The practice of metta,
Or loving kindness,
Involves sending kind,
Caring wishes to different categories of beings.
Yourself,
Someone who's easy,
A neutral being,
Difficult being,
And all beings.
Sometimes the person we choose as the difficult person for this kind of meditation is someone we love very much.
Maybe they're going through a hard time,
And that's what this meditation is designed for.
I'm going to offer metta phrases for yourself and for the difficult loved one.
So begin by taking some deep,
Calming breaths.
Deep breath in through the nose,
And a long breath out.
And releasing whatever physical,
Mental,
And emotional tension you can on the out-breath.
Allowing your breath to be natural,
And grounding by sensing where your body is supported by the earth.
It may be your feet,
Or your seat,
Or your whole backside if you're lying down.
Feeling that plane of contact,
And breathing.
And we'll begin with the metta phrases for yourself.
If there are any phrases that really do resonate with you,
You might want to jot down one or two.
And if any phrases really don't work for you,
Then just staying with ones that do,
Or creating your own,
I really encourage you to create your own.
May I be kind to myself.
May my pain and sorrow be eased.
May I meet this with tenderness.
May my spirit be strong.
May I be held by love.
May I hold myself to my heart.
May I love myself with respect and care.
May I be free from fear and worry.
May I remember what matters most.
May I be free from mental distress.
May I open to the conditions of my life with equanimity.
May I know I am supported even when I feel alone.
May my heart be peaceful.
May I stand through life as firm as a rock in the sea,
Undisturbed and unmoved by its ever-rising waves.
May I allow others to have their own journey.
May I be open and balanced and peaceful.
May my sorrow be eased.
May I hold myself in great compassion.
May I be undisturbed by the coming and going of events.
When it's time to speak,
May I find the right words.
May I have courage to do what's most beneficial.
May I grow through what I go through.
May I overcome whatever is holding me back.
May my heart be as soft as wax to sympathize with others and as hard as a rock to bear the hard knocks of the world.
When I don't know how to be with this,
May I be gentle with myself and open to love and support from others.
May I accept things as they are.
May I remember that I do not know another person's path or purpose or what they need to experience.
May I find balance,
Equanimity,
And peace amidst it all.
May I sense that all is well in the grand scheme of things.
And as we move on to metaphrases for a difficult person,
Who you love,
If it feels like you're alone,
If it feels like too much and you need to ease off,
You could go back into sending loving kindness to yourself with some of the phrases that resonated,
Or you can make up your own.
So bringing to mind the image of this being.
You might even see them surrounded by light.
As you send these phrases to them from your heart,
May you enjoy well-being on all levels.
May you sense your worthiness.
May you allow yourself to receive the love that seeks you.
May you find your way out of suffering.
May you grow through what you go through.
May you be guided into alignment with the perfect flow of your life.
May you sense that you belong.
May you hold yourself in great compassion.
May you know you are supported even when you feel alone.
May you have a calm,
Clear mind.
May you be kind to yourself.
May you treat yourself with kindness.
I believe in you.
I trust you will find your way.
May you forgive yourself and others.
May you tap into the love and support that's always flowing to you.
May compassion for yourself be stronger than any negativity you feel toward others.
May your pain and sorrow be eased.
May you be safe and protected.
May you be free from fear and anxiety.
May you be free from mental distress.
May your heart be peaceful.
May you be held by love.
And again,
If there are any phrases that particularly resonate,
Or if any phrases arose that felt right,
You might write them down.
And when you worry about this person,
That can be a cue to send them loving kindness.
And taking a deep breath in and a long breath out.
And then blinking your eyes open and resting in loving kindness.
