Link to our free online meditation in czech language is here

Metta is a Buddhist meditation practice. It is typically translated as Loving Kindness Meditation. My husband Johnny and I call it the LOVing meditation. Metta, literally “non-anger”, love, loving kindness and benevolence, is one of several states of mind described in Buddhism. This meditation directs us towards a future better lived. The Buddha has compared the process to planting a plant. If we want to plant a plant we intend to eat later, we will choose a delicious seed. If we planted a poisonous seed, we would obtain a poisonous plant. Simply put, you reap what you sow.

Practising this meditation activates certain parts of the brain which induce feelings of happiness, calm, harmony, and interconnectedness. You feel the effects immediately. That is why people generally look forward to the sessions and find it easier to make it a regular habit.

My animated video shows how different kinds of meditation affect the human brain in various ways. Or you can read about it in this article. Alternatively, if you want to start with the meditation practice and want to see how it is linked to biohacking and other tools or toys, you can check out my book Burn Slowly (available in Czech only at the moment). The book became a bestseller and I take it as important feedback which just shows how deeply we all yearn for inner peace while realising at the same time that we will probably not achieve it by constantly rushing and chasing after something.

Loving kindness meditation

Kindness is a virtue we appreciate in others. We like it when somebody treats us with kindness, and sometimes that is also how we treat others. Other times, however, it is not easy, especially in our everyday reality when we are faced with countless challenges and situations in which kindness is hard to muster. It is a skill which can be cultivated, however. Like a muscle - if we exercise, the muscle becomes stronger. I can tell you that this meditation has changed and continues to change my life in astounding ways. Since I started this meditation in particular, my relationships with others have improved as well as my relationship with myself.

Together with my husband Johnny Allister we practice and lead this meditation for free (at the moment only online on Zoom) every two weeks, on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. You can join us and give it a try, registering through this link. Thanks to these gatherings, an interesting group of people, our regulars, has begun to form around us. At the end of each session, we share our feelings and observations which is very inspiring and helps us to deepen the warm feeling in each other.

The loving kindness meditation focuses on cultivating compassion, kindness, and empathy towards others (1). These emotions are among the cornerstones of our mental health. The problem is that most of the time our thoughts revolve around “I”. Me and my problems, me and my challenges, me and my relationships, me and my tasks. This often isolates us in a sort of individualistic bubble and we may forget that we are part of a bigger whole. This meditation, in contrast, focuses on other people whom we send love, health, and happiness using our imagination. You can imagine the practice in the following way (this is a radically simplified description):

The meditation:

1. Introduction: We sit in a comfortable position, take off any belts to be able to breathe freely.
2. Breath: For a moment, we focus on our breath and the sounds around us. We become aware of the present moment and the space where we are.
3. Space: We get in touch with the space of our heart.
4. First person: We think of the person we love most of all. We imagine them sitting opposite us, we are looking into their eyes, pronounce their name. We start sending them love, health, and happiness, from within our heart. We can repeat the following mantra: “May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you be loved.” We do this several times.
5. Second person: We do the same with someone we do not know. It can be someone we met in a shop or a neighbour.
6. Third person: The next person should be someone with whom we have an inner conflict or just some tension.
7. Fourth person: The last person is you.
8. Final stage: To conclude the meditation, we start by focusing on our breath once more and slowly come back to the present moment.

What are the effects of this meditation on mental health?

Studies have shown that loving kindness meditation contributes greatly to the improvement of emotional intelligence, deeping of inner peace and happiness, and overall serves as a stress-relief tool. People’s lives truly change when they incorporate this meditation in their routine. Let’s have a look at the specific benefits it brings and why it is a good idea to start practising it.

Decreases migraines

A recent study proved the immediate effects of a short loving kindness meditation on acute pain. The research participants experienced a relief in migraine pains and alleviated emotional tension caused by chronic migraines, in the long run (2).

Alleviates chronic pain

Loving kindness meditation can alleviate even chronic pain. In one pilot study whose participants were individuals with chronic lower back ache, this meditation practice was linked to a decrease in pain and mental suffering, in comparison with the control group (3).

Decreases negative and increases positive emotions

In another experiment, the subjects practised LKM for a period of seven weeks. These individuals reported an increased sense of joy, gratitude, pride, hope, general interest and contentedness. What I found particularly noteworthy was that these positive emotions led to more changes, such as a deeper sense of meaning and even lower sickness rate. All these factors resulted in greater satisfaction and reduced depressive symptoms and negative feelings (4). 

I must say that during our sessions, people share with us the things that started happening in their lives as a consequence of this meditation practice, and it is fascinating. It is as if one began to see more, and the fog that was clouding one’s vision, started clearing.

Activates the vagus nerve which brings about a sense of well-being

In yet another study, those individuals who incorporated loving kindness meditation in their lives noticed an increase of positive emotions thus activating their vagus nerve, thus again increasing the positive feelings. All of this in contrast with the control group of non-meditators. It is a wonderous and ingenious mechanism. The vagus nerve can be activated by chanting, singing, or humming, for example, which all make you vibrate inside. You can try it for yourself. This will activate your parasympathetic nervous system, making you feel more relaxed and calm (5).

Decreases PTSD symptoms

A different research showed that those veterans suffering from PTSD who practised LKM every day for 12 weeks, experienced an important decrease of symptoms of depression and PTSD (6).

Decreases schizophrenia-spectrum symptoms

A different study showed that in individuals with various schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, practising LKM resulted in the alleviation of symptoms. There was, by contrast, an increase in positive emotions and an improvement in recovery.

Enhances emotional intelligence

We know now that our wondrous human brain is shaped by our activities. By what we do and don’t do. Simply put, it is shaped by how we live our life. A regular meditation practice activates and strengthens the part of our brain responsible for empathy and emotional intelligence (8, 9).

Causes increase in grey matter in the brain (leading to a decrease in depressive symptoms)

The volume of grey matter increases in those areas of the brain which are linked to emotion regulation. It consists mainly of neurons and axons that reach out from brain cells and carry signals. The main role of grey matter is processing information. As children grow, so does the volume of grey matter. As soon as they reach puberty, however, the volume starts to decrease as the communication between neurons becomes more efficient and unnecessary processes are eliminated. According to scientists, the development of this part of the brain can be represented by an inverted U-shaped curve. If a child suffers from depression or has a predisposition to depression, the decrease in volume is a lot faster. Loving kindness meditation can increase the amount of grey matter in the brain, thus reducing symptoms of depression (10, 11, 12, 13).

Another interesting fact is that this meditation does not only strengthen our empathy but also our resilience, especially in stressful situations. That is still not all though! It also slows down ageing.

Slows down ageing

Stress decreases telomere length (telomeres are a sort of protective shields of chromosomes and their length serves as a biological marker of ageing). One study found an interesting fact, however: Women who practised loving kindness meditation had relatively longer telomeres, compared to a control group of women of the same age. So perhaps, rather than wasting money on expensive anti-ageing products, grab your meditation cushion and start meditating (14)! It really makes sense, even without the scientific research. All we have to do is look at how people in Blue Zones live (these are world regions with the highest longevity). One of the factors of longevity is reducing stress and increasing empathy and a sense of belonging.

Increases compassion and empathy

This kind of meditation cultivates compassion as well as empathy and reminds us that we are all part of a larger whole (15, 16, 17). I wonder what would happen if people who deal together, be it in politics or in any sort of big meetings, paused for a moment before the event, and connected with each other in loving kindness meditation. What would happen? It should be a fascinating social experiment. Spending a moment in our hearts, not our minds.

Reduces bias towards others

One study focused on our perception of stigmatised groups (homeless and black people). The study participants who practised LKM regularly for six weeks showed significant decrease in bias against these minorities (18). It is a good idea to try it. If you know that you have some radical opinions on a certain group, try practising this meditation as an experiment, and you will see how it will affect your views. ????

Increases self-love

The biggest problem for many people is giving love to themselves, even in this meditation. We are often told that they put themselves in the position of the person with which they have an inner conflict, and loving themselves is a challenge. Like everything else, it is about practice. Try incorporating this meditation technique in your life, just as an experiment. It is a game. You have found a toy and now you can start playing with it. You will see that in time more people with similar toys will appear around you. In the end, you will realise that the world is nothing but a huge playground, that we all have similar toys and want to play with them together. As soon as you realise this, the real fun starts!

It has been proven that the practitioners of LKM become less self-critical and depressive. On the whole, their self-esteem improves, giving them a stronger sense of self-worth and self-love (19).

Kindness microdosing is also effective

The loving kindness meditation can last 30 minutes or more. If you want to do it for a shorter time, however, it still counts! One study showed that even a microdose of this meditation increases the feeling of social connectedness and positivity towards others. So even if you do not have 30 minutes, you can opt for a mini kindness, perhaps for 10 minutes, and you will see what happens (20).

We live in a strange time full of changes and uncertainty. The only certainty each of us has is the truth within ourselves. It is something that no one can take away from you. Something that is yours only, that makes you who you are. If we are all truthful with ourselves, miracles can happen; and I do believe in miracles. But for that to happen, we need to slow down, pause, and come back to our centre, to our heart, and make our decisions from there. Not from our mind. This is something slightly beyond the Matrix. Like when Neo steps out of the Matrix. You too have a Neo inside you, and you can step out. Right now. All you have to do is go back to the source, to yourself, and create and live from within.

My wonderful husband and I organise loving kindness meditation sessions every Wednesday on Zoom. The meditation is free and you can register here.

Bibliography:

1. https://www.amazon.com/Lovingkindness-Revolutionary-Happiness-Shambhala-Classics/dp/157062903X
2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24602422/
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16049118/
4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18954193/
5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23649562/
6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23893519/
7. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0920996411000983
8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24984693/
9. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272735811001115
10. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4851730/
11. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22814662/
12. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18365029/
13. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22905090/
14. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23602876/
15. https://self-compassion.org/wp-content/uploads/publications/LKMnursesupdate.pdf
16. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22661409/
17. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0956797612470827
18. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23957283/
19. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24633992/
20. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=%28gross%5BAuthor%5D%29%20AND%20seppala%5BAuthor%5D