Why I Prefer Loving Kindness (Metta) Meditation To Other Meditations

Types of Meditation

At the beginning of this year I decided I wanted to learn more about meditation and start a practice. I’ve never done anything formal and I felt a bit daunted by it actually. Ive had a lot of years where I felt as if I got lost in myself and I didn’t like the idea of being lost in myself again.

But I realise that was trauma and not a spiritual practice that was doing that.

I signed up to a course with Sounds True. They have a lot of good courses and books there on mindfulness and meditation.

I also signed up for a meditation class where I currently do my yoga classes at. They have an online weekly live meditation class. I loved it but I found I got quite anxious, and I think its because Im following someone else’s lead and not going at my pace.

There I heard the teacher talk about metta meditation. And the next day I heard someone mention it again, so I googled it and found this great course – Intro to Lovingkindness (Metta) Meditation on Udemy which wasn’t long at all and I knocked it out in two sittings. After a bit of exploring I realised 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, which is like Sanskrit, and it means positive energy and kindness towards others.

So it is a practice of saying positive statements towards yourself and others. But it feels much more than that.

What I love about it compared to other types of meditation, is I don’t feel lost in myself, it feels to me it’s about my connection to myself, to others, to the universe. It doesn’t feel like a solitary practice, even though it is, and I love how much I feel connected to my heart as well.

I come out of the practice feeling so good. Which ultimately will have positive effects on my health and inner peace.

Here is How I Do Loving Kindness Meditation

Whether I am guided by someone else or I do this practice myself, I still have the same results, I don’t feel rushed by someone else, and I don’t feel alone by myself.

I have played around with a few of the statements to get the ones that most feel good to me. Depending on how long you want to do the whole meditation for, decide how long you want each round to go for, or just go by how you feel while you are doing it. And repeat each section over and over at a pace that feels good for you.

First round I drop down into my heart and say:

I am safe

I am loved

I am happy

I am healthy

I am peaceful

(Or you could say May I be safe, May I be loved etc. Saying “I am” for me brings it into a sense of immediacy. Like an affirmation.)

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

Next round focus on someone who is suffering or sick, or an animal who is suffering and say:

May you be safe

May you be  loved

May you be happy

May you be healthy

May you be peaceful

Next round focus on a neutral person, say like the mailman or someone you don’t know or vaguely know but have no emotion about, and say:

May you be safe

May you be  loved

May you be happy

May you be healthy

May you be peaceful

Next round focus on a difficult person (present or past), don’t start out with the most challenging person you know, work up to that over time, and say:

May you be safe

May you be  loved

May you be happy

May you be healthy

May you be peaceful

Next round focus on All Beings, and say:

May all beings be safe

May all beings be  loved

May all beings be happy

May all beings be healthy

May all beings be peaceful

While you are saying each sentence in the last round, imagine and send out a colour you feel relates to each sentence. For example you might feel being safe is the colour blue, so while you are saying May all beings be safe, you send out the colour blue, perhaps imagine it pumping out from your heart.

I have had many a tear doing each round, it really is such a heart opening practice.

If you already have a metta meditation practice or you want to try, let me know how you get on.