A simple soothing, chant-like song in 3 parts. This song was inspired by the Buddhist "Metta Meditation", also known as the “loving kindness meditation”.
There are many variations of this, but a simplified version is:
May I (you/we/all) be happy
May I (you/we/all) be peaceful
May I (you/we/all) be well
The meditation starts with sending these well wishes to yourself, then out in a widening circle, which can include loved ones, strangers, people with whom you have difficulty, and eventually all living beings, and the planet. I have always felt moved by the simple and deep truth that this meditation points to - to love another, we must start with ourselves; to change the world, we must start with ourselves.
Quite a few of the words of this song can easily be changed. You can ask the group to find some verse ideas that they would like to include. For example: May there be love in my heart, may there be joy, etc. Or may there be peace in your heart, may there be peace in the world.
There are many variations of this, but a simplified version is:
May I (you/we/all) be happy
May I (you/we/all) be peaceful
May I (you/we/all) be well
The meditation starts with sending these well wishes to yourself, then out in a widening circle, which can include loved ones, strangers, people with whom you have difficulty, and eventually all living beings, and the planet. I have always felt moved by the simple and deep truth that this meditation points to - to love another, we must start with ourselves; to change the world, we must start with ourselves.
Quite a few of the words of this song can easily be changed. You can ask the group to find some verse ideas that they would like to include. For example: May there be love in my heart, may there be joy, etc. Or may there be peace in your heart, may there be peace in the world.