I'm going to use this space to fill in what feels useful and interesting to me. I've begun practicing intensively Metta as taught by Bhanta Sujato, as relayed to him by Ajahn Maha Chatchai. Ajahn Chatchai used this method as his primary practice during his time as a monk, and I find it useful for its somatic emphasis.
The basic steps are:
1) Anchor attention in the body (noting "thinking" when thoughts appear) until the mind feels relatively stable
2) Spend some time concentrating on the words themsevles ("may I be happy") until a degree of samadhi has been established
3) Reflection during recitation on the phrases (consider the deepest implications of the wish for happiness)
4) Once the feeling of metta has built and is strong, move the attention around the body until the body is filled entirely with the feeling of metta, or simply continue with the recitation until metta builds organically
5) Drop the phrases and rest in the feeling of metta throughout the body
Once the attention can be consistently sustained upon the jhana resulting from the previous five steps for a period of 20 minutes, move on to next person.
The instructions for the retreat I'm using as guide can be found by clicking on the following link:
santifm.org/santi/downloads/
Click on retreats, and 2007 metta meditation course if interested.