In a recent AYP retreat we learned a form of metta bhavana or loving-kindness practice. Of course, it wasn’t taught as an AYP technique, but just as something the teacher (Tristan) found personally useful on his path.
I gave it a shot for six weeks, doing it each day for 10 minutes. And I noticed two effects, one in daily life and one during samyama practice, both of which were very positive. I didn’t notice any overload due to those extra 10 minutes (I was observing carefully here, because I’m at the edge to overload with my tiny AYP routine). I practiced metta bhavana close to bedtime, well-separated from my AYP routine.
What I noticed in daily life: an increased ability to spontaneously feel love for strangers makes interacting with people more smooth and enjoyable. This was only small effect, but still noticeable compared to the following six weeks where I deliberately didn’t practice any metta bhavana to see the difference (without changing my AYP routine). So this spontaneous loving in daily life got less during the six weeks of not practicing metta bhavana.
For samyama, I noticed that it became easier to actually touch the faint feeling of love and release that (rather than the word). For me samyama sutras are on a spectrum between words (like a mantra with attached meaning) and pure feeling. Depending on the day and conditions, it can change where I naturally pick up the sutra on that spectrum. But there is a persistent change on how effortlessy I can pick up Love now more on the feeling end of spectrum, which I attribute to the six weeks of 10 minute daily metta bhavana.
I’m now adding back this metta bhavana practice as a daily 10 min practice (again as a stand-alone extra practice apart from my AYP routine), to see if the positive effects in daily life are reproducible.
I’m reporting this here, because I believe that this practice can be a useful, powerful and safe supporting practice for a AYP routine. That’s of course presumable why Tristan taught it. But I think more AYP practitioners might benefit from this practice, so I bring it up here in the forum.
I am glad to hear you have found the practice beneficial.
Metta bhavana (loving kindness) practice is a form of bhavana. Bhavana means something like “cultivating”, “becoming”, “mood”, or “bringing into being through repeated contemplation”. Bhavana practices are considered an aspect of Jnana Yoga (Self-inquiry) especially when they are designed to lead to knowledge of our true nature. Loving Kindness practice begins with the cultivation of feelings of loving kindness towards self and others, but gradually deepens into an understanding of ourselves as not only being loving, but being love itself.
In AYP Jnana Yoga practices are broad and are really left up to the inclination of each individual. But, as you mentioned, in my own case this has been an especially useful one. It is not for beginners, as abiding inner silence is a pre-requisite as it is for all Jnana Yoga practices.
For anyone reading who is interested in what this is, there is a description here:
There is also a guided Loving Kindness session during week two of my Self-inquiry video course:
Thank you Tristan! I wasn’t aware that you had written down the instructions to this practice also on your website, and that it is a self-inquiry practice (and part of your video course, I haven’t checked that out yet).
Great that this practice categorizes as self-inquiry, so it can fit without problem into the AYP system.
I just read your instructions and realized that I mixed up the order. At second place I had those people where I find it difficult to feel love for (a group of people who hurt others), and at third place I had my “random encounters of the day” (whom I don’t have much to do with). Does this matter, or should I switch to the order you describe (i.e. at 2nd place the random encounters and 3rd place the people I find I difficult to love)?
I had been doing each segment for 2.5 minutes instead of 5, so 10 minutes in total. When I restart now with the practice I will again do it for 10 minutes instead 20, just to be sure that I’m back at what I found stable.
How does this practice compare to heart breathing with Love as the ishta? I had tried this before but didn’t notice much of an effect (compared to metta bhavana), but I suspect I never made it beyond the clunky stage with heart breathing before giving it up again.
I would keep the order as described on the website. It is designed to go from easiest (friends/ loved ones), through to next easiest (neutral acquaintances) to hardest (people who have hurt us), and to finish with ourselves to round things off.
As with all Jnana Yoga practices the timing is not that important and will vary depending on our situation and the amount of time available. This can be a short practice, or a longer one, and both can be effective.
I would say that Metta Bhavana is an easier practice than Heart Breathing for most people. Heart Breathing becomes especially powerful when we have a strong devotional relationship with our ishta. I found that heart breathing became very powerful and effective when my ishta was a personification of divine love, or even simply divine love itself. For example when my ishta was Krishna and Radha, heart breathing was very powerful, or Jesus and Mary Magdalene.