< shift/library / mindfulness

Loving-Kindness (Metta) Meditation

mindfulness · medium · 15-20 minutes daily

What is Loving-Kindness (Metta) Meditation?

A practice of directing feelings of warmth and goodwill sequentially toward yourself, loved ones, neutral people, difficult people, and all beings. Increases compassion and positive social emotions.

Is there evidence for it?

EVIDENCEstrong

How do you do Loving-Kindness (Metta) Meditation?

  1. 1.Sit comfortably for 15-20 minutes in a quiet place with eyes closed
  2. 2.Begin by directing loving phrases toward yourself: 'May I be happy. May I be healthy. May I be safe.'
  3. 3.Extend the same phrases to someone you love, then a neutral person, then a difficult person
  4. 4.Finally, extend to all beings everywhere: 'May all beings be happy and free from suffering'
  5. 5.Practice regularly — research shows positive effects compound with consistency

How long does it take?

15-20 minutes daily.

Is it hard to start?

medium.

PRACTICE ITSelf-kindness — 5 minute guided meditationFree guided audio, no signup, nothing to install. From Neuro Atelier, our meditation studio.
Source: Buddhist metta tradition (2500+ years). Meta-analysis of 22 studies demonstrated increased compassion toward self and others. Barbara Fredrickson's research: LKM increases positive emotions and social connectedness.
compassion · empathy · positive-emotions · social-connection · self-compassion · buddhist
> find what fits you

Related in mindfulness

Five-Minute JournalA structured morning and evening journaling practice with specific prompts: gratitude, daily intentions, and...Cold Exposure TherapyDeliberate exposure to cold (cold showers, ice baths, cold water immersion) to build stress tolerance, reduce...Digital DetoxDeliberately disconnecting from screens and digital devices for set periods to reduce stimulation overload...Niksen (Dutch Art of Doing Nothing)The Dutch practice of intentional idleness — doing nothing purposeful without guilt. Unlike mindfulness...Transcendental Meditation (TM)A mantra-based meditation technique practiced for 20 minutes twice daily. Uses a personally assigned Sanskrit...Vipassana MeditationAncient Buddhist insight meditation emphasizing non-judgmental observation of bodily sensations and thoughts...

> everything in mindfulness

This is one entry from the library Shift matches against. It is general information, not advice about you, and nothing on this page came from anyone's conversation.