Fill yourself with love, and let it spill over to the world.
Lovingkindness meditation is a form of meditation that aims to cultivate “heart qualities” of mind. Specifically, one develops an unconditional compassion and care toward oneself and other beings.
I hated lovingkindness when I first did it. Nothing happened. I didn’t feel anything. And it came across as hippy-dippy.
I later realized that that was exactly why I needed it. My mind is much more logical, and so my practice can get a bit sterile. My tendency has been to move away from tenderness, or at least not embrace it, and this has limited my capacity to feel into the richness of life, good and bad.
When I practice loving-kindness meditation, I’ll repeat the phrases:
May I be happy.
May I be well.
May I be peaceful.
May I live with ease.
The words aren’t that important, so you can adjust them in a way that resonates. After each phrase, I leave space for the words and the intention BEHIND the words to slowly permeate my mind and body. It’s often subtle, but I start to feel a joy slowly build and develop throughout my being. It feels good. It feels nourishing. And despite it being directed toward me, it makes me want to offer it to others.
To me, this practice is like charging my heart battery. I try to feel my mind and body being charged with the compassionate energy of the words, and after a certain point, there’s a reservoir to offer others.
I do believe it’s possible to offer your heart to another person if you’re not yet able to direct it toward yourself, but there’s another level of being able to offer love to someone, in an unconditional way, when you’re first fully able to receive it from yourself.
Fill yourself with love, and let it spill over to the world.
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