# Loving-Kindness Meditation (Metta): Guided Compassion Practice | Positivity.org > Source: https://positivity.org/meditations/loving-kindness-metta-meditation ## Loving-Kindness (Metta) Meditation Sit comfortably with your spine upright and your hands resting gently in your lap, one atop the other, palms up, as if holding something precious. Close your eyes. This is the practice of metta — unconditional friendliness toward yourself and all beings. [pause] Take a few breaths to settle. Let your body be at ease. Let your face soften. Allow a slight, gentle smile — even if you don't feel it yet. The body can lead the heart. [breathe] [breathe] [breathe] We begin with the most important and often most difficult recipient of loving-kindness: yourself. Bring your attention to your heart center. Imagine warmth gathering there — a soft flame of goodwill directed inward. [pause] Silently repeat these phrases, feeling each one as fully as you can. It's okay if resistance arises — that's normal. Simply continue, gently. [pause] "May I be happy." [longer pause] "May I be healthy." [longer pause] "May I be safe." [longer pause] "May I live with ease." [longer pause] Repeat these phrases two more times at your own pace. Feel the warmth of each wish. You are offering yourself the same kindness you would freely give to a child or a dear friend. [longer pause] [longer pause] Now bring to mind someone you love deeply. A partner, a parent, a child, a close friend. See their face. Feel the natural warmth that arises when you think of them. Hold them in your awareness and direct these phrases toward them. [pause] "May you be happy." [longer pause] "May you be healthy." [longer pause] "May you be safe." [longer pause] "May you live with ease." [longer pause] Feel the love flowing from your heart to theirs, crossing whatever distance separates you. Repeat the phrases once more for this person. [longer pause] Now bring to mind a neutral person — someone you neither like nor dislike. Perhaps a cashier you see regularly, a neighbor you wave to, someone on the bus. We don't know their story, their struggles, their joys. But they are human, just like us. Direct loving-kindness toward them. [pause] "May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you be safe. May you live with ease." [longer pause] Notice how it feels to wish well for someone you barely know. This is the expansion of the heart — extending care beyond our inner circle. [pause] Now — and this is the courageous part — bring to mind someone you find difficult. Not the most difficult person in your life, but someone who mildly irritates or challenges you. Remember: this practice is not about condoning harmful behavior. It is about freeing your own heart from the weight of resentment. [pause] See this person and remember that they, too, wish to be happy. They, too, suffer. They, too, are doing the best they can with what they have. [pause] "May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you be safe. May you live with ease." [longer pause] If resistance or anger arises, that's okay. Simply notice it, and continue. You are not betraying yourself by wishing well for others. You are setting yourself free. [pause] Finally, expand your loving-kindness to all beings everywhere. All humans on this planet — billions of hearts beating right now, billions of minds hoping and fearing and dreaming. All animals, all creatures. All life. [pause] "May all beings be happy. May all beings be healthy. May all beings be safe. May all beings live with ease." [longer pause] Feel this love radiating from your heart in all directions, like light from a lantern — unlimited, unconditional, all-encompassing. There is no limit to how much love your heart can generate. It is infinite. [longer pause] Rest in this expansive warmth for a moment. You have just practiced the most powerful force available to a human being. [breathe] Gently bring your awareness back to yourself, sitting here. Take a deep breath. As you open your eyes, carry this metta with you — first for yourself, then for everyone you encounter. You are a source of kindness in this world. [pause] Thank you for this practice. 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