Loving-Kindness Meditation

by Ram

Love & Love by Melina Meza

Ashtanga Yoga (Ashta=eight; Anga= limbs) refers to the eight fold path/ rungs/limbs/steps of Yoga as described in the Raja Yoga section of the yoga philosophy. Its practice helps us to discriminate between ignorance and awareness and truth from illusion, which is the means for liberation or enlightenment. The first five limbs help us develop our power of focus and concentration. Dharana or focus is the preparatory step towards attaining a deeper meditative stance. Dharana helps to reduce the chattering of the mind and filters out all irrelevant thought processes. The practice of dharana is not concentrating on the object rather it is the awareness with which you redirect the mind, again and again. This very practice—the mind running or getting distracted, you bringing it back—in essence is dharana (see Samyama: The Trinity of Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi). You can practice dharana at any time and at any place. Dharana gets easier as you practice it. 

Patanjali takes this concept to the highest level when he describes the process of focus coupled with intake of harmonious impressions. In the samadhi pada of the Yoga Sutras, verse 1.33 describes this relationship:

“maitri karuna mudita upekshanam sukha duhka punya apunya vishayanam bhavanatah chitta prasadanam

Focusing with perfect discipline, the mind becomes purified by cultivating feelings of friendliness towards those who are happy, compassion for those who are suffering, goodwill towards those who are virtuous, and indifference or neutrality towards those we perceive as wicked or evil .” —Swami Jnaneshvara 

I was struck with the phrase “maitri karuna” as it is loaded with a powerful message. In Sanskrit and in Pali, the term indicates loving-kindness, although in Pali the term used is Metta. Maitri Karuna/Metta (Loving-Kindness) can also mean tender, soft, good-natured, pleasant, cheerful, kind hearted among others. Basically the term connotes a deep sense of respect, appreciation, and regard.

Maitri Karuna/Metta is an act of compassion, an intention to mitigate suffering and lighten the sorrow. When our minds are clear, we are able to open our hearts and fill ourselves with loving-kindness. In the process we cultivate compassion, are able to truly see suffering, and are moved to take steps to relieve or alleviate the suffering. Loving-kindness is just not about extending selfless service to someone or something you are drawn to, it is also about bringing in the same quality to your own self. We need to love and accept ourselves just as we are; it then becomes easy to truly love anyone in an unlimited and unconditional way. Putting it simply: I am happy and peaceful, so let me extend that peace and happiness to others. As loving-kindness blooms, gone are greed, selfishness, indulgence, insatiability, wanting, and needing. At the core is the desire to be happy, peaceful, and selfless. 

Thus, loving-kindness is non-violence in all forms and practicing this virtue is committing to both yamas and niyamas. What would be your reaction if you found out that someone was not only providing unconditional love to you but also sending positive energies your way for your peace and prosperity? Unless you have fully accepted yourself, you would not be open to receiving this loving-kindness and you will only be doubting the individual’s motive. 

According to Swami Satchidananda yoga master and founder of Integral Yoga:

“Whether our mercy will help the other individual or not, by our own feeling of mercy, at least we are helped.” 

Loving-kindness meditation (LKM) is about drawing attention to the mind and heart center, and acknowledging one self’s peace, friendliness and compassion. Expressing and meditating on self’s loving-kindness sets the foundation for being able to offer selfless love to others.

The next step would be to meditate on and direct the loving-kindness to other benefactors, such as parents, siblings, friends, teachers, pets, or anyone that you know who has helped you in some way.

The third step would now involve directing your LKM energy towards any individual outside of your family or friend circle and who could be a stranger. I myself am thinking of this elderly gentleman who lives a block away from my home. We have not been introduced to each other. I see him walking at least three times daily around our neighborhood. This individual not only limps while walking, but his gait is also very unsteady, so whenever I encounter him, I immediately direct a LKM prayer towards him for his peace, physical stability, and good health.

Finally, LKM ends by directing the meditative energy towards a problematic/challenging individual. This is someone whose presence or just thinking of the individual evokes anger, rage, fear, resentment antagonism or other disharmonious emotions in one’s self. While practicing LKM on such individuals, if your emotions arise, honor and appreciate your limits of loving-kindness and return to directing the meditation toward yourself. Switch alternately between yourself and the problematic person, and reflect on the emotional turbulence pervading your psyche just from this one individual. Keep repeating the loving-kindness meditation, and you will overcome these mental turbulences such that you are no longer affected by this individual. 

Some or most of us actually do a slight variation of LKM in our asana class even though we may be unaware of its true intentions. The Om mantra or the Shanti Mantra (Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti) that several teachers practice before, during or at the end of the asana class is actually a form of LKM where we invoke peace to the entire world. 

As a neuroscientist, I was naturally curious to know the benefits that LKM offered. The first and foremost benefit of LKM is that loving-kindness reduces the stress response. People practicing an eight-week course of LKM experienced less distress than non-practitioners. Additional benefits of LKM were reported in a study Effect of compassion meditation on neuroendocrine, innate immune and behavioral responses to psychosocial stress. that looked at the body's inflammatory and stress response system. Initially, the results did not reveal any significant physiological differences between LKM practitioners and non-practitioners. However, when the practitioners were divided into a high-practice group and low-practice group, the results were not only striking but significant as well. The high-practice LKM group saw a significant decrease in inflammation and stress response compared to the low-practice or no-practice groups. The study highlights two significant findings: 1) LKM significantly impacts the stress and inflammatory systems in the body and 2) beneficial changes are seen only in those individuals who actively engage in the practice of LKM. Practicing LKM once a week was not sufficient; it required for the individuals to practice a little of it daily. 

What about its impact on the brain structure? In Regulation of the neural circuitry of emotion by compassion meditation: effects of meditative expertise. Richard Davidson from the University of Wisconsin recruited two groups of subjects: a) those who had at least 10,000 hours of LKM practice and b) those who were new to meditation. Using fMRI measurements, Dr Davidson noticed that LKM impacted several important brain regions including the insula and the temporal parietal junction that are mostly involved in empathy and our ability to attune to the emotional states of others. The group with 10,000 hours of LKM experience showed significantly more activation and experienced higher levels of compassion compared to newly practicing group. What is striking about these studies is that the beneficial changes happen in a short period of time with a constant, sustained practice of LKM. 

Take home message: Maitri Karuna (LKM) paves the way for a peaceful and harmonious living! 

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