Loving Kindness Meditation
May I (you) be filled with loving kindness
May I (you) be well
May I (you) be peaceful and at ease
May I (you) be happy
The Loving kindness meditation, is a foundational practice that is found within the mindfulness tradition. It is a beautiful practice for awakening, and cultivating the energy of love, compassion, kindness and understanding for yourself and others.
It is a way to develop a loving relationship with yourself, and others. and a tool to lean on when needing support and care.
As you practice this meditation more and more, allow the energy and feeling of the practice to guide you and make it your own. It is something you can do as often as you like, depending on what you are needing.
Please click the audio recording below for a short guided practice to get you started. Keep reading below for guidelines for the full practice, benefits and tips for building your own practice.
Benefits of a regular Loving kindness meditation practice:
fosters compassion and understanding for ourselves
develops compassion and understanding for others
can provide support when working with difficult emotions towards ourselves and others
the act of giving and receiving cultivates a sense of inter-connectedness with all beings
when we bring our attention to the space of the heart, it helps to calm and slow the breath down, creating ease and fostering feelings of loving awareness.
The Practice:
Take a moment to settle into a comfortable position and to relax your breath.
If it feels supportive, bring one or both hands to rest on the heart centre.
Visualize that you are breathing in and out of the heart centre.
With each breath, allow yourself to soften and relax. Connect with the energy of the heart, allowing feelings of loving kindness and compassion to radiate out from your heart centre.
The words above can be recited out loud or softly within.
Traditionally, you would recite the phrases 2-4 times and then move onto the next round (person).
A few guidelines and suggestions:
The first round is dedicated to yourself.
The second round can be dedicated to someone you love/ is special to you.
The third round can be dedicated to someone you may not know but see regularly (someone on your daily walk or commute, in the grocery store or bank)
The fourth round can be to someone you may be having difficulty with.
The fifth round can be to all beings.
Make this practice your own. You can go through all of the steps, or just one or two as you feel into the energy of the meditation and what feels most supportive for you.
