By:
Virginia Iversen, M.Ed
A
regular practice of Yoga is a wonderful tool for romancing divine love. The
awareness of the essential energy of divine love that pervades the fabric of
the universe is unveiled through a consistent, dedicated practice of Yoga
postures, pranayama exercises, meditation, chanting, and japa recitation. A
balanced, comprehensive practice of all of these various Yogic techniques will
ultimately lead a Yogi or Yogini into the inner sanctum of his or her own
heart. Along the way, however, it is not unusual for a Yoga practitioner to
contend with a wide assortment of negative beliefs and thought patterns.
Many
of the ancient and time-tested practices of Buddhism can be very helpful for
uprooting negative thoughts, beliefs and samskaras. Loving Kindness Meditation,
or Metta Meditation, as it is also known, was practiced and taught by the
Buddha. The Buddha noticed that with the practice of offering thoughts of
loving kindness to himself, and then to those around him, that he was able to
supplant negative thoughts with more nurturing, sweeter thoughts of compassion
and kindness. This act of loving himself and offering his love and compassion to
others during the course of his meditation helped him to systematically
cultivate a state of loving acceptance, which helped to calm and free his own
mind from confusion and pain.
A
number of neuro-cognitive researchers, who focus their study on the interplay
between the brain and emotion, have documented that the “doing” part of the
brain is lit up during the practice of a loving kindness meditation.
Essentially this means that practicing 7 minutes or more a day of a loving
kindness meditation will help to offset the low energy of depression and get
your mind and body primed for putting into action the plans that you have
mentally envisioned for yourself and your life. Supplanting negative emotions with positive emotions during the practice of a loving kindness
meditation has also been clinically shown to shift the balance in the brain
from a state of negativity to positivity, which helps to enhance the ability to
learn and follow through on cherished dreams and goals.
*
Loving Kindness Meditation in a Nutshell
It
is quite easy to weave a 7-minute session of a loving kindness meditation into
the end of a Yoga class or personal practice. Simply give yourself a few extra
minutes just prior to, or just after Shavasana. This meditation practice can
also be done during Shavasana, if you are short on time. When you are ready to
practice the Loving Kindness Meditation, come to an easy sitting position on
your Yoga mat, on a chair with your feet flat on the floor and your spine
comfortably erect, or lie back in Shavasana. If you are practicing this
meditation while in Shavasana, you may wish to place a Yoga bolster under your
knees for comfort and support.
Close
your eyes and take a few deep breaths. As you begin to relax, formulate three
wishes for yourself that would support your highest good today. For instance,
you may wish to be filled with ease, happiness and health. Choose three wishes
for your life that support your well-being and happiness today. If you
encounter resistance to offering yourself loving kindness,
mindfully witness the resistance, while continuing to gently and
compassionately offering yourself kind, loving thoughts for a minute or
two.
This
Loving Kindness Meditation practice is like a series of concentric circles that
radiates from your own core outwards. There are five steps. The first step is
to offer yourself loving, kind thoughts. The next step is to offer those same
loving, kind thoughts to those you love, and then to a group of people whom you
feel neutral about. The final two steps are to offer loving kindness to a
person or group of people with whom you are struggling or actively dislike, and
then to the world at large.
If
you find that offering loving kindness to those you do not like is difficult,
do not worry! This is very common. With patient practice, you will be able to
internally offer loving and kind thoughts to those people you do not like,
especially when you experience the benefit of practicing loving kindness in
your own heart and mind. When
you have completed your practice of the Loving Kindness Meditation, bring your
hands into Prayer Position at the front of your heart and bow your head in
gratitude, before moving quietly into Shavasana or finishing your Yoga
practice.
Virginia
Iversen, M.Ed, has been practicing and studying the art of Yoga for over twenty
years. She lives in Woodstock, New York, where she works as a writer and an
academic support specialist. She is currently accepting Yoga and health-related
writing orders and may be contacted at: enchantress108@gmail.com.
