With Sandhya Bar Kama
As Rosh Hashanah approaches, meditation teacher Sandhya Bar Kama guides us through a short practice of metta, the Buddhist practice of loving-kindness.
The meditation begins with ourselves, offering simple wishes for safety, freedom from suffering, ease, and happiness. From there, we gradually extend those wishes to the people we love, our communities, our neighbors, and eventually to all sentient beings.
This practice can be especially meaningful at the beginning of a new year. Rather than asking us to push away difficult feelings or find a positive outlook, it offers a way to meet ourselves with a little more kindness and to consider what we want to cultivate in the year ahead.
Take a few quiet minutes to slow down, soften around some of what we may be carrying, and reconnect with a sense of care for ourselves and others.
You can also take one of the wishes from the practice with you into everyday life:
May we be safe and protected.
May we be free from suffering.
May we live with ease and joy.
May we be happy.
