'Metta' translates as 'friendliness' or 'loving kindness' while 'Bhavana' means 'cultivation'. In the meditation practioners literally cultivate loving kindness for themselves and others.

The Metta Bhavana meditation is divided into five stages. Practitioners usually undertake either a twenty minute meditation - that's four minutes per stage - or a forty minute meditation - eight minutes per stage.

Stage One
In the first stage, develop metta for ourselves:
Remember a time when you were feeling particularly happy, glad to be alive and warm and positive. Focus on that happy time and those happy feelings while occasionally repeating silently to yourself the phrase: "May I be well. May I be happy. May I be free from suffering".

Stage two
In stage two, develop metta for a good friend:
Bring to mind a good friend - someone you are fond of but not sexually attracted to. Imagine them in a happy situation and wish them well while occasionally repeating silently to yourself the phrase: "May you be well. May you be happy. May you be free from suffering'.

Stage three
In stage three, develop metta for a neutral person - someone you know but don't have strong feelings for one way or the other:
Pick someone like a local shopkeeper, feel gentle, kind thoughts about them while occasionally repeating silently to yourself the phrase: "May you be well. May you be happy. May you be free from suffering".

Stage four
In stage four, develop metta for a 'difficult' person - someone you have bad feelings towards:
You can choose someone you have vaguely difficult feelings about or a real enemy with whom you have had real problems. But if you are new to this practise, it is probably best to start off with a mildly difficult person rather than a fully-fledged enemy!
Picture them in a happy situation, smiling and laughing.: imagine them smiling, imagine them laughing. Wish them well while occasionally repeating silently to yourself the phrase: "May you be well. May you be happy. May you be free from suffering".

Stage five
In stage five, expand your feelings of metta to all beings:
Send a pulse of gentle, loving kindness out from your heart to the room, the street, the town, the planet. Wish all beings well, happy and free from suffering

Get a timer for the Metta Bhavana here.