Mudita Meditation

In yesterdays Yin class did a Mudita Meditation. Mudita is the 3rd of the Four Divine Abodes in Buddhism. There is Metta (loving-kidness), Karuna (compassion), Mudita (sympathetic joy) and Upekkha (equanimity). We are working our way through each meditation...and not just using them in class, but incorporating them into our lives so that we can become the best person that we are capable of being.

If you'd like to add this to your life, it is easy to incorporate (even into a busy lifestyle). You can repeat it when you first wake in the morning, or as you are winding down your day.

MUDITA MEDITATION:

Begin by focusing on the heart center - the middle of the chest, just beneath the sternum. Feel the breath moving there, rising and falling. Soften the heart, let yourself be open and receptive, letting down any defenses. Very slowly move through these phrases in your mind, contemplating their meaning and letting their meaning penetrate beyond the idea to the actual feeling itself.

• May I be appreciative and grateful.
• May I be aware of beauty and joy.
• May I be open to beauty and joy.
• May I respond to beauty and joy with appreciation and gratitude.

1. First repeat this several times for YOURSELF.
2. Now focus it and send it to someone dear to you (May you be...)
3. Send this to someone neutral. A neighbor, acquaintance, coworker, etc. (May you be...)
4. Focus on someone negative or difficult. Someone that maybe you just don't like. Now send it to them (May you be...)
5. Finally, send it to All Beings Everywhere (May all beings everywhere be...)

Radiate Mudita outward to all beings nearby, and gradually out to the whole planet, and finally the entire universe. At the end, come back to an awareness of breath and the heart center again, returning to the reality of your own body and this present moment.

Namaste my friends, and Happy Holidays!