You can do this right now. Really, you can. It’s step 1 of Metta Bhavana.
Close your eyes and say to yourself,
May I be well.
May I be happy.
May I be peaceful.
May I be filled with love and kindness.
How did that feel? Was it weird?
Okay, do it again. Close your eyes and imagine you’re having a really deep conversation with yourself. You’ve just sat down for a long-awaited coffee with You. Or, better yet, actually face yourself in the mirror and repeat: May I be well. May I be happy. May I be peaceful. May I be filled with love and kindness.
And sit with that. Really feel it, like you’re bathing in it and it smells like open lavender flowers and bergamot oil.
It’s true, even the words love and kindness have lost a bit of flare. It might be that they’re often tossed weightlessly around, or that it’s a thing to be self-depreciating. To say things like Oh, but I could lose some weight here, or Oh, yea, this old shirt. It’s just a hand-me-down. Whatever, or the sneakiest of all, that non-verbalised pressure we place on ourselves in hopes of living up to other people’s expectations or how we assume we should be.
Anyway, take all that self-doubt, the insecurities, the chaos, and chuck it out the window. Flush it right down the toilet where it belongs. And replace it with love and kindness. For yourself. Start with yourself because you can only truly give your best to others after you’ve given it to yourself. This is why it’s the first step of Metta Bhavana.
In a nutshell, metta is translated as “loving kindness,” or my personal favourite, “love with wisdom.” Loving wholly, respectfully, and unconditionally. Bhavana translates as “cultivation.” Parts II through V will go deeper into this and focus on cultivating metta outside of ourselves.
But try not to focus on that just yet. Start with You. Cultivate metta for yourself at least once a day for the next week. Or more if you’re feeling it! Become your own healer. Cultivate love and kindness for yourself and let it feed you like super delicious soul-food.
Where do you find the light? In stillness or movement, in breaking apart or healing, in the small spaces, in the thunder of your own heart–find where the light enters you and let it flood your soul.
