types of meditation
Earlier this year I decided to learn more about meditation and start a practice. I’ve never done anything formal and actually felt a bit intimidated by it. I had many years where I felt lost in myself and I didn’t like the idea of being lost in myself again.
But I do realize that it was trauma and not a spiritual practice that caused it.
I signed up for a course at Sounds True. They have a lot of good courses and books on mindfulness and meditation there.
I also signed up for a meditation class where I am currently doing my yoga classes. They have a weekly online live meditation class. I loved it but I found I was getting quite anxious and I think it’s because I’m following someone else’s lead and not riding at my pace.
There I heard Teacher talking about metta meditation. And the next day I heard someone mention it again so I googled it and found a great course on Udemy that wasn’t long at all and I blew it in two sessions. After a little exploring, I found that I really liked his version of metta meditation.
What is metta meditation?
Metta meditation, also known as loving-kindness meditation, is a type of Buddhist meditation. Metta is a Pali word that is like Sanskrit and it means positive energy and kindness towards others.
So it’s a practice to make positive statements about yourself and others. But it feels so much more.
What I love about it compared to other types of meditation is that I don’t feel lost in myself, it feels like it’s about my connection to myself, to others, to the universe. It doesn’t feel like a lonely practice, although it is, and I love how connected I feel to my heart as well.
I leave the practice with a good feeling. Which ultimately has a positive effect on my health and inner peace.
Here is how I practice Loving Kindness Meditation
Whether I let someone else guide me or do this practice myself, I still have the same results, I don’t feel rushed by anyone else, and I don’t feel alone.
I played around with a few of the statements to find the ones that felt best to me. Depending on how long you want to do the whole meditation, decide how long you want each round to be, or just go by how you feel about it. And repeat each section over and over again at a tempo that feels good to you.
First round I fall into my heart and say:
I’m sure
i am loved
I’m happy
I am healthy
i am peaceful
(Or you could say “May I be safe,” “May I be loved,” etc. Saying “I am” brings a sense of immediacy to me. Like an affirmation.)
On the next round, choose another person you love or an animal you love and say:
May you be safe
may you be loved
may you be happy
may you be healthy
may you be peaceful
In the next round, focus on someone who is suffering or sick, or on an animal that is suffering, and say:
May you be safe
may you be loved
may you be happy
may you be healthy
may you be peaceful
For the next round, focus on a neutral person, say like the postman or someone you don’t know or vaguely know but have no emotion and say:
May you be safe
may you be loved
may you be happy
may you be healthy
may you be peaceful
In the next round, focus on a difficult person (present or past), don’t start with the most difficult person you know, work towards it over time and say:
May you be safe
may you be loved
may you be happy
may you be healthy
may you be peaceful
In the next round, focus on all beings and say:
May all beings be safe
May all beings be loved
May all living beings be happy
May all beings be healthy
May all beings be peaceful
As you say each phrase in the final round, introduce yourself and emit a color that you think relates to each phrase. For example, you might feel that safety is the color blue, so as you say May all beings be safe, you are sending out the color blue, perhaps imagining it emanating from your heart.
I cried a lot in every round, it really is such a heart-opening exercise.
If you already have a metta meditation practice or would like to try it, let me know how you get on.
Thanks to Kate Strong | #prefer #loving #kindness #metta #meditation #meditations
