Take a moment to make yourself comfortable.
You may sit or lie down for this meditation.
Once you have located your comfort,
Gently close your eyes.
Or if it feels more comfortable,
Fix your gaze on a stationary object.
Many think self-compassion is selfish.
But in fact,
Self-compassion is an act that serves the world.
The Buddhist nun,
Pema Shodran,
Says,
Compassion for others begins with kindness to ourselves.
So that is what we will move towards during this meditation.
Let's first start by relaxing and paying attention to the body.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in through the nose.
And slowly exhale through the mouth.
Again.
Place your attention to where your body meets the earth.
Come into this moment by connecting to your body.
Notice how your hands feel,
Your shoulders.
How do your thighs feel?
Your feet.
Is there any tension you wish to surrender?
Breathe it in and release it as you exhale.
Connect with your breath.
Feel it as it flows through your body and out into the world.
Witness how it effortlessly nurtures you.
Self-compassion follows this same path.
It begins with you and lovingly reverberates into the world.
Next,
Shift your attention to a situation where you found yourself angry or frustrated and perhaps spoke or acted harshly towards yourself.
You might want to pick a situation that was only mildly upsetting.
How did you react towards yourself in that situation?
What did you say to yourself?
How did your body feel upon experiencing your reaction?
Release the situation for a moment.
Breath in.
Exhale.
Now bring to mind a loved one.
Someone you care about deeply and treat with extra care.
Allow yourself to feel the love you have for them.
What would you tell your loved one if someone spoke or reacted to them the way you had towards yourself?
Deep breath in.
Exhale.
Gently place yourself back into the situation that caused you to react harshly towards yourself.
Speak aloud or silently to yourself exactly what you told your loved one.
Make sure to direct these kind words towards yourself.
Allow your body to feel and hear them.
And it's okay if it feels hard to speak kindly to yourself.
Just like with all things worth doing,
Self-compassion takes time,
Attention and practice.
Deep breath in.
Exhale.
Raise your hand on your heart.
Connect with its beat.
Feel yourself being.
Know that your existence makes you worthy of kindness and compassion always.
Take a moment to honor the self-compassion it took to show up here today.
Deep breath in.
Slow exhale.
And finally,
Set an intention to do your best to act with self-compassion.
Show compassion in the coming days and weeks.
When you are ready,
You may gently open your eyes.
