Holding One's Self Gently

20:36

20:36

Holding One's Self Gently

Rated

4.8

Type

guided

Activity

Meditation

Suitable for

Everyone

Plays

132

This is a guided meditation to practice holding one's self with kindness and compassion. In this practice, we will use affirmations, following our breath, settling our whole selves, and returning through affirmation to compassion and care.

Self Compassion Intention Affirmation Emotional Awareness Non Reactivity Ancestral Guidance Breath Awareness Resistance Appreciation Self Acceptance Intention Setting Affirmation Repetition

Meet your Teacher

Boston, MA, USA

Meet your Teacher

Boston, MA, USA

Transcript

Hello, Thank you for joining me for this guided meditation on holding oneself gently. This is a guided practice for when we want to practice holding ourselves gently and compassionately, Quietly attending to what is happening, And tending our sensations and feelings without big external reactivity. This practice can give us space to make more skillful choices in responding to a particular event or situation, Whether it is a regular occurrence or more uncommon. If it is in your practice to invite protection and guidance from your ancestors, Teachers, Or guides, To light candles or burn incense, To close a door, Or to wrap a blanket or shawl for meditation or prayer around yourself, Take the time to set your intention and your space. You can make your own intention or affirmation. If you would like some suggestions, The ones I will be working with in this practice and sharing will be, Here, All of me is welcome. Here, I am home. Gently, I make space for all of me. Kindly, I welcome all of me. Here, All of me is welcome. Here, I am home. Gently, I make space for all of me. Kindly, I welcome all of me. If you need to set a timer, Then please do so. This total practice from the beginning of when I started speaking is going to be under 20 minutes. Perhaps you only have space for five minutes or 10. Maybe you have time for more. Perhaps you have space to not require a timer today. Recline or sit with support so that it is easiest for you to breathe deeply and freely. As you breathe, Slow and soften your breathing as though you are holding your whole body very kindly and gently, Offering yourself a supportive space or a peaceful hug. Begin to offer yourself your intention or affirmation. Remember, You can freely substitute what works for you for what I am offering. Here, All of me is welcome. Here, I am home. Gently, I make space for all of me. Kindly, I welcome all of me. Here, All of me is welcome. Here, I am home. Gently, I make space for all of me. Kindly, I welcome all of me. Repeat this intention or affirmation three, Six, Or twelve times. Threes give us a nice stable base to breathe into, Not too much to remember and easy to return to. Continuing to breathe, Holding your whole being very kindly and gently, Welcome your sensations, Thoughts, And feelings. The traditions that I teach from do not differentiate between sensations, Thoughts, And feelings. Yet, If you have been raised in or spent considerable amount of time in the Western philosophical or psychological traditions, You might be more familiar with separating these three. These are all thoughts in these traditions that I work from. Every sensation, Every feeling, Every judgment, Interpretation, Or other kinds of thoughts, You can stop at any time if they become too much. You are guiding and practicing here. As we welcome these sensations, Thoughts, And feelings, We might find they grow stronger or louder and weaker or softer over time. When I give myself space to remember this truth, That these sensations and thoughts are always changing, I am reminded I am not my thoughts and sensations alone, And I do not have to dissolve into them. Yes, They are part of me, And there are lots of other aspects of me. I can have pain or difficulties, And I am not pain or difficulty unless I choose. In that space between experiencing and being, I have choices, And if I choose, I can offer myself kindness and compassion as I would to another being who is struggling or having uncomfortable sensations. As you breathe and practice holding yourself, Can you find space to hold yourself with compassion and kindness? I promise you, You are worthy of this, No matter what. We may have made harmful choices in the past, And yet, Right here and now, We can make a kind and healing choice. When we learn to hold ourselves with kindness and compassion, We become less reactive, And we can make better choices. When I cannot hold myself kindly and compassionately or believe I am not worthy of this space, My experience is that I am more likely to say or do things that are truly regretful. Do you have similar experiences or differing ones? When we need to, Return to the intention or affirmation. Here, All of me is welcome. Here, I am home. Gently, I make space for all of me. Kindly, I welcome all of me. Here, All of me is welcome. Here, I am home. Gently, I make space for all of me. Kindly, I welcome all of me. Here, All of me is welcome. Here, I am home. Gently, I make space for all of me. Kindly, I welcome all of me. If there is one sensation or thought in particular that is resisting being held gently and compassionately, Perhaps you would like to focus your awareness on this. Offering yourself loving-kindness and thanking and recognizing this resisting thought, Sensation, Or feeling for its persistence. Sometimes we carry these because we've learned that we need to have certain reactions to protect ourselves, And maybe they no longer serve us well. We can still thank them for past service. I find when I appreciate resistant thoughts or sensations, They soften. Resistance is, After all, A way of seeking awareness, Attention, And connection. As these sensations, Thoughts, Or feelings no longer need to be as strong, We can still welcome it completely. Here, All of me is welcome, Including this sensation, Thought, Or feeling. Here, I am home, Including this sensation, Thought, Or feeling. Gently, I make space for all of me, Including a sensation, Thought, Or feeling. Kindly, I welcome all of me, Including this sensation, Thought, Or feeling. Just because we make way and welcome doesn't mean that we have to act out any particular sensation, Thought, Or feeling. Yet, We can still acknowledge them. They are part of our reality. They are part of us. As we welcome these sensations, Thoughts, And feelings, We may notice they continue to change. Their qualities of intensity will shift. We don't need to feed them to acknowledge them. We don't need to shore them up. We don't need to make them welcome. There's a lot of different thoughts, And sensations, And feelings moving through our being at any given time. Here, All of me is welcome. Here, I am home. Gently, I make space for all of me. Kindly, I welcome all of me. I invite you to take five more nourishing breaths with me. Perhaps in your body, If it's all right to breathe in through the nose and breathe out through the mouth, You'll join me in that practice. Perhaps returning to our shared space together, You might wish to take a little stretch in your being. Welcoming yourself back into a different space of being, And taking a few breaths to notice how you feel now. Are you curious about, Or would you like to try this practice again? If you would, Or you wish to return to the practice, You might choose to plan to try out when time can next be made. I want to thank you for making space to be kind and compassionate with yourself, And invite you to thank yourself for making space to be kind and compassionate with yourself. And I wish also to remind you, You are loved and lovable, Needed in this world, And you already belong. And you, Your life, Your choices, And your practices, Have, Do, And will continue to make a difference. Thank you for joining me for this practice today, And I hope that we will have a chance to practice again together. Goodbye for now, Until next time.