There are many different types of meditation, one of them is loving-kindness meditation. Together we are going to learn all you need to know about this precious amazing practice, why it is so beneficial and how to practice it. Let’s get started.
What is meditation for loving-kindness meditation?
Metta Bhavana, known also as loving-kindness meditation, is a meditation technique all about compassion, respect and acknowledging those around us. Its foundation and message is linked to the Buddhist tradition, who has always a huge focus on these topics and it’s all about loving-kindness feelings, practices and actions.
Unlike other meditation practices such as mindfulness, loving-kindness meditation uses visualization to invoke feelings of love, compassion, and kindness.
What are the benefits of loving-kindness meditation?
Thanks to loving-kindness meditation you can have amazing benefits linked to your relationships with the others starting from becoming more aware of our place and presence in the world and knowing we are not alone but we are part of a unique wonderful bigger plan made up of many living things and creatures around us.
Loving-kindness meditation is a little journey within where, after a few moments to find your center and your commitment to the present moment, you are ready to spread this acknowledgment to our surrounding, to the world. Especially today where we live in a society built on competition and where the others are seen as enemies most of the times, we often live like island forgetting about the sense of community and universality that should make us feel all connected and part of the Universe, as one.
How to do loving-kindness meditation
Loving-kindness meditation
This 10 minute loving-kindness meditation will help you evoke feelings of compassion and love.
Find more practices like this one in our free guided meditation app Declutter The Mind.
Loving-kindness meditation is not so difficult to practice but at first it could sound a bit overwhelming. Take some time, don’t force yourself to commit to the practice but try to meditate when you feel you need it, when you feel is the right time to reconnect with yourself to a deeper brand new level. Let’s see now the steps to practice loving-kindness meditation.
- Find yourself in a comfortable seated position of your choice. It could be a crossed legged position, you can sit on a chair or on your sofa. Do what feels good.
- Spend a few times to focus on your breath…inhaling into the nose and exhaling out from your mouth with a sigh…
- Feel the air coming inside your lungs and going out…feel this rhythm and feel you are safe enough to let it go
- Leave everything behind…what happened before…what is going to happen next…it’s just you and you are safe…
- When you feel you got this and you are ready to take a few more steps start with some easy affirmation like
May I be ready to get rid of what stressed me, what scared me, what made me feel low and sad
May I be free from previous actions, previous mistakes and previous sufferings
May I find my happiness
May I be free from any pain, both physical and emotional
May I be the healthier stronger version of myself
May I live my life in this world with intention, happiness and joy
Now you are ready to take a few more steps adding some people from your life to your meditation in order to extend the sense of kindness from you towards them. Visualize someone you love, someone who’s important to you, someone special, someone in your life who deserves to be happy and repeat.
“May he / she be ready to get rid of…”. and so on…repeating the previous affirmations you used for yourself for him/her
You can now feel a wave of love, of kindness and of union towards this person now turn your attention to someone who is not that big deal to you, someone who doesn’t awaken any strong feeling, someone who is part of your life but with no strings attached.
Visualize this person and use those affirmation towards him/her as well. This is an important part as it’s going to prepare yourself to the crucial part. Visualizing someone you have a complicated relationship too.
This is someone who might raise hostility or resentment in you in the past. It might be tricky but try to spread the sense of loving-kindness towards this person as a part of a healing process you need to live your life in a deeper better way. Say out loud those affirmations starting with something encouraging you to spread positivity, forgiveness and kindness towards this person like:
“To the best of my ability, I wish he / she could …”.
This part could require some more effort but take your time to do so. Don’t freak out if you lose your focus and your control or if anger takes over. Instead, take a deep breath into the nose, smile, and exhale out of your mouth with a sigh and try it again.
When you made it you can finally spread the feeling of loving-kindness towards the entire world and its creatures.. to all human beings with a powerful affirmations like:
Be all safe, happy, healthy and live with pure joy
May all living things and being be happy and free.
To assist you, you can use our meditation timer.
Alternatively, Metta meditation is easier to learn using a guided meditation, which you can follow below.
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