Loving-kindness meditation script: a free, printable metta practice

Does loving-kindness meditation actually work?

Loving-kindness meditation comes from Buddhism. The Pali word is metta, usually translated as loving-kindness or friendliness, and it is one of four qualities cultivated in an old Buddhist tradition. A short text called the Metta Sutta is the best-known teaching on it. The traditional practice starts with yourself and then widens to loved ones, strangers, people you find difficult, and all beings. In the West it was popularised by teachers such as Sharon Salzberg, whose book Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness was published in 1995.

On the evidence: in a 2008 field experiment, Barbara Fredrickson and colleagues randomly assigned 139 working adults to begin loving-kindness meditation or not. The meditation group reported more positive emotions day to day, and those gains were linked with later increases in personal resources such as purpose in life and social support, and with higher life satisfaction and fewer depressive symptoms. A 2011 review by Stefan Hofmann, Paul Grossman and Devon Hinton found loving-kindness and compassion practice associated with more positive and less negative feeling, but called several of the findings preliminary.

The limits are real. The evidence is limited, and a printout is not the same as a supported programme. The research does not show that reading this script will change how you feel. The five stages and the ten-minute length here are a plain, self-guided version of the tradition, not any teacher's own text. It's a tool you can try, not a treatment.

These are educational self-reflection tools, not therapy.

If you want to go deeper

• Fredrickson, B. L., Cohn, M. A., Coffey, K. A., Pek, J. & Finkel, S. M. (2008). Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(5), 1045-1062.
• Hofmann, S. G., Grossman, P. & Hinton, D. E. (2011). Loving-kindness and compassion meditation: Potential for psychological interventions. Clinical Psychology Review, 31(7), 1126-1132.
• Salzberg, S. (1995). Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness. Shambhala.

Your questions, answered

What is loving-kindness meditation?

It's a practice where you silently repeat kind wishes, such as 'may you be safe, may you be well', for yourself and then for other people. It comes from the Buddhist tradition, where it is called metta, a Pali word usually translated as loving-kindness or friendliness. In the traditional order you start with yourself, then people you love, then strangers and difficult people, then all beings.

How do you do a loving-kindness meditation?

Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Silently repeat your wishes for yourself, slowly, then for someone you love, a neutral person, someone difficult if you choose, and finally everyone. Leave a breath between lines and don't force any feeling. This script gives you the five stages in order, with space to change the phrases.

Does loving-kindness meditation work?

Some research is encouraging, but it is modest. In a 2008 experiment (Fredrickson and colleagues), 139 working adults were randomly assigned to start loving-kindness meditation or not. The practice raised daily positive emotions over time, and those gains were linked with later increases in things like purpose in life and life satisfaction. A 2011 review (Hofmann, Grossman and Hinton) found loving-kindness practice associated with more positive and less negative feeling, but described many findings as preliminary. It's a gentle practice, not a proven treatment.

What if I can't feel anything, or the words feel false?

That happens, and it doesn't mean you're doing it wrong. The practice is saying the words and noticing what comes up, not producing a feeling. Try changing the phrases to something you could say and mean, like 'may I get through today'. Or start with someone easy to care about, such as a pet or a child, and come back to yourself later.

What if it brings up painful feelings?

Stop. Open your eyes, look around the room and name what you can see, and feel your feet on the floor. The grounding techniques guide and the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding worksheet on this site can help. Being kind to yourself can feel hard or even frightening after trauma or a lot of criticism, and you can skip the stage or the whole practice. If it keeps happening, talk to a GP or a qualified professional, or see the help page for support lines.

Is there a loving-kindness meditation script PDF?

Yes. Use the Download PDF button for a clean, print-ready copy with the full script, or Print to print straight from the page. It's free, with no payment and no email needed. You can also fill it in on screen, and your answers save in your browser.

Is this a substitute for therapy?

No. It's an educational self-help exercise, not therapy or medical advice. If you're struggling with low mood, anxiety, grief or memories of trauma, please talk to a GP or a qualified mental health professional. If you're in crisis, contact a helpline: Samaritans on 116 123 (UK and Ireland), 988 (US), or find one near you at findahelpline.com.

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