Metta and Mindfulness of Breath Meditation

A 60 minute practice that starts with a metta meditation, followed by guided mindfulness of breath and ending with steps for leaving meditation.

Transcript

Start with thoughts of goodwill for yourself.

Tell yourself,

May I be happy?

May I learn to be truly happy?

Because happiness is something you learn.

It comes from causes.

You need to know what those causes are and be able to act on them.

The causes come from within,

Which is why your true happiness doesn't conflict with anyone else's true happiness.

So that your wish for true happiness is not a selfish wish.

Then spread thoughts of goodwill to others.

Start with people who are close to your heart,

Family,

Or very close friends.

May they learn to be truly happy,

Too.

Then spread those thoughts out in ever-widening circles to people you know and like,

Even though you don't know them so well.

To people you're more neutral about,

And to people you don't like.

Remind yourself that the world would be a much better place if everyone could learn how to find true happiness within.

Spread thoughts of goodwill to people who have harmed you in the past.

May they learn to be truly happy.

Spread thoughts of goodwill to people you have harmed in the past.

May they learn to be truly happy,

Too.

Spread thoughts of goodwill to people you don't even know.

And not just people,

Living beings of all kinds.

May we all find true happiness in our hearts.

Focus your attention on the breath.

Take a couple of good long deep in-and-out breaths.

Notice where you feel the breathing process.

Is it comfortable?

If it is,

Keep on breathing in this way.

If it's not,

You can change.

You can try longer breathing still,

Or shorter breathing.

Or in long and out short,

In short and out long.

Try deeper breathing or more shallow breathing.

Heavier breathing or lighter,

Faster breathing or slower.

Try to see what rhythm and texture of breathing feels best for the body right now.

You can either consciously experiment with different kinds of breathing or just pose the question in the mind with each breath.

What breath would feel especially good,

Especially gratifying this time?

And see how the body responds.

If your thoughts wander off,

Bring them back to the breath.

If they wander off again,

Bring them back again.

Ten times,

A hundred times,

Just keep coming back to the breath.

Each time you return,

Reward yourself with an especially refreshing,

Gratifying,

Energizing,

Relaxing breath,

Whatever would feel really good.

Just remind you that this is where you want to be.

If there are any pains in the body,

You don't have to pay them any attention.

Think of the breath going through the pains.

After all,

The breath energy was there first.

The pain came later.

Focus on the areas where the breath does feel good.

Here,

Of course,

We're thinking of the breath not just as air coming in and out of the lungs,

But the flow of energy throughout the body.

It animates the nerves,

The muscles,

Goes through the blood vessels.

Each time you breathe in,

Each time you breathe out.

Once you breathe in,

You get the deep movements.

Once you've found a rhythm and texture,

The breathing that does feel good,

The next step is to be aware of the whole body as you breathe in and the whole body as you breathe out.

And a good way to build up to that is to go through the body section by section.

Start down around the navel.

Focus on that part of the body.

Watch it for a while as you breathe in and as you breathe out.

Notice how it feels.

If there are any patterns of tension,

Think of them relaxing.

Any sense of blockage in that part of the body,

Think of it dissolving away so that no tension builds up as you breathe in,

And you're not holding onto any tension as you breathe out.

If you want,

You can think of breath energy coming in and out of the body right there at the navel so you don't have to push or pull it from any other part of the body.

Health.

You'll move your attention over to the lower right-hand corner of the abdomen and follow the same three steps there.

In other words,

One,

Locate that part of the body in your awareness.

Two,

Watch it for a while as you breathe in and breathe out.

And three,

If you notice any patterns of tension or tightness in that part of the body,

Allow them to dissolve away,

All the way through the in-breath and all the way through the out.

Then move your attention over to the lower left-hand corner of the abdomen and follow the same three steps there.

Now move your attention up to the solar plexus,

The area in front of the stomach,

And follow the same steps there.

Now move your attention up to the solar plexus,

The area in front of the stomach,

And follow the same steps there.

Now move your attention up to the solar plexus,

The area in front of the stomach,

And follow the same steps there.

Now move your attention over to the right,

To the right flank.

And then to the left,

To the left flank.

And then to the right,

To the left flank.

Then bring your attention to the middle of the chest,

Including the whole area around the heart.

And then to the left flank.

And then to the right flank.

Then move your attention to the right,

To the spot where the chest and the shoulder meet.

And then to the same spot on the left.

Now bring your attention to the base of the throat.

And then to the right flank.

And then to the left flank.

Then bring your attention to the middle of the head.

Try to be very gentle as you focus here.

Think of the breath energy coming in and out not only through the nose,

But also through the eyes,

In through the ears,

In from the back of the head,

Down from the top of the head.

Very gently working through any patterns of tension you may feel around the eyes,

And the jaws,

And the forehead,

And dissolving them away.

And then to the right flank.

And then to the left flank.

Now bring your attention to the back of the neck.

As you breathe in,

Think of the breath energy coming in there,

And then going down the shoulders,

Through the arms,

Out to the hands,

Out to the fingers.

And then as you breathe out,

Think of it radiating out into the air.

As you sensitize yourself to the arms and the shoulders,

Try to notice which side is holding more tension,

The left shoulder or the right shoulder?

Left upper arm,

Right upper arm,

Lower arm,

Wrists,

Hands,

Fingers.

Whichever side seems to be more tense,

Consciously relax it and keep it relaxed all the way through the in-breath,

All the way through the out.

Now keeping your attention focused on the back of the neck,

This time think of the energy coming in there and going down the spine,

Down to the tailbone.

And then as you breathe out,

Think of it radiating out into the air.

And as you sensitize yourself to the area around the spine,

Try to notice which side is carrying more tension?

In the upper back,

Middle back,

Lower back,

Around the tailbone.

Then consciously relax those areas and try to keep them relaxed all the way through the in-breath,

All the way through the out.

And then as you breathe out,

Think of it radiating out into the air.

And as you breathe in,

Think of it radiating out into the air.

And move the focus of your attention down to the tailbone.

And as you breathe in,

Think of the breath energy coming in there and going down through the pelvis,

Through the legs,

Past the knees,

Ankles,

Out to the feet and the toes.

And then as you breathe out,

Think of it radiating into the air.

And again,

Try to notice which side is holding more tension?

In the pelvis,

Legs,

Knees,

Ankles,

Feet.

Consciously relax those areas of tension and then keep them relaxed all the way through the in-breath,

All the way through the out.

And as you breathe in,

Think of it radiating out into the air.

And that completes one cycle through the body.

If you want,

You can start at the navel and go through the body again.

Picking up any patterns of tension,

You may have missed the first tamaran.

Keep this up until you're ready to settle down.

Then choose any one spot where it feels most congenial to keep your mind centered.

Allow your focus to settle there.

And then from that spot,

Think of your awareness spreading out to fill the whole body.

So you're aware of the whole body breathing in and the whole body breathing out.

Your awareness will have a tendency to shrink,

So you have to keep reminding yourself each time you breathe in,

Whole body.

Each time you breathe out,

Whole body,

All the way through the breath,

Both in and out.

If you find your awareness blurring out,

Then return to the survey of the different parts.

Otherwise,

Just stay right here,

Maintaining this centered but full-body awareness.

There's nothing else you have to attend to right now.

This kind of awareness is healing both for the body and for the mind,

And it forms an excellent foundation for insight to arise.

This is going to be a lot of energy,

And it's going to help you listen well.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Before you leave meditation,

Remind yourself that there are three steps to leaving well.

The first is to think of whatever sense of peace or well-being you've felt for the past session and dedicate it to others,

Either specific people you know or are suffering right now,

Or all living beings in all directions,

Or companions in birth,

Aging,

Illness,

And death.

May we all find peace and well-being in our hearts.

The next step is to reflect back on how the meditation went for this past session.

When was the mind especially well-centered,

When was the mind well-informed,

When was the mind well-informed,

When was the mind well-informed,

When was the mind well-informed,

When was the mind well-informed,

When was the mind well-informed,

When was the mind well-informed,

When was the mind well-informed,

When was the mind well-informed,

When was the mind well-centered,

When was the mind well-informed,

When was the mind well-informed,

Make a middle note of that and try to reproduce the same feeling the next time around.

Focus the same place,

Breathe in the same way,

And see if it helps the mind to settle down more quickly.

It may work,

Or it may not.

If it doesn't,

It's a sign you have to be more observant the next time around to get a better and better sense of what the settled mind is like and what it likes.

This is how the meditation becomes a skill.

The final step is to remind yourself that even though you open your eyes and re-engage in the visual world,

The breath is still coming in and going out.

The breath energy is still flowing through the different parts of the body.

Don't let that awareness get squeezed out by your sensations of the outside world.

Try to maintain the sense of the breath energy encompassing the world in which you're engaged.

This way you don't really leave the meditation.

You experience the rest of the world in the context of your meditation.

That makes it easier to get in touch with the breath the next time you settle down and give it your full attention.

Reviews

This is a powerful, full session of Metta and mindful breathing incorporating awareness of the whole body. Simple but rich.

Nice structure in the beginning, then silent space to practice. I appreciated the balance and simplicity.

It was the Best meditation I have done here! The space to hold silence and practice for real mindfulness was amazing! Thanks so much! At the beginning I felt the voice not so soft as eastern guides, but with time it went so well and fulfilling!

Excellent guided meditation, clear instructions on different ways to use the breath to deepen your ease and concentration.

Calming
Thank you

Love this meditation 🙏

Such a calming and beautiful experience

Absolutely experiential. My longest meditation in my life. And I loved every second of it. The voice of the teacher, his subtle breathing , the birds, the crows.
My body, my breathing, my focus, the centers of energy in my body as they opened up.

Enjoyable & instructive, great tranquil live birdsong too!

I appreciated how it opens with metta and closes with a memory exercise. The natural sounds in the background are particularly soothing as well. I sometimes found it difficult to feel breath moving in from places where it wasnt actually coming from - so I transitioned to allowing the energy of breath to come from where I felt it coming from (the nostrils, lungs) and moving to the different areas suggested in the body scan. I like this meditation and will definitely come back to it again.

Excellent guided meditation.

🙏 not only a Meditation. For me a meditation compendium.🙏🙏🙏

That was so relaxing, thank you!

A true blessing as always.

The session started with instructions for self-compassion, compassion for others, and switch to breathing and body scanning. There is a long silent for about 30-40 min with soft background bird chirping (probably recorded early in the morning). It ended with sharing merits and remembering the experience to encourage for further practice, engaging the practice to daily life for mindfulness. Very helpful for beginner to build foundation for gaining insight for Vipassana practice.

Very helpful guidance and tips. Thank you!

How fortunate we are to have such wonderful and generous teachers offering freely wisdom and guidance. Thank you.

Enjoyed the silent part a lot. Thank you!

Delightful. Thoughtful instruction, lovely body awareness and I loved the sounds of the birds during the unguided moments. Thank you.

Very thorough. 30ish minutes of exceptional clear guidance beginning with short metta/lovingfriendliness, then mindfulness of breath, ending with majority of time doing body scan. Followed by 30ish silent minutes (except for lovely birds chirping in background) Skillfully closed with dedication of merit and reflection on the sit. No sounding of bells etc.