2.

Loving-kindness meditation, sometimes called "Metta" meditation, is a form of meditation that focuses on cultivating feelings of love, compassion, and kindness towards oneself and others.  This leads us to understand that unconditional love is our natural state and will allow us to see the trivial dramas of everyday life objectively, as they really are.

 

The practice involves sitting in a comfortable and relaxed position with eyes closed, while generating feelings of love and compassion by repeating phrases of well-wishes and kindness to oneself and others.  These phrases may include "May I be happy," "May I be healthy," "May I be free from suffering," "May my loved ones be at peace," and "May all beings be happy and free".

 

In this session, I will have you choose a phrase to repeat mentally, that’s easy for you to generate feelings of love and compassion from.  Then start directing the feeling of loving-kindness to yourself or a “spiritual friend” (if you have any difficulty starting with yourself).  Then gradually expand the feeling of loving-kindness to include loved ones (or yourself), acquaintances, strangers, and eventually to all beings (even your “enemies”).  This can be a powerful tool for developing empathy, compassion, and help aid you in forgiving yourself for any mistakes you’ve made and forgiving others for any wrong they might’ve done to you.

 

Loving-kindness meditation can have a host of benefits, including reducing feelings of depression, anxiety, and anger, increasing positive emotions, improving social connections, and even boosting the immune system.  However, it’s important that to know that loving-kindness meditation is mostly a tool for awakening.  It’s also a very practical and effective way to integrate your insights into your daily life.  There are teachers who use loving-kindness meditation as an insight practice technique to reach the different stages of awakening, although I don’t have any direct experience with this so I don’t teach it in this way at this time.