LOVING-KINDNESS MEDITATION AUDIO (MP3)

When I’m feeling stressed or overwhelmed or just a little sorry for myself, I make a conscious effort to think like a giver. I imagine helping someone else, or I remember a time when I was acting less self-centered and more helpful, or I simply send loving thoughts to others.

The power of well-wishes

When Barbara Fredrickson and her colleagues want to study what happens when people increase their daily diet of love, they simply ask people to do a loving-kindness meditation once a day. Also called metta, loving-kindness meditation is the simple practice of directing well-wishes toward others. This is a private, quick, no-contact-with-others way to feel more connected and loving. This stuff is more effective than Prozac for many people.

Over a nine-week period, research showed that metta substantially increased people’s experiences of positive emotions. Loving-kindness meditation puts people on “trajectories of growth,” leaving them better able to ward off depression and “become ever more satisfied with life.” More than that, though, doing a simple loving-kindness meditation can make us feel less isolated and more connected to those around us. One study showed that a single seven-minute loving-kindness meditation made people feel more connected to and positive about both loved ones and total strangers, and more accepting of themselves. (Imagine what a regular practice could do!)

Follow along and practice with me.

 LOVING-KINDNESS MEDITATION AUDIO (MP3)