This Quick Practice Will Make You Feel Lighter | Jay Michaelson
π€ AI Summary
Overview
This episode features a guided loving-kindness meditation led by Jay Michaelson. Departing from traditional metta practices that use verbal affirmations, this meditation employs visualization techniques to cultivate compassion and well-being. The practice centers on imagining a limitless, golden light emanating from the heart, expanding outward to include others.
Notable Quotes
- The love you take is equal to the love you make.
β Jay Michaelson, referencing the Beatles to emphasize the reciprocal nature of loving-kindness.
- The light is not about judgment or forgiveness... We're just extending loving-kindness.
β Jay Michaelson, on the non-evaluative nature of the practice.
- You can fake it till you make it.
β Jay Michaelson, encouraging listeners to embrace the practice even if it feels unnatural at first.
π§ββοΈ Loving-Kindness Through Visualization
- Jay Michaelson introduces a variation of loving-kindness meditation that replaces verbal affirmations with a visualization of a warm, golden light.
- The practice begins by grounding in the body and focusing on the heart center, imagining a limitless glow of light that symbolizes compassion and well-being.
- This light is visualized as filling the body and radiating outward, creating a sense of warmth and connection.
π Expanding the Circle of Compassion
- Participants are guided to extend the golden light to loved ones, starting with those for whom it is easy to feel affection.
- The circle of light gradually expands to include neutral individuals, such as acquaintances or strangers encountered in daily life.
- Finally, the practice extends to those with whom one has difficult relationships, emphasizing that loving-kindness is not about condoning actions but wishing for the well-being of all.
π Universal Connection and Boundlessness
- The meditation culminates in imagining the light encompassing all beings, transcending personal boundaries and creating a universal field of compassion.
- Jay Michaelson highlights that this practice fosters a sense of interconnectedness, where the practitioner is both the source and recipient of the loving energy.
π‘ Practical Tips for Beginners
- Jay Michaelson reassures listeners that skepticism or difficulty visualizing is normal and encourages them to fake it till you make it.
- The practice is described as a magic trick
that transforms imagination into a tangible feeling of warmth and connection.
- Smiling during the meditation is suggested as a way to enhance the experience, with Jay humorously noting, No one's watching.
AI-generated content may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon as a sole source of truth.
π Episode Description
A guided loving-kindness meditation from Jay Michaelson that ditches the phrases and uses visualization instead.
If you've done traditional metta (loving-kindness) practice before, you know it involves bringing people to mind and repeating phrases like "May you be happy, may you be healthy." It's a great practice. But sometimes the words can get you stuck in your headβthinking about what would actually make this person happy, or getting into stories about their suffering.
This version takes away the verbal element. Instead, you work with a visualization: imagining a warm, golden light in your heart center that you can extend outward.
Fair warning: this involves imagination. If that makes you roll your eyes, that's fine. But as the Beatles said, "The love you take is equal to the love you make." It's worth a try.
Jay Michaelson is our Teacher of the Month for February. Find more guided meditations and live sessions with Jay throughout the month in the 10% with Dan Harris app.
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