Metta and Mindfulness

Metta is the super power of our times! Join me tonight for a short Metta and mindfulness practice..

What is Metta?
Metta Meditation, also known as Loving-Kindness Meditation, is a Buddhist practice that involves cultivating unconditional love, goodwill, and compassion toward oneself and others. The word Metta is a Pali term meaning benevolence, loving-kindness, or friendliness.
Metta has so many benefits..here are just a few.
Physical Benefits of Metta Meditation
1. Reduced Blood Pressure and Heart Rate
Loving-kindness meditation activates the parasympathetic nervous system (rest-and-digest mode), leading to relaxation, slower heart rate, and lower blood pressure.
2. Improved Immune Function
Chronic stress weakens the immune system. Metta reduces stress and promotes the release of oxytocin, which can support immune health.
3. Better Sleep
People who regularly practice Metta report better sleep quality and reduced insomnia, due to the calming of both body and mind before rest.
4. Decreased Physical Pain
Some studies show that loving-kindness meditation reduces the perception of pain, especially in chronic pain sufferers, possibly by shifting attention and increasing pain tolerance.
Why It Works (Scientifically Speaking)
5. Neuroscience shows that Metta activates brain regions associated with empathy, compassion, and emotional regulation (such as the insula and anterior cingulate cortex).
6. Hormonal Effects: Metta boosts oxytocin, the “bonding hormone,” and reduces cortisol, the “stress hormone.”
7. Neuroplasticity: Regular practice rewires the brain to make kindness, compassion, and calm more accessible states.