In this meditation,
We take ourselves into the presence of love,
And particularly loving-kindness.
We remember that love is a fuel for our hearts,
And love has an energy and a presence,
And that when we're touched by love in any way,
It comes right into our beings where we store it.
We always remember moments of love and kindness that we really appreciated,
And our body can remember these long after the event,
And can re-evoke it.
I've adapted this meditation from the work of Chris Germer from the Centre for Mindful Self-Compassion,
And his work's really lovely if you want to look him up.
So this practice is based on what are known as the three universal expressions of compassion,
Namely soft gaze,
Soothing touch,
And gentle vocalizations.
And what we do in this practice is we behave towards ourselves in ways we usually behave towards others when we offer them love,
When we offer them compassion,
And we do it by recalling a presence in our life that's done that for us,
And then really opening up to receive the feelings that come.
So really activating love in our bodies,
In our hearts,
In our beings.
And if there's a little stress in your body,
Emotional stress,
Or physical,
You can also imagine that the energy created from love in this practice is going straight to those parts,
And touching those parts.
You can breathe a little more into those parts where you get a charge in your body when it remembers something that might be a little hard for it.
You can also take your hand there if you'd like to try that.
So let's begin.
So first of all,
As always,
Just allow yourself to settle naturally into your space,
Keeping that sense of informality that you're just here hanging out with yourself for a while,
And you're welcoming your experience,
Whatever it will be,
Using your compassion,
Using your gentle curiosity.
And then you might begin to connect to the breath moving inside your body.
You don't have to change a thing about it or yourself.
And feeling yourself begin to settle and maybe relaxing your bones,
Your muscles,
Sinking down toward the support you're on.
Feeling the welcome there,
And welcoming yourself and this time.
And then bring to mind the face of someone from whom you've received love and compassion.
It could be any living being.
So it could be a grandparent,
A friend,
A child,
Or even a pet,
Your dog or cat or horse.
Someone from whom you've received compassion.
And they've made you feel good and safe and warm and accepted inside yourself,
Inside your body.
And touched places that really needed to be touched and settled because of it.
And these ways stayed with you because it felt like you were being so loved and welcomed,
Which you are.
Just visualize their face,
And particularly their eyes as if they're gazing at you right now.
And there's nothing to do.
You're simply giving yourself permission to bathe in this presence,
This being's eyes.
And you're just allowing yourself to receive that gaze.
It's warm.
It's caring.
It's friendly,
Maybe reassuring.
And breathing with yourself and taking it inside your body.
And really feeling into your heart space where the rise and fall of your breathing is a real presence.
You're taking in this gaze and this love and this compassion and kindness straight into your heart right there.
So your breath there can really gather into it and assimilate it and weave it into your body,
Mind,
And soul.
So compassion from this gaze is spreading inside your body.
Feel that.
And now offering soothing or supportive touch.
Taking your hand and putting your hand on any place in your body where there might be some stress or tenderness at this moment.
Asking for this love and kindness to be with it.
Somewhere where there's a charge in you and your body is asking for that.
Just feeling a sense of touch and the warmth and even allowing kindness to stream through your fingers into that part.
That part of your being,
Your body,
That's working pretty hard.
It might be your forehead or your tired eyes.
Might be your shoulders where you've been holding onto so much.
Your throat,
Chest or belly.
Again just feeling that sense of touch and the warmth and even allowing kindness to stream through your fingers into that part of your body that's working pretty hard for you.
Doing a lot of stuff.
And again not trying to change the experience but simply bringing this expression of kindness into your body.
And that's all you have to do.
Nothing has to happen.
You're just present.
And now we turn to these gentle vocalizations.
So just thinking for a moment of words or a word that you might like to really hear right now.
What words would be really welcome to you right now?
What do you really need to hear?
They could be words of encouragement,
Validation,
Support,
Kindness,
Trust.
Now seeing if you can whisper those words into your own heart.
Words that you need to hear right now in your life.
Breathing in in a warm and tender way.
As you might speak to a person whom you love very much.
Can you give yourself permission to open to really receiving those words?
So maybe consciously opening your heart a little by dropping your shoulders and relaxing your jaw.
A little widening of your collarbone,
Making a little more space for your breath.
And for these words going into your open heart.
These words that are going into you in a warm and tender way.
And breathing them into your heart space,
Filling.
Giving yourself permission to receive those words and even allowing them to saturate your whole body and fill your being with these words of kindness.
Now let's do all three expressions of compassion and love and kindness together.
So as you continue to feel the touch of your hand on your body.
Beginning to visualize again the eyes,
The soft gaze of a loving being.
And allowing yourself to bathe in that gaze.
Feeling the compassionate touch on your body.
And also offering yourself these words,
These words of kindness that you need to hear,
Especially in times of distress maybe.
And then releasing the practice.
And just taking a moment before you open your eyes,
If they're closed,
To notice how you're feeling in your body.
How that practice is being assimilated by your being right now.
There are no rights or wrongs.
Noticing was there any shift in terms of how your body feels.
There may be,
There may not.
Or any change in your emotional state,
No matter how subtle and no matter what it was and no matter what you experienced or are experiencing.
Just allowing that to be so.
And also allowing yourself to be in this moment.
Just like this.
Remembering that your bones,
The marrow there,
Are storing feelings of love,
Adding to the feelings of love they're already storing,
Providing a rich marrow,
Providing vitality and energy inside of you.
That when you next go out into the world will change things.
The way you meet other people,
What you touch,
What you're creating,
Even if it's just cooking something for a meal.
And the way you talk to and think about yourself.
The plans you make and the plans you unmake,
Touched by love and kindness.
And offering that onward to others because they're available and part of you and you've initiated that.
And please remember also that any difficult parts that you became aware of,
Are parts that are asking for help because they have difficulty and that they too are continuing to receive this touch.
As you go forward in your life,
Every now and again,
You might just take your hand back to your heart to remind them.
So when you're ready,
Slowly open your eyes and bring yourself back.
