What is Loving-kindness (metta) meditation?

Loving-kindness meditation is like giving yourself and others a warm hug from the inside out.

Imagine you have a favorite blanket that makes you feel cozy when you're sad or tired, loving-kindness (metta) meditation works like that, but for your heart. You sit quietly and send feelings of care, warmth, and happiness to yourself and people around you, just like sharing your favorite snack with a friend.

When you practice metta meditation, you're not pretending, you’re feeling kindness. It's like when you give someone a compliment, and suddenly they smile, and you feel happy too. You can do this for yourself first, then for people you love, and even for people who seem tricky or far away.

Over time, doing this helps your heart remember how good it feels to be kind, to others and to yourself. It's like training your brain to notice more of the warm, happy parts of life instead of getting stuck in the grumpy or sad ones.