Hello,
You are listening to Mindful Life Podcast.
Today is June 15,
2022 and I am your host,
Wendy Nelson.
Today's meditation is called breathing in compassion for self and breathing out compassion for others.
Before we get started,
Please take a moment to think about why you chose this topic.
How do you feel when we talk about breathing in compassion,
Breathing out compassion?
Check in with your belly,
Your chest,
Your head.
As you reflect on this topic,
Do you have any emotions that come up that are associated with compassion?
Are they positive or negative?
And do they impact the stories that you believe about yourself and regarding this topic?
And also think about the fact that many others may be feeling the same triggers and emotions you have around this topic.
And think about how you can apply increased mindfulness to this topic in your day to day life.
Let's begin by getting as comfortable as possible.
You can be laying down or sitting up,
Whichever is more comfortable for you.
Allow your body to settle into a comfortable position.
You can keep your eyes closed or slightly open.
Soften your shoulders,
Soften your eyes,
Your cheeks,
Jaw,
Forehead.
Today we will practice compassion.
Begin by taking a full breath in and a long breath out.
Then allow the breath to find its natural rhythm.
Let's start by inviting compassion for ourselves.
As human beings,
We all have moments of difficulty,
Challenge,
Of suffering.
So take a moment to acknowledge the difficulties you've experienced or are experiencing now in your life.
It may help to think of a specific difficulty or you can keep it general.
Now imagine someone you know who cares about you.
It can be someone present in your life now or from the past.
It can be a dear friend,
Family member,
Or teacher.
Or it can even just be the general idea and feeling of a caring person.
Now imagine this being responding to your difficulties with warmth and understanding.
Allow yourself to receive their warmth and understanding,
Their wishes for your well-being and happiness.
Allow their care and concern to fill your whole body and mind.
As you breathe in,
Breathe in compassion for yourself.
You may also want to say some words to yourself such as,
May I be well,
May I be healthy,
May I find the resources that I need to pass this difficulty.
As you breathe in,
You can think of yourself as breathing in this compassion for yourself.
Taking it in and really letting it sink into your body and mind.
Allow it to flow through you freely.
Now bring to mind someone you know who is having a difficult time along with the awareness that they are struggling right now.
Now let yourself feel what you would wish for them and you may wish for them health,
Happiness,
Contentment,
Or it may not be specific words but more of a general feeling.
So share with them what you're feeling inside your body.
Imagine what that would feel like to share the feeling.
Imagine them receiving this compassion.
Now if you're able,
You may want to expand your wish of compassion more widely to anyone experiencing difficulty or pain.
You may say to yourself,
May their suffering be relieved,
May they be well.
And as you breathe out,
Breathing out compassion for others.
And as you breathe out,
Breathing out compassion for others.
And even if you're not able to connect directly with feelings of compassion,
Just bringing kind awareness to whatever it is you may be experiencing right now.
It may be easier for you to focus on a brand new newborn baby or a newborn puppy or kitten.
It may be easier for you to focus on your favorite flower.
Anything or anybody receives compassion.
So share it with them right now.
Breathing in compassion for myself,
Breathing out compassion for others.
Continue breathing deep and slow,
Continue breathing deep and slow.
Now letting the words go,
Returning to an awareness of the body,
Settling on the breath.
Notice how you feel right now.
Any sensations in the body,
Particularly around the face,
The head,
The heart,
The chest,
The belly.
And as you continue noticing what happens in your body,
You may now slowly open your eyes,
Rotating your ankles and your wrists and stretching as you need and returning your awareness to where you are.
Thank you for breathing in compassion for yourself and for others.
If you like this meditation,
You might like to deepen this practice with a few journaling prompts that I have prepared for patrons.
So if you're interested in joining my community,
Head on over to Patreon and grab the bonus content for this mindfulness practice.
Have a beautiful week and be sure to check back every Wednesday for new episodes on the Mindful Life Podcast.
