Loving-kindness meditation and the power to spread love

Practicing loving-kindness meditation is a way for you to spread the vibrations of love, compassion and pray for good things to everyone, so that all beings can enjoy peace, happiness and harmony. .

For those who have practiced meditation for a long time, loving-kindness meditation is not something new. However, do you fully understand this meditation method? Whether you are new to meditation or have been practicing for a while, it is best to take a few minutes to look through the following shares of easyhealthylive.com to see if you have understood this meditation method correctly.

Loving Kindness Meditation – A meditation method that has the power to spread love

Loving-kindness meditation or Metta Mediation is a method of meditation that has its roots in Buddhism. In Pali – a language close to Sanskrit and widely spoken in northern India – “metta” means positive energy, pure love, and selflessness. This love comes from the true nature of your heart.

However, for many reasons, sometimes that true mind is obscured. We can’t always love others unconditionally, treat everyone equally, without discrimination and with all our sincerity. Practicing loving-kindness meditation is a way to awaken a pure and kind heart. Because only altruism can replace the selfishness that is always present in every human being.

Not only that, but meditation is also a way to nurture your love for everything in your life, including yourself and:

  • Family
  • Friend
  • Neighbor
  • Acquaintances
  • People who are having difficulty in life
  • Animal

Loving-kindness meditation does not focus on technique, but the important thing lies in compassion and love in the meditator. And just like other meditation methods, practicing loving-kindness meditation can also have huge benefits for mental, emotional, and physical health.

The main goal of loving-kindness meditation is to develop positive emotions and reduce negative feelings towards self and others. This positive emotion can include:

  • Joyous
  • Trust
  • Love and cherish
  • Gratitude
  • Happiness
  • Altruism, compassion

To nurture these feelings, you will need to recite phrases that express the meaning of love and kindness, such as:

  • May I be safe, at peace, and free from suffering.
  • May I always be happy and healthy.
  • Hopefully I will be strong and confident.
READ MORE:  Phobias and Anxiety Disorders: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

You must recite these phrases with concentration and attention in order to understand the meaning as well as the emotions involved.

5 benefits of loving-kindness meditation for mental health and well-being

loving-kindness meditation

Loving-kindness meditation cultivates love and kindness

Practicing loving-kindness meditation regularly, you will feel the following benefits:

1. Cultivate Love and Kindness

Practicing loving-kindness meditation, you will constantly read and re-read phrases that show kindness and love to yourself and those around you. From there, you will arouse the feelings of love hidden deep inside, you will love yourself and others more. Not only that, it also helps you reduce negative emotions such as:

  • Unconfident
  • Angry
  • Criticism and criticism

A small 2014 study found that people who practice loving-kindness meditation are less critical of themselves than those who don’t. In addition, another study in 2013 also confirmed that practicing loving-kindness meditation regularly can reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

2. Reduce stress and anxiety

According to a 2013 study, loving-kindness meditation can be very effective in reducing stress. Not only that, if practiced regularly, it also works to reduce the inflammatory response caused by stress.

Some practitioners who have been practicing mind meditation for a long time share that this practice can help you see yourself in a more positive light, thereby increasing your life satisfaction, reducing stress and anxiety.

3. Pain relief

Some evidence suggests that loving-kindness meditation can relieve some pain. Specifically, according to a 2005 study, practicing loving-kindness can reduce persistent low back pain. In addition, the results of a 2014 study also showed that practicing loving-kindness meditation on a regular basis also reduced migraine symptoms. The cause of this result is thought to be the stress-reducing ability of the metta meditation method.

4. Extend the life

Telomeres are the DNA structures at the end of each chromosome. They have the effect of protecting genetic information. As we age, telomeres naturally shorten. However, chronic stress can accelerate this process and cause premature aging.

Practicing loving-kindness meditation can stop this process. Therefore, the researchers speculate that this approach could help improve life expectancy.

5. Strengthen social connection

Loving-kindness meditation can help you expand and improve your social relationships. Because after learning to love yourself, you will easily love and empathize with people. In particular, it also helps you better understand the feelings of those around you, know how to sympathize and understand, from which relationships will become better.

How to practice loving-kindness meditation?

how to practice meditation

You can practice loving-kindness meditation anywhere like a quiet corner of your home, the yard, or even at your desk.

To practice this meditation method, you do not need to prepare anything. You can practice anywhere you like like a quiet corner of your house, out in the yard or even at your desk. Try to choose a location where you are least likely to be distracted and follow these steps:

  • Sit in a comfortable position. Close your eyes. Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose
  • Focus on the breath. Imagine the breath moving throughout the body. Focus on the heart
  • Choose a good and positive phrase. Whisper the phrase, for example, you could say, “May I be happy. I pray you are at peace. May I find peace.”
  • Slowly repeat the phrase. Acknowledge what it means and how it feels. If you get distracted, don’t worry, turn your attention back to this phrase and keep repeating it.
  • Now, think about friends and family. You can think of a particular person or a group of people. Read a loving phrase for them, such as “May you be happy. I wish you peace. May you find peace.”
  • Continue reading the phrase over to other people, neighbors, acquaintances, and people in need. Repeat the phrase until you experience a feeling of sadness.
  • Some people use visuals while reading each phrase. For example, you can imagine the light coming from the heart or the person you are thinking about.
  • You can also change the phrase during the practice.
READ MORE:  Do Children Have Strokes? What to Do When a Child Has a Stroke?

Advice for beginners

If you are a beginner, you may find it ineffective in the first few sessions. Don’t worry, consider the following tips:

  • Patience: Don’t expect instant results because meditation is a discipline that takes time to practice
  • Let go of perfection: Your mind will probably drift, so don’t worry about getting distracted. Just admit that this is normal. Try to focus on the present moment instead of thinking about the outcome.
  • Avoid judging yourself. When distracted, avoid criticizing yourself. Instead, try to recognize the distraction and gently return to practice.

The posture, location, and time of meditation are entirely up to you. You can try practicing in many places, positions, and times to find what works best.

Here is some useful information about loving-kindness meditation. If you love this method of meditation but don’t know where to start, don’t hesitate to download easyhealthylive.com and connect with our teachers.

Reference source

5 Benefits of Metta Meditation and How to Do It https://www.healthline.com/health/metta-meditation Accessed: September 19, 2020



We will be happy to hear your thoughts

Leave a reply

Easy Healthy Lifestyle
Logo
Shopping cart