My name is Alyssa Ward. I have been working as a yoga instructor at Clayton Yoga for five years. I think it is important to practice yoga for the body, mind, and spirit. The following meditation and poem can help you to find kindness and courage when you need it most. I hope you enjoy reading them and possibly drawing them into your practice.
Metta Meditation The Prayer of Loving Kindness
The Buddhist practice known as metta or loving kindness meditation was given by the Buddha to his followers to protect them when they ventured out alone in areas of danger. Today it is used by people throughout the world. Metta will help to ease fears by calming the mind and heart.
It is said that those who practice Metta: • Sleep peacefully • Wake peacefully • Dream peaceful dreams • People love them • Angels love them • Their faces are clear • Their minds are serene • They have steadfastness in mind and rapture in body
This prayer traditionally is repeated four times: • First to oneself • Then to someone it is so easy to love • Next to someone who needs a little more love • Lastly, to all beings everywhere
Metta Meditation Say first to yourself: May I feel protected and safe. May my heart remain open. May I awaken to the light of my true nature. May I be healed, and be a source of healing for the world.
Thinking of someone it is so easy to love. Draw this person close to your heart & your mind and send them metta: May you feel protected and safe. May your heart remain open. May you awaken to the light of your true nature. May you be healed, and be a source of healing for the world.
Next, thinking of someone who needs a little more love. Draw this person close to your heart & your mind. Send this person metta: May you feel protected and safe. May your heart remain open. May you awaken to the light of your true nature. May you be healed, and be a source of healing for the world.
Lastly, to all beings everywhere: May we feel protected and safe. May our hearts remain open. May we awaken to the light of our true nature. May we be healed, and be a source of healing for the world.
For Courage
By John O’Donohue
When the light around you lessens
And your thoughts darken until
Your body feels fear turn
Cold as a stone inside . . .
Know that you are not alone
And that this darkness has purpose;
Gradually it will school your eyes
To find the one gift your life requires
Hidden within this night-corner.
Close your eyes,
Gather all the kindling
About your heart
To create one spark.
That is all you need
To nourish the flame
That will cleanse the dark
Of its weight of festered fear.
A new confidence will come alive
To urge you toward higher ground
Where your imagination
Will learn to engage difficulty
As it’s most rewarding threshold!
Thank you so much Alyssa. I finally started Yoga several months ago after refusing to consider it a possibility for many years. I am Michelle M’s client via a chance meeting at the Clayton Post Office this summer. I got my feet wet so to speak and then got too busy with working on the home, travel and so on. I am paying dearly for that physically and probably spiritually much more so.
Thank you for taking the time and the effort to share Metta Meditation. I took at least one session with you a while back and it was great. Your ability and your kindness is impressive and much appreciated. I tend to ramble on as a person and a retired cop who made it out of sevre depression and near death alcohol consumption on one occasion when hope of feeling better and keeping family seemed impossible. You exhibit the positive side of human nature which helps me restore hope that we as human beings and members of this immediate St. Louis societal entity can progress past the stall that has existed since slavery was formally abolished.
My views are like playing in the middle of the free way during rush hour but my quest to be independent of labels like conservative or liberal is extremely important to me as an individual.
End of ramble for the moment. Thanks again for the opportunity to express my appreciation for what you do and especially how you do so with a great degree of class and no appearance of self serving motivation.
Namaste and hope I will join you soon for one session or another, Namaste
Many thanks for sharing this therapeutic and comforting blog post.
It is very interesting to learn the descripton, function and benefit of the “Metta” ideal.
Thank you for the Metta Meditation! I have used it in a class before but never on my own. I hope to include it in my meditation practice.