I first learned about ‘loving kindness meditation’ when I read the book “A Path With Heart” by Jack Kornfield.
Reading “A Path With Heart” was life changing as it was with the reading that I started on a daily meditation practice. I found the way Jack Kornfield writes about meditation clear and heartfelt.
Meditation, specifically loving kindness meditation, uses the emotions of the heart to send self kindness and love first to ones self, to loved ones, and then outwards to neutral people, finally including those we find 'edgy' and 'classic enemies' as our loving kindness recipients.
Daniel Goleman and Richard J. Davidson in their book Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain and Body, outline studies that show that loving kindness meditation positively changes emotional states of the meditator and over time can further alter behaviour toward good. This may sound expected, however, the effects were proven through sound research studies and hence have a positive potential impact for humanity. It appears that even a few minutes of daily loving kindness meditation can improve one's sense of wellbeing.
For myself, the most effortless way to evoke the feeling of love and good intentions is to bring to ‘mind and heart’ my grandson Madz. Thinking of him never fails to bring a smile to my face and crack my heart wide open. I can then include myself and a wide variety of others in my best intentions for good health, happiness and a life filled with peacefulness and ease.
You can try it for yourself with these three easy steps:
1 Sit comfortably in a quiet space. Take 3 deep in and out breaths.
2 Bring to mind a person, animal or environment that evokes feelings of love.
3 From the ‘feeling place’ of love send out to yourself and others wishes and intentions for good health, peace, a life well lived.
While this is a very simplistic, basic model, it gives a taste for what can be incorporated easily into one’s life. Like any new behaviour, practicing helps, so try to set aside 10-20 minutes every day for loving kindness meditation. In addition to Jack Kornfield’s fabulous book, there are other wonderful books to help you with your practice. One I would highly recommend is “Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness” by Sharon Salzberg