The Power of Loving Kindness Meditation
May you be happy
May you be safe
May you be healthy
May you be free
With everything that is happening in our country and in the world right now, it is easy to become overwhelmed. Through various news and social media sources, we are bombarded by images of injustice and suffering. This type of negative overload day in and day out can greatly impact our attitudes and resilience. When I feel myself becoming deeply affected by all of the bad things that are happening, I look to loving kindness meditation to provide a way to calm my mind and send out positive, healing energy to others. This beautiful type of meditation offers us an opportunity to open our hearts to the possibility of unconditional love for ourselves and others.
Loving kindness meditation is a key component of my relaxation training sessions and recordings. This practice, also called metta bhavana, originates from the Buddhist tradition. However, it is truly universal, and can be adapted and practiced by anyone regardless of personal belief or religious affiliation. Practicing loving kindness meditation fosters a sense of kindness and friendliness toward the self and others through extending good wishes and intentions, and opening the heart to a life of love and acceptance. Loving kindness meditation is about cultivating love, peacefulness and compassion—I think we all can agree that the world needs more of all three of these things right now.
One of the great things about loving kindness meditation is that it’s a powerful way to put yourself into a loving, compassionate state of mind in a short period of time. This is something you can practice every day, especially if you are intentional about carving out a bit of time to do it. Find a place that is quiet and comfortable. Sit or lie down and close your eyes. Take several deep breaths and feel your muscles relax with each exhale. As you inhale, imagine a sense of peace and love filling your lungs and spreading throughout your body. Mentally repeat these phrases to yourself several times.
May I be happy
May I be safe
May I be healthy
May I be free
Next, shift your focus to loved ones in your life. Picture their faces in your mind’s eye and repeat:
May you be happy
May you be safe
May you be healthy
May you be free
You can continue to expand your intention to other people you know by picturing them in your mind’s eye one by one and repeating the four phrases. Another powerful, calming thing to do is to imagine these intentions surrounding your home, your neighborhood, your city, your country, etc. If you are in a place where you are working on forgiving someone, you can focus on that person as you repeat the four phrases in your mind.
Another wonderful thing about loving kindness meditation is that you can tailor your experience to best fit your needs for each day. I am giving a small sample here, but there are many different types of loving kindness meditations you can try. As you practice it more and more, you will grow in your understanding of how loving kindness meditation can benefit your own resilience and your relationships with others.
It can be helpful to have someone guide you through the loving kindness meditation process, especially the first few times you do it. This can be done by attending a class, scheduling an individual session, or listening to one of my recordings.
I wish you happiness, safety, resilience, and freedom as explore loving kindness.