.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
May I be happy.
May I be well.
May I be safe.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
Next,
I want to invite you to bring to mind someone who has deeply cared for you in your life.
A person whose presence in your life fills you with gratitude.
Let their face come to mind and direct the same warmth towards them over the next two minutes.
Maybe envision holding their hand as you gently say,
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you be safe.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
Breathing into any sensation or emotion that naturally may arise with this practice.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you be safe.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
Breathing here,
Repeating to yourself a couple times.
Holding their presence close one last time.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you be safe.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
Taking a couple more breaths right here.
Breathing into their presence and gently releasing that as we move on to thinking of someone more neutral.
Perhaps a barista,
A neighbor,
A passerby on the street.
This stage reminds us how quickly we categorize people as significant or insignificant,
But in truth we are all connected.
Offer this neutral someone loving kindness over the next two minutes.
See them in your mind's eye and say to them,
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you be safe.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you be safe.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
Breathing here,
Taking a few silent moments with yourself and these phrases.
Still holding in mind this neutral someone last time.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you be safe.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
Taking another breath here as we bring to mind someone with whom we have difficulty,
With someone with whom you have difficulty.
This is where Metta becomes both a challenge as well as a liberation.
Sending goodwill to those who have hurt or frustrated us is not about condoning their actions,
It's about freeing ourselves from resentment.
Even if resistance arises,
See if you can soften into the phrases over the next two minutes as you bring someone with whom you have difficulty to mind.
Take a nice deep breath,
Turn towards them gently in your mind's eye and say,
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you be safe.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
Again,
Breathing into any emotion,
Sensation in the body that naturally arises through this.
And if turning towards this person is challenging,
However you need to direct it towards them,
Even if it's turning away from them,
Can you still say,
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you be safe.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
Breathe with yourself,
Repeating the phrases one more time,
Silently towards this person.
Or aloud,
Of course,
If you feel calm.
Take one more slow,
Full breath with the acknowledgement of this person present.
Exhale,
Letting it go.
And finally,
We will expand this offering outward.
Imagine all beings,
Near and far,
Human and more than human,
Known and unknown,
All beings wrapped in the warmth of loving-kindness,
Repeating this phrase for the next two minutes as we envision the creatures and beings of the world.
May all beings everywhere be happy.
May all beings everywhere be well.
May all beings everywhere be safe.
May all beings everywhere be peaceful and at ease.
Taking another full breath.
May all beings everywhere be happy.
May we all be well.
May all beings everywhere be safe.
May we all be peaceful and at ease.
Silently repeating with yourself for a moment.
And together,
One last time,
May all beings everywhere be happy.
May we all be well and find wellness.
May all beings everywhere find safety and be safe.
May we all be peaceful and at ease.
Taking a couple breaths right here,
Just really deeply acknowledging what we've moved through in this short and potent practice,
Knowing that every little bit counts when it comes to slowing down,
The showing up for yourself,
And trying to create these new neural pathways for understanding and compassion within ourselves that can ripple out into the world.
Thank you for taking this time for slowing down together,
Not just for yourself but for each other,
And I wish you all the best out there.
