Loving-Kindness Meditation
A guided walk through the traditional loving-kindness (metta) meditation, sending warm wishes to yourself and outward to others, with space to make the phrases your own.
About this tool
Loving-kindness meditation, known in the Buddhist tradition as metta, is a practice of deliberately cultivating warm, benevolent wishes toward yourself and others. Rather than emptying the mind, you silently repeat short phrases of goodwill, such as may you be happy, may you be safe, gradually widening the circle of people you include.
The practice usually moves through a sequence: starting with yourself, then a loved one, then a neutral person, then someone difficult, and finally all beings everywhere. Beginning with yourself can feel surprisingly hard for people who struggle with self-criticism, which is part of why this practice is so often used to build self-compassion and self-worth.
Research led by psychologist Barbara Fredrickson and others has linked regular loving-kindness practice with increases in positive emotions, greater feelings of social connection, and improvements in well-being over time. It is also studied as a complement to therapy for self-criticism, depression, and chronic pain.
There is no need to force a feeling. The intention behind the phrases is what matters. Some sessions bring warmth; others feel flat, and that is fine. The benefit comes from returning to the practice, not from any single sitting.
- Fredrickson BL, Cohn MA, Coffey KA, Pek J, Finkel SM. Open hearts build lives: positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2008;95(5):1045-1062.
- Salzberg S. Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness. Shambhala; 1995.
- Galante J, Galante I, Bekkers MJ, Gallacher J. Effect of kindness-based meditation on health and well-being: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2014;82(6):1101-1114.
Loving-Kindness Meditation FAQ
What is loving-kindness meditation?
A practice, known as metta, of silently repeating phrases of goodwill, such as may you be happy and may you be safe, first toward yourself and then outward to others, to cultivate warmth and connection.
Why does it start with yourself?
Offering kindness to yourself first builds the self-compassion that the rest of the practice draws on. For people who are self-critical, this step can be the hardest and the most valuable.
What if I do not feel anything?
That is common and completely fine. The benefit comes from the repeated intention of goodwill, not from forcing a feeling. Some sessions feel warm, others feel flat.
Is my information saved?
No. Everything stays in your browser. Your entries are never uploaded or stored, and the PDF is generated on your own device.