Hello and welcome to a Metta meditation.
Metta is the practice of loving kindness.
And this practice will invite you to bring into your mind's eye and offer prayers to those around you,
From someone who you love,
All the way to yourself,
And eventually to all beings.
To begin,
I invite you to find your physical body in a place that is both steady and sweet.
And you might find your way into a seat,
Whether that is on the earth,
Perhaps in a chair.
You might also choose to find your way onto the earth,
Whether you are on your back or perhaps your front body.
And so as you do begin to land,
Allow yourself to do just that,
Land.
Invite your eyelids to blink close,
Able to invite transition,
Seeing into feeling,
Your doing,
Now into your being.
And for these first few moments,
To allow your awareness to settle inward.
Perhaps you begin to sense the sensations of your physical body.
Perhaps you sense the sensations that your breath brings into your physical body.
And even to note the state of your mind.
And if you wish,
You might even allow your next few exhalations to be a sigh out your mouth,
Noticing the stale,
The stagnant,
Whether it be breath,
Perhaps even thought,
To invite clarity,
Luminosity.
And so in your mind's eye,
Begin to bring about the image of a loved one.
It might be a partner,
A spouse,
A family member,
Your beloved.
And allow your senses to begin to take over,
To see this being,
To experience their essence fully,
Wholly and completely.
And as you hold the image of your beloved in the center of your mind,
To offer these words,
I receive you in the center of my heart.
May you be healed at the deepest level.
May you be free of suffering.
May you be healthy.
May you be happy.
May you know peace.
And allow this image of your loved one to begin to drift off to the side,
Still very much a part of your experience.
To then bring into the center of your mind's eye someone who is neutral,
Perhaps an acquaintance,
A co-worker,
Perhaps it is your favorite barista.
And again,
To let your senses take over,
To see them,
To experience their essence,
And to offer them these words,
I receive you in the center of my heart.
May you be healed at the deepest level.
May you be free of suffering.
May you be healthy.
May you be happy.
May you know peace.
To invite the image of your acquaintance to begin to drift off to the side,
Again,
A very part of your experience.
And to draw into the center of your mind's eye someone now who puts you on your edge.
Someone when you see them,
Perhaps even hear their voice,
There is agitation.
And can you allow your senses to take over,
To see them,
To experience their essence,
And to offer them these words,
I receive you in the center of my heart.
May you be healed at the deepest level.
May you be free of suffering.
May you be healthy.
May you be happy.
May you know peace.
And to allow the image of the one who puts you on your edge to now drift off to the side,
Still a part of your experience.
And to bring now into the center of your mind's eye the image of you.
Let your senses once again take over to see your face,
To see into your eyes,
To experience your essence,
Your soul,
And to offer yourself these words,
I receive you in the center of my heart.
May you be healed at the deepest level.
May you be free of suffering.
May you be healthy.
May you be happy.
May you know peace.
And to now gather all of the images into your mind's eye,
Yourself,
The being who puts you on your edge,
The being that is neutral,
And the one who is your beloved.
To take them all in.
And can you now expand your awareness to take all beings,
To welcome in all beings,
And to offer the same words,
I receive all in the center of my heart.
May all be healed at the deepest level.
May all be free of suffering.
May all be healthy.
May all be happy.
May all know peace.
And as you settle into this space of restful awareness,
Perhaps to sense the interconnectedness of these divine sparks,
This divine matrix,
Begin to sense your breath,
This thread of life and light.
And perhaps it is your breath that begins to enliven this divine matrix.
May all beings everywhere be happy and free.
And may the thoughts,
Words,
And actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all.
May it be so.
It must be so.
And once again,
Sense your breath.
To watch,
To feel your inhalation pass into your exhalation.
Your inspiration followed by your expiration and emptiness that gives way into fullness.
And if it serves you,
Now invite movement into your physical being to reawaken.
Perhaps to then gather yourself,
Gather your hands into your heart space.
Whether you take on the Anjali Mudra,
The Prayer Mudra,
Perhaps you stack your hands.
Continue to sense your breath move in and out.
Coupled with the beat of your heart attuning to this place within that is your aliveness,
Your vitality,
The seat of your essence.
The space within that is infinite,
Immortal,
And whole.
Exhale,
Let go with a sigh.
Hari Om Shanti,
Shanti,
Shanti.
Peace,
Peace,
Eternal peace.
Namaste.
Jai Bhagwan.
