The Loving Kindness Meditation is a simple, heart-centered meditation technique with roots in Buddhism, sometimes called Metta. Practiced around the world, Metta cultivates compassion for one’s self and others. Compassion is the natural state of the heart and mind, which is motivated by cherishing other living beings and wishes to release them from their suffering.
In this meditation practice, you gather your attention to focus on a specific compassionate phrase that you repeat silently. During this practice, it is important that you don’t force a warm and fuzzy feeling or get rid of unpleasant or undesirable ones. Instead of expecting to feel a particular way or judging and analyzing what you do feel, allow whatever happens just to happen – with a beginner’s mind. If your mind wanders, notice what has captured your attention and then gently return to the practice at hand.