Hello,
I'm Alice and welcome to this self compassion meditation.
Valuing and loving ourselves is one of the most important acts of self care.
This is true at all times throughout our lives but is especially true when we are in a time of personal pain or crisis.
Learning to love ourselves just as we are can be so much more challenging than loving others but it is the key to our recovery and to our freedom from pain.
By offering ourselves messages of love,
Nurture and safety our nervous system can come into a balanced state and we enable true healing to take place.
Healing in both our physical body and in our mind.
And this healing can ultimately lead to a lessening of the physical or mental pain that we might be experiencing.
Come now to sit or lie in a comfortable position,
Ensuring that your spine is supported,
It's tall but relaxed and perhaps placing one or both hands on your heart or wherever feels comfortable.
When you're ready close your eyes or lower your gaze and spend a few moments now settling in,
Relaxing your shoulders,
Smoothing the lines on your forehead,
Moving your jaw a little to release any tension there and allowing yourself to feel supported by the surface beneath you.
Begin now to tune into your natural breath and as you turn your attention inwards follow the journey of your breath in and out of your nostrils,
Perhaps noticing that it is cooler on the inhale and warmer on the exhale.
Maybe feeling the gentle presence of your hand resting over your heart as your chest rises and falls.
And cultivate a smooth and steady breath,
Not making too much effort,
Releasing any need to try too hard.
And notice if you can breathe into this space of the heart,
Feel your heart expanding and relaxing,
Noticing how a slightly longer exhale calms and soothes the heart.
And beginning now with speaking the following affirmations,
Lovingly and silently to yourself.
May I be safe.
May I be safe.
May I be peaceful.
May I be peaceful.
May I be kind to myself.
May I be kind to myself.
Allow these words to wash over you.
Finding them in your heart.
Speaking directly to your heart.
May I be safe.
May I be peaceful.
May I be kind to myself.
And feel free to adapt these words to suit whatever works for you.
These words are merely a guide as you speak with self-compassion directly to your own heart.
May I be safe.
May I be peaceful.
May I be kind to myself.
May I ask for what I need.
May I ask for what I need.
May I accept myself.
May I accept myself.
May I forgive myself.
May I forgive myself.
May I ask for what I need.
May I accept myself.
May I forgive myself.
Repeating these words softly and kindly as many times as you like.
Perhaps feeling your heart expanding as you speak these words softly to yourself.
May I be safe.
May I be peaceful.
May I be kind to myself.
May I ask for what I need.
May I accept myself.
May I forgive myself.
Bringing your attention now back to your breath.
Feeling the breath at the nostrils.
The journey of the breath travelling down deep into the lungs.
Expanding the belly.
Expanding the space around the heart.
And then releasing.
Be gentle.
Effortless.
And begin to deepen your breath a little now.
Bringing some movement back into the body.
Opening your eyes.
And coming back to your day or your night with a sense of peace.
Thank you for joining me.
