Take deep breaths & create positivity with Metta Bhavana breathwork
A daily 5-minute breathing exercise for mindfulness and loving kindness
Text: V Gibbons
Every day, we breath in and out around 20,000 times. Breathing is the body’s tool for filling your cells with oxygen and eliminating waste in the form of carbon dioxide. Breathing is also a powerful agent to support emotional wellbeing. Deep breaths are proven to calm a stressed nervous system, reduce hypertension and lower blood pressure.
Slow breathing can support a good night’s sleep and reduce sleep apnoea. Focused breathing can increase mindfulness. While forceful breathing is known to improve lung stamina, reduce asthma and allergic bronchitis. In this way, breathing is our single most vital practice for living. Yet most of the time, we don’t even think about it.
Cultivating a daily practice of breathing exercises will strengthen the connection between your body and mind and have a positive impact on your physical and mental wellness. And the good news is, breathing exercises don’t have to take a lot of time out of your day. It’s really just about setting aside a spare five minutes.
If you’re interested in trying it out, the Metta Bhavana, commonly known in Buddhism as ‘Breath of Loving Kindness’, is a great way to start the day.
What is Metta Bhavana?
Metta bhavana is commonly known as the Buddhist breathing practice of cultivating loving kindness (Metta means ‘love’, ‘friendliness’, ‘kindness’ hence ‘loving kindness’, and Bhavana means ‘cultivation’). To get started, sit comfortably in a chair or on the floor. Bring your focus to your chest. Breath in slowly for four counts; pause for two counts; and then breath out slowly for six counts. Repeat this sequence for the full five minutes. Now you’re ready to start radiating positivity through breathwork.
For the first minute, focus on feeling Metta for yourself. With each inhale bring awareness of yourself and focus on feelings of peace, calm and tranquillity. During each pause, recite the phrase ‘Today I am happy, safe and well’. With each exhale, let these feelings grow in strength and confidence.
During the second minute, think of good friend. Bring them to mind as vividly as you can and focus on their good qualities. Feel your connection with your friend with each breath in. During each pause recite the phrase ‘Today, may they be happy, safe and well’ quietly to yourself. With each exhale, let these feelings for your friend grow in strength, confidence and positivity.
In the third minute, think of someone you do not know. Your feelings to them are neutral. With each inhale you can reflect on their humanity and include them in your feelings of Metta. During each pause, repeat the phrase ‘Today, may you be happy, safe and well’ followed by a slow, calm exhale.
In the fourth minute, think of someone you dislike or someone you’re having difficulty with. Try not to get caught up in any feelings of stress or anger. Simply visualise them as you inhale, recite the phrase ‘Today, may you be happy, safe and well’ during the pause and exhale sending Metta to them as well.
For the final minute, think of all four people together — yourself, your friend, the neutral person, and your enemy. Recite the phrase ‘Today, may we all be happy, safe and well’. With each breath in extend your visualisation of positivity out further — to all beings around you, to everyone in your neighbourhood, your country and so on throughout the world. Have a sense of waves of Metta spreading from to all beings everywhere. Then gradually relax and bring the practice to an end.
It’s recommended that you begin this breathwork technique with just five minutes a day and increase your time as the practice becomes easier and more comfortable. If five minutes feels too long, start with just two minutes and build up. As your comfort levels increase you can use this technique multiple times a day.
