Loving Kindness Meditation... by Sherri

The practice of loving kindness meditation is a means of developing a feeling of boundless love. Loving-kindness is a meditation practice which brings about positive attitudinal changes as it systematically develops the quality of 'loving-acceptance'. It acts, as it were, as a form of self-psychotherapy, a way of healing the troubled mind to free it from its pain and confusion. Loving-kindness has the immediate benefit of sweetening and changing old habituated negative patterns of mind. When loving-kindness practice matures it naturally overflows into compassion, as one connects with other people's difficulties. Eventually, if practiced regularly, the meditation will cultivate a deep sense of caring for self and all of creation.

The practice always begins with developing a loving acceptance of you. If resistance is experienced then it indicates that feelings of unworthiness are present. No matter, this means there is work to be done, as the practice itself is designed to overcome any feelings of self-doubt or negativity.

Position

Find a quiet, private space where you feel safe and where you will be undisturbed.Sit in a comfortable chair or if you are able, on a meditation cushion. The object is not a certain position, but a pose where your body will be comfortable and not feel tired after sitting still for an extended period. Hands can rest together on your lap or on your knees. This meditation should be donewith eyes closed.

Time

If you have never meditated before, do not pressure yourself to sit for a long period. Generally, 20-30 minutes is good, however 10 minutes is perfectly fine to start out with.If it helps, set a timer so that you do not have to think about time.

How To

The meditation has you sending out and projecting out feelings of love, kindness and compassion to others. This can be done in a few different ways:

Visualisation - Imagine waves of energy coming from your heart projecting out into space and being receivedby the object of your attention. You can also imagine that you are hugging this person (in a non sexual way)or that light is being sent out to that person.
By reflection - Reflect on the positive qualities of a person and the acts of kindness they have done. And to yourself, making an affirmation, a positive statement about yourself, using your own words.
Auditory - This is the simplest way but probably the most effective. Repeat an internalized mantra or phrase such as 'loving-kindness'. Other mantras could be "you are loved", "you are healed", "You deserve happiness"

Choose the method that best fits your self. Some people are very good at visualization others are more auditory etc.Once you decide on the method, you will start with yourself.

Imagine sending yourself a positive feeling of loving kindness using one of the above methods. If you feel a blockage or resistance, that is ok, often it is very hard to feel love for yourself. If this is the case, start with a person that you do feel love for and end the meditation by focusing on yourself. After you spend a minute or two on yourself, sending yourself light, or love or saying a mantra that you feel connects to you, bring up the image of the following 4 types of people in your life in the following order. Spend one or two minutes to think of this person and send loving kindness:

a respected, beloved person - such as a spiritual teacher; (this could also be an image of Jesus, Buddha, or any special being that you feel respect and love for. It could be a person in history current or past that you admirethat you admire. If you do not have a person in mind for this, skip to the next step.)
a dearly beloved - which could be a close family member or friend; (If you have issues of love and do not have aperson that you feel this way about, it is fine to send loving kindness to a special pet or to any living thing that that you feel love or just affection for.)
a neutral person - somebody you know, but have no special feelings towards, e.g.: a co worker)
a hostile person - someone you are currently having difficulty with. This could also be where you visualize yourselfif you are currently having self acceptance issues. (If you find this step very difficult it is normal and part of theprocess. Often it helps to imagine this person, not as the adult that you are having issues with, but as they lookedwhen they were a baby or small child.)

At the end of the meditation, you might like to try to extend love to the planet or to all beings.You can systematically project the aroused feeling of loving-kindness to all points of the compass: north, south, east and west, up and down, and all around. Imagine rays of energy coming from you and extending outward.When you practice, do not feel the need to be perfect, or to do it "right". Intention is key and with daily practice you will find healing and open your heart to unconditional love and compassion. Forgive yourself if you find your mind wandering to everyday issues, just gently guide it back to the person you aresending loving kindness to. If you feel anger or negativity at any point, do not judge yourself, just do your best to accept and observe your feelings. With practice and diligence the feelings will subside.

Loving-kindness is a heart meditation and should not to be seen as just a formal sitting practice removed from everyday life. So take your good vibes outside into the streets, at home, at work and into your relationships. Applying the practice to daily life is a matter of directing a friendly attitude and having openness toward everybody you relate to, without discrimination. You will find that this energy does connect and alter not only yourself but those that you are sending to as their subtle fields of energy will feel your loving kindness.