This is the seventh of ten mindfulness practices designed to help you increase emotional balance and presence in the current moment.
This practice is a self-compassion meditation.
Self-compassion is an important resource that can provide emotional relief when we experience physical or emotional distress.
Krista Neff describes three elements to self-compassion,
Mindfulness,
Common humanity,
And self-kindness.
The first part of self-compassion is mindful awareness.
During this exercise,
We'll practice mindful awareness by observing and noticing the temporary nature of your experience.
The second part of self-compassion is common humanity.
Rather than feel isolated and different from others when we experience inadequacy or emotional or physical distress,
Practicing common humanity notices that distress and suffering are a part of life,
A part of the human experience.
The third part of self-compassion is self-kindness,
And this is something we don't do very well.
While the mind is excellent at problem-solving and making important evaluations and judgments that help us survive and succeed in the world,
They frequently turn critical when used to evaluate or judge ourselves.
During this practice,
We'll build on the foundation of loving-kindness by offering loving-kindness phrases to ourselves.
These phrases are powerful ways to find relief from emotional and physical distress.
Let's begin by finding a comfortable seated position.
Take a deep intentional breath and let it go,
And then let your attention rest in your body and connect to where you're sitting.
Notice the sensations of touch and pressure where your feet connect to the floor,
Where your legs rest on the chair or floor,
And where your hands rest.
Allow yourself to connect with something challenging or distressing that you've been experiencing.
It might be a memory,
It might be a physical sensation,
It might be a difficult emotion.
Allow yourself to connect to it,
To feel it,
To turn towards it.
The first step in self-compassion is mindfulness.
Mindfully describe and label the temporary nature of the experience.
Try to find a phrase that best describes your experience without evaluating it.
You might say,
This is a temporary moment of emotional distress.
Or,
This is a temporary moment of anxiety or worry.
Or,
This is a temporary moment of sadness or physical pain.
If your mind wants you to get caught up in a story about it,
Return your attention to the mindful label and let it be.
The second component of self-compassion is common humanity.
You might say in your mind,
Of all the people in the world,
Or who have ever lived in the world,
There are other people who have experienced the same emotion or the same sense of pain.
I'm not alone in this experience.
See if you can connect to a part of you that can feel a common humanity instead of feeling alone and isolated in the distress.
The third element of self-compassion is self-kindness.
I'm going to offer some loving-kindness phrases and I want you to repeat those in your mind as I offer them.
May I give myself the compassion that I need.
May I give myself the compassion that I need.
May I be loved.
May I be loved.
May I be patient.
May I be patient.
May I be healthy.
May I be healthy.
May I be strong.
May I be strong.
May I forgive myself.
May I forgive myself.
May I forgive myself.
May I live with well-being.
May I live with well-being.
May I be at peace.
May I be at peace.
May I learn to accept myself as I am.
May I learn to accept myself as I am.
Observe and notice if any of those phrases feel poignant,
Feel meaningful,
That might provide a sense of emotional relief to the distress you're experiencing.
Widen your attention and notice what it feels like to sit where you're sitting.
Take a deep,
Intentional breath and let it go.
When you're ready,
Open your eyes and bring this self-compassionate acceptance with you into this moment and carry it with you in the next moments of your day.
