Read this and be happier 😃
Oct 15, 2021
How’re you doing? Are you feeling your best? Happy as can be? Firing on all cylinders?
Me neither.
Which is why I pulled this technique out of my bag of tricks earlier this week:
lovingkindness meditation
I've shared this before and it feels like a good time to share it again. This is a calming, peace-generating meditation practice that can soothe even the most aggravated soul.
Yes, please.
Lovingkindness is a simple meditation practice. The purpose is to direct goodwill toward yourself and others. You can include people you know who are sick or otherwise struggling, as well as those who drive you absolutely crazy.
I’ll let you in on a little secret: it's my favorite way to feel calmer when what I really want to do is strangle someone. It never fails to create a stronger sense of calm and peace.
Studies show a laundry list of reasons why lovingkindness meditation is an awesome idea.
It can make us feel happier and more connected to others. It benefits us physically in a lot of different ways. It can help us curb that self-critical voice that is broadcasting in our heads.
Let’s get started!
It's easy to do. Start by sitting comfortably either on a chair or on the floor. Gently close your eyes. This meditation is a repetition of phrases, starting with ourselves before moving on to others.
Traditional phrases include:
May I be well.
May I be happy.
May I be safe.
May I be at peace.
After repeating these a few times for ourselves, we move on to someone we like, maybe someone who's helped us, someone we love. Call their face to mind as you repeat:
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be safe.
May you be at peace.
Next we shift into neutral, considering someone we neither love nor dislove. I typically think of someone I just met, or cashiers in shops, or the guy directing traffic in town.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be safe.
May you be at peace.
Then we consider someone we don't like, someone we have a negative relationship with. Could be someone in our personal lives, or in the public eye. As best as we can, we say:
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be safe.
May you be at peace.
I find it's helpful to remind myself that this person was once someone's baby and is a human, even if they're not always acting like a good human.
Finally, we direct our lovingkindness to all beings everywhere. Sometimes I imagine sitting down with the three other people I held in my thoughts while doing this meditation:
May we be well.
May we be happy.
May we be safe.
May we be at peace.
Here's a suggestion: replace 10 minutes of checking the news with this practice. Will it fix everything? Nope. But it can create some calm and peace that I guarantee is helpful.
May you be well. May you be happy. May you be safe. May you be at peace.
