Loving Kindness Meditation Script

Read the full loving kindness meditation script below, or make your own. It is a beginner friendly metta practice that moves from yourself out to a loved one, a stranger, a difficult person, and everyone. Pick a focus, add what is going on, and get a personalized script in seconds.

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Loving kindness meditation script (full example)

Here is a complete loving kindness meditation you can read aloud, start to finish. It is written for beginners and moves through the classic metta steps, from yourself out to everyone. Read it slowly, and pause wherever you see [pause]. Want it in your own words? Use the generator above to customize this for yourself, built around who you most want to send kindness to today.

Find a comfortable place to sit, somewhere you can stay for about ten minutes. You can sit in a chair or on the floor, whatever is easier for your body today. [pause]

Let your hands rest in your lap. Let your eyes close, or let them rest on one point in front of you. [pause] Take one slow breath in through your nose. And a long breath out through your mouth. [pause] One more, a little slower. Feel the ground under you and the seat holding you up. [pause]

Expand full script

This is a loving kindness practice, sometimes called metta. All it asks is that you offer a few simple, kind wishes, first to yourself, and then to other people. You do not have to force any feeling. You are just saying the words and noticing what happens. [pause]

We will start with you. Bring a kind attention to yourself, just as you are right now. Picture yourself sitting here, or simply feel that you are here. [pause] Now say these words to yourself, slowly, one at a time. May I be safe. [pause] May I be well. [pause] May I be at ease. [pause] May I be kind to myself. [pause]

Say them again, even slower this time, and listen to each one. May I be safe. May I be well. May I be at ease. May I be kind to myself. [pause] Notice what comes up. Maybe a little warmth. Maybe nothing much. Maybe it feels strange to wish yourself well. All of that is fine. [pause]

Now bring to mind someone who is easy to care about. A close friend, a family member, a child, a pet. Someone who makes you feel a little lighter when you think of them. Picture them in front of you. [pause] Offer them the same wishes. May you be safe. [pause] May you be well. [pause] May you be at ease. [pause] May you be happy. [pause]

Stay with them for a moment, and say it once more. May you be safe. May you be well. May you be at ease. [pause] Notice how it feels to wish someone you care about well. [pause]

Now think of someone you barely know. A neighbor you nod to. Someone who served you coffee. A person you passed on the street today. You do not know their story, but they have one, full of the same hopes and worries you carry. [pause] Send them the same wishes. May you be safe. [pause] May you be well. [pause] May you be at ease. [pause] Notice that you can wish someone well even without knowing them at all. [pause]

Now, only if it feels okay, bring to mind someone you have a little tension with. Not the hardest person in your life. Just someone who has been on your mind, someone who is a bit difficult to sit with. [pause] You do not have to like what they did. You are only wishing them the same basic things you want for yourself. As much as you can, say: may you be safe. [pause] May you be well. [pause] May you be at ease. [pause]

If that felt like too much, come back to yourself for a moment, or back to the person who is easy to love, and offer the wishes there instead. There is no need to push. [pause]

Now let the wishes widen out past this room. To everyone in your building, your street, your town. To people you will never meet. To everyone who is having a hard day, and everyone who is having a good one. [pause] Include yourself in that circle too. May all of us be safe. [pause] May all of us be well. [pause] May all of us be at ease. [pause]

Rest here for a few breaths, with nothing to say and nothing to do. Just the quiet after all those good wishes. [pause]

When you are ready, bring your attention back to the room. Feel your feet on the floor and your seat beneath you. [pause] Take one slow breath in. And out. [pause] Wiggle your fingers, and when it feels right, open your eyes. [pause]

You can carry a little of this with you. The next time you pass a stranger, or think of someone you love, you already know the words. May you be well.

This is a self-reflection practice for personal wellness and learning, not a replacement for therapy. If anything feels like too much, it is okay to pause and come back to it later.

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FAQ

Is loving kindness meditation the same as metta?

Yes. Metta is the Pali word for loving kindness, or goodwill, so a metta meditation and a loving kindness meditation are the same practice. You silently offer simple kind wishes to yourself and then to others, usually moving from yourself to a loved one, a neutral person, a difficult person, and finally everyone.

How do you do a loving kindness meditation for beginners?

Sit comfortably and take a few slow breaths. Start by offering kind wishes to yourself, such as may I be safe, may I be well, may I be at ease. Then offer the same wishes to a loved one, someone you barely know, someone you have tension with, and finally everyone, including yourself. Repeat each set of phrases slowly and notice what you feel.

What are the loving kindness meditation phrases?

The classic phrases are simple wishes you can repeat, such as may you be safe, may you be well, may you be at ease, and may you be happy. There is no fixed script, so you can adjust the words until they feel honest to you. The script on this page uses may I be safe, may I be well, may I be at ease, and may I be kind to myself.

What if I do not feel anything during the practice?

That is common, especially at the start, and it does not mean you are doing it wrong. Loving kindness is a practice, not a performance. You are saying the words and making the offer, and the feeling may show up a little, a lot, or not at all. Over time, repeating the wishes tends to make them feel more natural.

Is there a loving kindness meditation script I can read out loud?

Yes. This page includes a complete loving kindness meditation script for beginners that you can read aloud exactly as it is, with pause cues built in. If you want a version built around who you most want to send kindness to today, use the generator above to create a personalized one.