Welcome to this self-compassion meditation.
Take a moment to settle yourself.
There's nowhere else you need to be right now and there's nothing that you need to achieve.
Be comfortable and gradually allow your body to sink with gravity.
So often we move through life offering care,
Patience and understanding to others.
Yet we forget to extend that same kindness towards ourselves.
Many of us are quick to criticize,
Push away and dismiss our own needs,
Sometimes without even realizing we're doing it.
Over time this lack of self-compassion can leave us feeling depleted,
Disconnected and quietly overwhelmed.
Practicing self-compassion helps us rebuild that relationship with ourselves.
It allows us to soften the inner voice,
Reduce stress and anxiety and meet our experience with greater ease and balance.
So this practice today is not about fixing yourself or becoming someone different.
It's about learning to be with yourself just as you are with warmth,
Care and understanding.
Take a final few moments to ensure that you're comfortable in your position.
Remember that you can be seated or lie back against a couch.
Allow your body to be supported by whatever's beneath you.
And if it feels safe to do so,
Gently close your eyes or just soften your gaze and allow your attention to turn inward.
Take a slow steady breath in through the nose or the mouth and a lovely releasing sigh out.
And again breathing in and out.
Allow your shoulders to soften let your breath return to its own natural rhythm and just notice the sensation of your breathing.
The rise and fall of your chest or maybe you feel the movement of your belly.
There's nothing to change here.
Just notice and slowly bring your awareness to how you're feeling in this moment.
Not how you think you should feel but how you actually feel right now.
Maybe you notice tiredness,
Tension,
Restlessness.
Maybe you feel calm or it might be a feeling of numbness.
Whatever it is,
See if you can meet it without judgment.
Silently acknowledging to yourself this is how it is for me right now and it's okay.
Often when we struggle our instinct is to resist and push those feelings away or even criticize ourselves for having them.
So instead today we're going to practice by responding with compassion.
If it helps you,
You might like to place one hand over your heart or anywhere that you feel is comforting on your body.
Tune into the warmth and gentle pressure of your touch.
A simple reminder that you're here and that you're listening.
And silently offer yourself a few kind phrases.
You could repeat these softly in your mind or adapt the words.
So that they feel natural to you.
May I be kind to myself.
May I give myself the compassion that I need.
May I allow myself to be human.
As you rest here,
If you notice that your mind is wandering off,
It's completely normal.
Anytime you notice it drifting,
Gently guide your awareness back to one or two of the phrases that we've just said or to the sensation of your breath.
Now bring to mind a situation,
Past or present,
Where you know that you've been hard on yourself.
Where you felt challenged or overwhelmed.
There's no need to go into the details with this,
But just notice the feeling or tone of it.
And as you hold it gently in your awareness,
See if you can offer yourself the same care you might give a close friend or loved one.
Silently saying,
I'm doing the best I can.
It's okay to struggle sometimes.
I deserve care and understanding.
As you rest with the energy of these words,
If you find that emotions arise,
Just allow them to be there.
None of this is wrong.
This is simply what it feels like to connect a little more deeply with yourself.
As we move towards the end of this meditation,
Just start to imagine your breath flowing in and out through your heart area.
With each inhalation,
You're inviting in warmth and kindness.
With each exhalation,
You're releasing a little tension or self-judgment.
Take a final few moments to rest here in this feeling of gentle presence.
And remember that self-compassion is something you can return to at any time in a single breath,
Or a hand resting on your heart,
Or maybe just a kind word to yourself.
Begin to notice the space around you again.
The sounds.
Notice the support beneath your body.
And when you're ready to come back,
Start by wiggling your fingers and your toes,
Having a stretch if that feels nice right now,
And slowly blinking your eyes open again.
Take this sense of kindness and compassion with you as you move into the rest of your day or your evening,
Remembering that caring for yourself is not a luxury,
It's a vital part of your well-being.
Thank you for allowing me to guide you today.
