Good Morning Friends, I hope you all had a restful snowy weekend! After a relaxing weekend it is hard to get yourself geared up for the new work week. I snooze for about an hour, hurry to get ready, and rush to work with a coffee in hand. After that it is hard for me to get out of that Monday morning funk. Something that has been helping me get into the correct mindset for the week is practicing Metta Meditation.

Also called loving-kindness meditation, metta meditation is the simple practice of directing well-wishes toward other people. I first learned about Metta Meditation from my good friend Krista, who is a certified yoga instructor now teaching at Barre & Soul located in Wayland Square. She taught me this practice during a stressful time in my life last year, and I have carried it with me ever since.

To start, begin seated comfortably with your eyes closed and imagine what you wish for your life. Now turn these desires into three or four phrases. Loving-kindness meditation involves taking these affirmations and directing them at different people. The three positive affirmations that I use are: May I be healthy, may I be happy, may I be peaceful. 

To begin, start by directing these phrases at yourself. May I be happy.

Next, direct the phrases at someone that you are thankful for.

Now visualize someone you feel neutral about.This is someone you neither like or dislike.

Next visualize someone you dislike, or someone you are currently having a hard time with.

Lastly, direct  the metta meditation towards everyone universally. May all beings everywhere be happy.

What’s great about loving-kindness meditation is that it produces good feelings and an all over positive energy for the day. By providing well-wishes for others in your life you are promoting happy emotions within yourself. What a great way to get yourself in a great mood for the rest of the week!

Until tomorrow friends… may you be healthy, may you be happy, may you be at peace. 

xx Casey