Free Yourself With This Simple Ancient Buddhist Meditation
Click here to be taken to the Metta Meditation Video on YouTube.
Metta Meditation is a simple meditation that comes from Buddhist practices. Often translated as “loving kindness”, Metta Meditation embodies a heartfelt desire for wellbeing, both for yourself and for others.
It’s no secret, it’s easy to feel warm and fuzzy feelings for the people we care about. While it’s kind, and it feels good, that’s not where healing happens.
Healing happens when you genuinely desire peace, happiness, and wellbeing for the people and situations you find difficult to love.
It’s easier than you think.
You don’t have to fake that love, force it, imagine it, or pull it out of thin air. All you have to do is be open to the possibility of love for a difficult person or situation. By dropping your gloves, you embrace an intention of Love with a capital L. That’s the sort of Love that the Divine holds for everyone.
Practicing Metta Meditation will remind you of our shared humanity. A tiny spark of Love potential will light and with time, that Love will grow. As the loving-kindness grows, hostility dissolves. Conflicts and chaos are no longer attracted to you. Your mind and your body heal. Pain fades.
As a mother watches over her child,
Willing to risk her own life to protect her only child,
So with a boundless heart, should one cherish all living beings,
Suffusing the whole world with unobstructed loving-kindness.
Standing or walking, sitting or lying down,
During all one’s waking hours
May one remain mindful of this heart, and this way of living
That is the best in the world.— from the Metta Sutta
Now, let’s prepare to practice Metta Meditation.
Settle into a comfortable position. It’s helpful to place a small cushion or folded blanket under your hips, so that your spine can stay straight and erect with little effort.
Take two or three deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. Instead of lengthening your inhalation, lengthen your exhalation. Your inhalation will take care of itself and naturally be deeper.
With each deep exhalation, let go of any worries or preoccupations. Give them permission to step aside for the next few minutes. Have no concern if there’s background noise in your environment. You don’t need perfect circumstances to have a profound experience.
Bring the awareness of your breath down to the center of your chest — in the area of your heart. This is the Sacred Space of Your Heart. This is where the Divine within you resides.
With each breath you create a stronger union with your Divine Self. You remember who you are.
Metta is first practiced toward yourself. It’s not always easy to love one’s self. Often we’ve caused harm to ourselves. The more you can love yourself, the more easily you can love others. Not the clothes you wear, or the car you drive, or the shape of your body, but loving the unique spark of life that is you.
Now I would like you to bring up a picture of yourself at a time when you were happy and free. Maybe it’s a memory of a childhood vacation or a moment you spent in nature. Bring up an image of yourself being peaceful and at ease.
Continue your relaxed and deep breathing while you look at that image of yourself and mentally repeat, slowly and steadily to yourself:
May you be peaceful.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be loved.
Generate a feeling of warm love toward yourself.
May you be peaceful.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be loved.
Shine a light of love on this image of yourself.
May you be peaceful.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be loved.
Now, in your mind’s eye, bring up an image of yourself during a time in your life when you struggled. A time when you did not feel happy or at peace. And mentally repeat:
May you be peaceful.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be loved.
Generate a feeling of warm love toward yourself. Deeply feel the love.
May you be peaceful.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be loved.
Shine a light of love on this image of yourself. Feel its warmth embrace you and your image.
May you be peaceful.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be loved.
Now bring to mind any person with whom you share a special bond. A loved one. A friend. A family member. Someone from your past or from your present.
May you be peaceful.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be loved.
Surround yourselves in an expanding bubble of love.
May you be peaceful.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be loved.
Let the light of love shine upon you both.
May you be peaceful.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be loved.
Now bring to mind someone you don’t know very well. It could be someone you heard about in the news, or an acquaintance. Your feelings about this person are neutral. There’s no need to question who comes to mind. Simply know the thought of that person was divinely guided.
As you think of this person, silently repeat:
May you be peaceful.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be loved.
See this person accepting the loving kindness you are sending.
May you be peaceful.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be loved.
Feel warmth and kindness directed toward this person you barely know.
May you be peaceful.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be loved.
Now, bring to mind a person that you find difficult to love. A person who, in the material world, seems different from you. Perhaps there’s an unresolved conflict. Perhaps that person hurt you or you hurt them.
Here, in this field of safety and love that we’ve created, gaze upon this person with compassion and mentally repeat:
May you be peaceful.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be loved.
Recognize your shared humanity, and that this person wants the same things from life that you want. Like you, they want to feel safe. They want to be loved. They want to be happy.
May you be peaceful.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be loved.
Allow the light of love to purify you both.
May you be peaceful.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be loved.
That’s very good. With your next few breaths, release the people you’ve visualized in this Metta Meditation.
Let yourself continue to feel the warmth of love, peace, happiness, and connection. Allow your heart to spill over with a calm and strong love.
As you breath, imagine that it’s this love that’s entering your lungs. Your red blood cells pick up this love that you’re breathing in, and they deliver it to the furthest reaches of your body.
Every cell of your body is peaceful
Every cell of your body is well.
Every cell of your body is happy.
Every cell of your body is loved.
Continue your slow, deep breathing for a few quiet moments.
It’s time now to remember that you have a body and return to it. Feel the surface below you. Feel the air on your face. Notice the sounds you hear in your environment.
Allow your awareness to slowly return to your rejuvenated mind. We’ll take three more long, deep breaths. One breath at a time, with each breath, like an elevator slowly lifting you, bring your awareness to the space between your eyebrows.
Allow some small movement into your fingers and toes. Lift the corners of your mouth into a gentle smile.
Raise your hands in prayer position to your forehead. On your next exhalation draw your hands to prayer position in front of your chest.
Give thanks for your experience, no matter what it was. Each step is movement along your path.
When you are ready, slowly open your eyes and return to the present.
Go about your day in peace.
Namaste.
If you’re new to meditation, try the Learn To Love MEDITATION — FREE 5 Day Meditation Challenge created by my friends at Happy Jack Yoga.