Hi,
My friend.
This is Samantha,
The Blissful Soul.
Welcome to today's session.
Many of us tend towards perfectionism.
Even in meditation,
We try to get it right.
We might be hard on ourselves for not having the experience or reaching the outcome that we think we should have.
Something to remember when it comes to meditation is that our intention is far more important than the outcome.
Having the intention to be present with what is and with what we are experiencing at the moment is how we unlock the ease to be discovered in meditation.
We will constantly get distracted and we will always have days when it's much harder not to fall asleep.
We will also have days when it's very difficult to be kind to ourselves.
That's why intention is so important in self-compassion meditation.
Our intention provides a foundation even when self-kindness does not come naturally or easily.
Today's practice is short but intentional.
If you ever find yourself judging yourself,
Come back to it.
Remind yourself we are all humans and are doing our best and give yourself a few minutes to breathe.
So if you can,
Sit upright with a long back comfortably in a chair or on the floor.
Lying down is perfectly okay too if this feels like what your body needs.
If it feels right,
Close your eyes to this practice.
If it doesn't,
You can allow your gaze to be soft with a downward focus.
Take a long,
Slow,
Deep breath in through your nose and allow your body to release an exhale through your mouth.
One more time.
With the exhale,
Notice anywhere in your body where you might be contracting.
Then allow those places to melt as comfortably and safely as possible.
One more deep breath as if you were breathing into your heart,
Your stomach,
And your legs.
And then release as you exhale.
Now gently place your right hand on your heart and your left hand on your belly.
And imagine,
What would it feel like right now?
If I were to hold myself with a little more compassion?
Notice your body's response.
There is no right way of experiencing this.
Just explore what it's like to open up a little bit more to self-compassion.
And then explore,
What would it feel like in your body to receive kindness right now?
And then,
What would receiving compassion sound like?
You might tune into a word or phrase that feels compassionate and kind to you.
If nothing is arising or self-compassion is difficult to access,
This is okay.
This is just warming up to the idea.
To strengthen your intention for being here,
You might repeat the following phrases silently or out loud.
May I be kind to myself.
May I be gentle with myself.
May I be at ease.
May I be compassionate to myself.
And then,
Still with your hands on your heart and belly,
Consider,
What would the experience of compassion feel like as a sensation?
Would it be an experience of warmth?
A softening?
A stroking of your cheek?
A hug from a loved one or spiritual guide?
See if you can allow your body to explore the physical experience of compassion and what it would feel like to receive this care.
If you like,
You can experiment with these sensations yourself.
You can try wrapping your arms around your body and hugging yourself.
Stroke your cheek,
Your arm,
Or your feet.
Or you might imagine kindness flowing in with every breath you take.
Notice if there's been an opening within you to self-compassion today.
However small or large,
If you don't feel like you've made much progress toward feeling a sense of self-compassion,
That's okay.
This can be a very challenging mental exercise for some of us,
Especially those who have experienced trauma early in life.
But in any case,
Just by being here,
You have planted the intention in your heart and mind.
The more you come back to this intention,
The more you will notice changes arising in your ability to harness self-compassion when you need it.
For now,
Take a few clearing breaths.
Thank yourself for this short,
Intentional practice.
Then slowly open your eyes when you feel ready.
Feel free to bookmark this and return to this practice anytime you wish to explore what it feels like to open even a little bit more to self-compassion.
