We could all use a little extra love—that much is true. And one powerful yet resoundingly simple practice that aims to bring more love toward yourself, to friends and family, and to the world around you is loving-kindness meditation. It’s a practice that’s rooted in Buddhist tradition and has benefits backed by science today.

But how can this meditation actually change your life for the better? Keep reading to learn more about what loving-kindness meditation is, step-by-step instructions on how to practice it, and the benefits involved.

What Is Loving-Kindness Meditation (Metta Meditation)?

Loving-kindness meditation is a specific style of meditation intended to cultivate love, compassion, and happiness for all beings, explains Peloton instructor Kirra Michel. It typically follows a script and includes phrases like “May I be healthy,” “May I be happy,” or “May I live with ease and free from harm,” among others. “It’s been taught and practiced for thousands of years,” Kirra says.

Loving-kindness meditation is also known as metta meditation or maitri meditation. The Pali word “metta” and Sanskrit word “maitri” can both translate to “loving kindness,” explains Peloton instructor Aditi Shah, who leads metta meditations on the Peloton App. This type of meditation “is a heart practice,” she says, “which focuses on developing an unconditional kindness, friendliness, and love for all beings.”

Loving-kindness meditation may initially hone in on the word “I,” but the focus isn’t limited to only yourself. In fact, it’s anything but a selfish practice. As you meditate more and generate love for yourself, you’ll eventually also send the sentiment outward “to others you know, don’t know, and even those you struggle with,” Kirra says. (More on that in just a bit.)

“Metta allows us to lighten our hearts, to befriend ourselves and our world, to reframe our experiences with compassion, and to develop further insights into our inner landscape,” Aditi says.

How to Practice Loving-Kindness Meditation

Loving-kindness meditation focuses on several phrases that you repeat to yourself. Follow these steps to try it yourself.

1. Follow a Loving-Kindness Meditation Script

“Metta practice generally begins with cultivating loving kindness towards ourselves, then towards those we love, towards neutral people, those we have difficulties with, and ultimately all beings,” Aditi says. “To do this, we typically concentrate on one or more phrases.” These phrases also serve as an anchor to come back to if or when you get distracted during your practice, she adds.

These are a few phrases you may encounter in metta meditation, according to Aditi:

There are different interpretations of these phrases, so the exact verbiage you use may differ slightly depending on the practitioner.

2. Focus Inward, and Then Outward

When you first start a metta meditation practice, the recipient of each phrase is yourself. But “once we learn how to connect to ourselves with loving kindness, it naturally begins to expand out to others around us,” Kirra explains.

You can extend those warm feelings to a specific person or a larger group of folks, like your neighbors or community members. Then, shift your focus to all people and beings: “Encompass as much of the world and living creatures in it as you can,” recommends psychologist Heather Stevenson, PhD.

For example, “may I be safe” eventually becomes “may you be safe,” which evolves into “may all beings be safe,” Aditi says.

As you expand the recipients of your loving-kindness meditation practice, it might also help to imagine smaller circles that extend bigger and bigger. You might also visualize these positive feelings moving out toward or enveloping other people.

3. Honor Any Feelings That Arise

Metta meditation may leave you feeling good and energized, but you might also feel uncomfortable, Kirra says. Either response is normal—and one that should be embraced. 

“Most of us don’t typically spend time sending love to ourselves,” Kirra says. “Notice any feelings that arise without turning away from them.” With practice, it’ll become easier to give and receive love—to both ourselves and to others. “Like a hard-edged rock in a river, with enough practice and water gently washing over it, the edges begin to soften,” she says.

4. Follow a Guided Metta Meditation

The Peloton App offers Metta Meditation classes, which are a great resource whether you are new to the practice or have years of experience. Following an instructor’s guidance can help you make the most out of your practice and help you stay present with supportive prompts.

“Find a class that resonates with you and is an appropriate length to be able to practice and listen to daily for 30 days or more,” Kirra suggests. Doing so can help cement the practice into your routine and help you get the most out of it. And remember: “Like anything else, metta meditation takes time and practice,” Aditi says.

5. Repeat Regularly

Over time, you’ll probably get more comfortable with the feelings that come up during a loving-kindness meditation, allowing you to take even more value from the practice. “With repetition, these kinds of ideas do start to sink in, and you can quickly start to see a shift from doing it a few times,” Stevenson says. 

6. Use It as a Tool at Any Time

Loving-kindness meditation is there for you whenever you need it, whether that’s in the spur of a difficult moment or planned ahead. 

For example, as part of your morning routine, you might sit in a meditative position and recite the phrases a few times, using the visualization strategies outlined above to touch the lives of those around you. Or, says Stevenson, you can tap into loving kindness in smaller moments. She likes to repeat those phrases if she sees someone who needs some kindness directed their way. “I’ll repeat the phrases in my mind, extending them to others,” she says.

If you’re irritated or upset about something, you can also take a moment to use loving kindness on yourself. “It’s a nice practice to have without being so formal,” Stevenson adds.

Loving-Kindness Meditation Benefits

Loving-kindness meditation is both simple and powerful.

“Metta allows us to lighten our hearts, to befriend ourselves and our world, to reframe our experiences with compassion, and to develop further insights into our inner landscape,” Aditi says. Similarly, it also encourages the development of empathy, supports our mental health, and helps us create stronger connections with others, Kirra adds.

Here’s a closer look at the potential benefits of loving-kindness meditation.

1. It Changes Your Energy

If you’re feeling like it’s you against the world or you’re simply having a bad day, metta meditation may help turn things around. 

“This meditation is a way to generate loving and kindness within yourself, as well as help you extend those feelings to others,” Stevenson says. “Creating these feelings helps calm any upset or unpleasant emotions,” she says.

Post-practice, you may get a powerful boost of positivity. A meta-analysis of 24 studies published in Frontiers in Psychology found that loving-kindness meditation indeed improves positive emotions.

Another study in the journal Mindfulness illustrates benefits of metta meditation as well. A group of adults who were new to meditation practiced either mindfulness meditation or loving-kindness meditation, and after nine weeks, participants in both groups reported more day-to-day positive emotions. Benefits correlated to how much time they spent using these meditations—the more they practiced, the better they felt.

2. It Decreases Criticism and Increases Compassion

“You shouldn’t have done that. You aren’t good enough. You don’t deserve that good thing.” Does any of that negative self-talk sound familiar? It’s so easy to pay attention to that nasty voice in your head that says that you’re not good enough. Fortunately, loving-kindness meditation can help take you out of that harmful head space and into a new one of self-acceptance—and, importantly, acceptance of others. 

“So many people deal with heavy self-criticism as well as harsh judgment on ourselves and others,” Kirra says. “Practicing metta allows us to see ourselves and others as humans who are all dealing with elements of pain from time to time. It teaches us to turn towards our and others’ wounds with love and compassion, which tends to be extremely healing.”

3. It Boosts Resilience

Metta meditation allows us to build resilience, Aditi says. Through this compassionate practice, “we understand that we may make mistakes, but we ourselves are not the mistake,” she says. “That allows us to become more resilient, more perseverant—we can get back up after we have fallen down without the weight of self-judgement upon us.”

4. It Improves Connection

“Metta connects us to our hearts, to our humanity, and to one another,” Aditi says.

Indeed, loving-kindness meditation proves that you don’t need to be friends with someone—or even know them—to better your connection with them. “We don’t live alone in silos on the planet. We’re in communities and are part of a broader population of people,” Stevenson says. “By extending loving kindness out to others, we can tap into a sense of connection. You get the message that someone else’s well-being is connected to your own.”

This feeling of connection will grow the longer you practice loving-kindness meditation, Aditi says. “As we progress, metta helps us to relate to the world differently as well,” she says. “We may intellectually know that we are interconnected, but metta helps us to feel it.”

These benefits have been illustrated in some older research from 2008 published in the journal Emotion, which found that even a few minutes of loving-kindness meditation boosted feelings of social connection and positivity toward others. It could potentially help reduce social isolation too—something that affects one in three adults in the US and can increase the risk of conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, depression, and anxiety, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

The Takeaway

Loving-kindness meditation, also known as metta meditation, is a type of meditative practice where you extend feelings of love and compassion to yourself, to people around you, and, eventually, to the world. It can cultivate positive emotions, improve compassion and resilience, and boost your sense of connection with others. With a few phrases to remember (such as “may I be safe,” “may I be happy,” “may I be healthy,” and “may I live with ease”), you can use loving-kindness meditation whenever needed during your day.