Lovingkindness Practice

I've just practiced the Loving Kindness Practice during my Valentine's Day class, among kids. It was a fun, interesting exercices. Children could admit it feels great to fill up their heart with love and warm thoughts, even for people they don't care or don't like:-)


"In Lovingkindness Practice, we focus on sending good wishes to ourselves and others. For many people, this practice can generate positive sensations in the heart area. This state can be particularly calming to the limbic system. One simple form of Lovingkindness Practice begins with a few minutes of sending good wishes to ourselves: “May I be happy. May I enjoy happiness.” Then, for a few minutes we send this same wish to a person we’ve very grateful to, while we vividly imagine that person: “May you be happy. May you enjoy happiness.” We stay with this for long enough to generate feelings of generosity and appreciation, within ourselves. Next, we imagine someone we care about, and for a few minutes we wish them happiness. Then, we imagine people we feel “neutral” about, perhaps a neighbor we don’t know, and wish them happiness. Next, we imagine someone for whom we feel some negativity, and wish them happiness. Finally, we send wishes for happiness to all beings in the universe. "

Source: Mindful Schools, Mindfulness and the Brain: Insights from the Work of Daniel Siegel, MD Pam Nicholls, MA

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