Becoming More Present: Loving Kindness Meditation
Written by Serena Jain, Mindfulness Specialist
Meditation is a practice that involves focusing the mind on an object of awareness such as the breath, a thought, the body or an activity to be able to train the attention and achieve a calmer and more focused mind and body. There are many types of meditation methods including loving kindness, compassion, and gratitude meditation.
Loving kindness meditation involves focusing the mind by offering well wishes through a sequence of mantras to oneself and others and gradually building up to sending well wishes to all living beings around the world. The benefits of practicing loving kindness meditation include a sense of greater well-being, aid in relief from illness and improved emotional intelligence.
Compassion meditation involves focusing the mind on a loved one or anyone that is suffering by sending them feelings of happiness and ease of suffering. By practicing compassion, one can experience one’s own anxiety levels dropping as an overall feeling of positivity increases.
Finally, gratitude meditation involves focusing the mind on appreciating the good things in life both small and big from the first sip of a freshly brewed cup of coffee to a promotion at work. Practicing gratitude can enhance wellbeing by reducing stress, increasing self-esteem, improving sleep, and enhancing brain activity.
