Welcome to the Metta Meditation today.
I invite you to close your eyes and take a seat with your spine tall and upright,
Or laying down if that's more comfortable for your body today.
Now I invite you to notice where your breath is at.
Maybe it's deep,
Maybe it's shallow.
Just noticing as it is as you arrive in this moment.
Right here,
Right now.
Now send your focus and attention to your belly,
Taking deep belly breaths.
Noticing how the abdomen expands with each breath.
Today during this meditation,
We will be practicing Metta,
Which is loving kindness.
This is an exercise to practice your muscles of care and compassion.
Practice using them and exercising them.
Just as you go to the gym to lift weights,
You come to your mind to practice care and compassion,
Learning to include those who are sometimes outside of your realm of care and compassion.
This may be yourself too.
There's a practice in Metta in which you give yourself loving kindness and compassion.
If this is challenging for you,
That's normal.
Many people experience disconnect from the self,
Where they feel guilty for sending them self love.
Just notice what comes up and be kind to yourself,
Even if it feels hard.
It feels uncomfortable or challenging or confusing.
We'll begin this practice with the bell.
So taking a few more deep belly breaths just arriving here in this moment today.
Right now.
Now focusing on your heart space,
The center of your chest,
Noticing if there are any strong sensations,
Or mild or medium.
Noticing what is in your body alive today in this moment.
Maybe it's warm,
Fuzzy.
Maybe it's a buzzing sensation or light.
You may cultivate a positive sensation if one does not arise automatically.
You can visualize a warm glowing light coming from your chest,
As if it is a flashlight,
Or maybe the light is golden.
Now taking this light.
This warm feeling sensation in the chest,
Using it as an anchor for this practice.
As we will be wishing others and ourselves well.
We will be returning back to this sensation and noticing if we are wishing this with our mind and our words,
Or for also including our body.
If we're feeling this wish in our heart as well.
Again,
This is an exercise.
And it takes practice so be gentle with yourself.
Be gentle.
Now we will begin the first phrase.
You're going to repeat this phrase in your head.
Repeat after me,
And then keep going,
As I give a little bit of space after the phrase.
First you're going to think of a person who it's easy to feel love for.
Love is free flowing in your life.
Maybe you even smile when you think of them.
Maybe you have their image in your mind.
This could be your mother or father who gave you life.
This could be a good friend.
Visualizing this person.
Say to them,
In your mind and in your heart.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be peaceful.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be peaceful.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be peaceful.
Noticing how your body feels now.
How pleasant sensations in your chest have increased,
Or maybe as you return back to the chest,
You notice you need to cultivate a positive feeling again.
Just noticing.
Next you will shift your focus to you.
The one in this body thinking these thoughts.
Say to yourself in your head.
May I be well.
May I be happy.
May I be peaceful.
May I be well.
May I be happy.
May I be peaceful.
May I be well.
May I be happy.
May I be peaceful.
May I be well.
May I be happy.
May I be peaceful.
Returning again to your chest,
Taking a quick account,
Notice what's there.
Now shifting your focus to a third person.
This can be a neutral person.
Someone who you maybe don't have a lot of positive feelings for,
Or a lot of negative feelings for.
You may not even know their name.
Maybe someone you ran into at the grocery store,
Or passed on the street.
Maybe visualizing their face.
Cultivating these positive feelings and well wishes for this person.
Saying to them,
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be peaceful.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be peaceful.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be peaceful.
And returning back to the body,
The awareness on the chest and the heart.
Now shifting your focus to a fourth person.
This we can think of as a negative person,
Or a difficult person.
I'd like to add this is a slightly difficult person.
As you're developing and learning this practice,
It can be helpful to choose someone where there's a little bit of challenge there.
Maybe you feel a little locked in in some way.
Maybe you're not picking someone where there's trauma there,
Or someone that is the most difficult person in your life.
Maybe just someone,
There's a little challenge that doesn't feel free flowing,
Easy positive feelings.
And realizing this person or thinking their name.
Say to them,
Just as I wish to be happy.
And I deserve to be happy.
So do you too.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be peaceful.
May you be well,
May you be happy.
May you be peaceful.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be peaceful.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be peaceful.
Imagine shifting your focus to include a group of people.
You can include all those who have been mentioned.
Now is the time to add a few of those in your heart who have not been mentioned or included yet.
Imagine you're saying this to all of those people at once,
Including yourself.
Say,
May we be well.
May we be happy.
May we be peaceful.
May we be well.
May we be happy.
May we be peaceful.
May we be well.
May we be happy.
May we be peaceful.
And returning to your body to your heart space with attention,
Noticing what is there.
And saying one more time,
May we be well.
May we be happy.
May we be peaceful.
Thank you.
