One of the first meditations that I ever learned was the Loving Kindness Meditation. That was about twenty years ago and it still remains one of my favorites for so many reasons.
Reasons to Practice The Loving Kindness Meditation
There are many variations of the loving kindness meditation, but they all involve sending kind intentions to both yourself and others. Through meditations such as this one, we can begin to train our mind while focusing on love and kindness for ourselves and others.
It is so important to include both ourselves and others in this meditation. When we have love and compassion for ourselves, we can better offer it to others as well. Conversely, when we show love and compassion to others, we benefit as well because it results in us having more positive feelings. So we are really all connected in this circle of loving kindness! When we give lovingkindness to others, we feel better and when we feel better, we give others more lovingkindness, so it comes full circle. This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Rumi, “When we practice loving kindness and compassion we are the first ones to profit.”
A Guided Loving Kindness Meditation
Guided meditation can be a simple way to stay mindful and focused since someone is walking you through the practice. If you are new to mediation, this is also a great way to get started. Here is a video to guide you through the loving kindness meditation:
How to Practice the Loving Kindness Meditation
Begin this meditation by finding any comfortable position. Close your eyes, notice your breath and focus on taking deep, healthy breaths. As you calm your mind and body, take a moment to thank yourself for taking time for this meditation. Allow yourself to begin to feel more and more relaxed.
- For the first part of our meditation, you will send loving kindness to yourself. Begin by saying the words, “May I be well. May I be happy. May I be peaceful.” Keep repeating these words, either out loud or in your mind, for the next minute. If your mind starts to wander, just bring your attention back to the words of this meditation.
- Next, think of someone that you love. Picture that person clearly in your mind and repeat the words, “May you be well. May you be happy. May you be peaceful.” Continue to picture this person and repeat the words of this meditation for the next minute. If you find you are beginning to repeat these words mindlessly, just re-focus on the person that you love as you repeat these words and take your time to say or think each word.
- Now, think of someone you don’t know very well, such as a neighbor or co-worker. Picture this person as you either think or say, “May you be well. May you be happy. May you be peaceful.” Continue to repeat these words for the next minute as you picture this person in your mind.
- For the next part of the meditation, think of someone that you don’t like. Picture this person as you again repeat the words of the mediation, “May you be well. May you be happy. May you be peaceful.” For the next minute, continue to repeat these words, either aloud or in your thoughts, while picturing this person. Again, take your time to say or think each word as you picture this person in your mind.
- Lastly, think of everyone in the entire world – people you love, strangers, neighbors, people you see every day and people you will never meet. With the whole world in mind, repeat “May we all be well. May we all be happy. May we all be peaceful.” Once again, continue to repeat the words of this meditation slowly and mindfully for one minute.
- As you come to the end of your meditation, remain in a comfortable position and continue to take deep, relaxing breaths. Picture yourself surrounded by the energy of all of the loving kindness from this meditation. When you are ready, slowly open your eyes.
When to Practice This Meditation
Meditation can be practiced daily or whenever it works for your schedule. In the guided meditation above, I kept each section to one minute, though you could certainly make it longer if time allows. As I mentioned above, this has been one of my favorite meditations for the past twenty years – it is withstood the test of time for me! No matter how busy or stressed I feel before this practice, I feel better afterwards 100% of the time.
If you are following along with our Monthly Mindfulness Challenge, this mediation is included in the February challenge in the spirit of St. Valentine’s Day; however, it is appropriate for any time of year. If you are interested in the Monthly Mindfulness Challenge (I hope you join in!), you can find more information here: https://mindfulmovementmindfulliving.com/a-monthly-mindfulness-challenge/
As Mother Teresa once said, “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” Likewise, the Loving Kindness Meditation is short and and easy, but its benefits can have a ripple effect for both yourself and others.