Welcome to the compassionate self practice.
Finding a comfortable way to sit.
Really taking some time to allow yourself to find that support.
And when you do,
Letting yourself settle into it.
Settling into this posture that you've chosen.
Feeling into the weight of the body on the chair.
Noticing a sense of gravity falling through the body.
Feeling into the lower half of the body,
Through the buttocks and the hips,
Legs down into the feet,
Soles of the feet touching the floor.
And maybe there's a sense of groundedness here.
This solid base you've created supporting sitting.
And now sensing into anti-gravity,
Uprightness.
Feeling the lift and the buoyance of the body.
And allowing yourself to drop inside.
Coming to this well-known place that offers rest.
Rest in this moment.
Making space for whatever emotions and thoughts may be present.
Allowing yourself to be just as you are.
Now directing the focus of your attention to your breathing.
Entering the current of the breath with the attention.
Tuning into the body sensations of breathing.
The sensations of expansion with the inhale.
And the sensations of release with the exhale.
Feeling what is perhaps feeling like an old friend,
This breath.
And allowing your face to relax.
Starting with your forehead.
Softening into your cheeks.
And letting your jaw loosen.
And allowing your mouth to turn upwards in a small,
Warm and friendly smile.
Resting here.
Nothing to do.
Nowhere to be.
And you may find your attention wandering as we move through this practice.
Not a problem.
Just gently bringing it back when you notice it's wandered.
Now we're going to shift our focus.
And you're going to spend a little time reflecting on your motivation for wanting to be a compassionate person.
Spending some time now with the question,
What is my motivation or purpose for engaging with this path of compassion?
Allowing responses to bubble up without effort.
Considering the question,
How do I want it to change the way I live my life?
How do I want it to benefit the people that are close to me and in the world?
And now allowing all of that to fall away.
Returning your attention to the breath.
And now,
Like an actor getting into a role,
Using your imagination to create an image of yourself as your compassionate best.
Your facial expression,
Tone of voice,
Your motivation,
Your emotional tone.
Sometimes it can help to bring to mind a memory of when you felt particularly compassionate towards someone.
Recalling the feelings you had.
Perhaps feelings of kindness and warmth,
Friendliness.
And your genuine wish for the person to get better or do well.
Recalling it all as best you can.
Focusing on your compassionate feelings rather than the distress the other may have been feeling.
And now reflecting on the qualities you would like to have from developing your compassion more fully.
Remembering it doesn't matter whether you are feeling like you are a very compassionate person or not.
The most important thing is imagining the qualities of a deeply compassionate person.
Qualities like sensitivity,
Being sensitive.
Noticing your emotions and those of another.
Qualities like sympathy,
Being moved by distress in ourselves and others.
Qualities like empathy,
Understanding how another is feeling and the causes of their suffering.
Being able to tolerate our own distress and another's.
So for the next few moments imagining what it would feel like to have more of these qualities or a deepening of these qualities.
Now we are going to focus on some of the specific attributes of compassion.
Starting by imagining that you have a certain kind of wisdom.
A wisdom that understands that none of us has to be here.
Yet here we are with a mind which can be very difficult and tricky to cope with.
We are riddled with competing motivations and feelings.
All emanating from a brain that has been evolving over millions of years.
A brain designed for survival,
Not necessarily for happiness.
Remembering that few of us are taught about becoming mindful and compassionate towards what is going on in our own minds.
Let alone the minds of others who are just like us.
So many complex factors have shaped who we have all become.
And so much of what has happened to any of us is beyond our control.
Seeing the wisdom of no blame and the value of seeing things clearly and choosing to be compassionate.
Feeling into that compassionate choice.
Recognizing that you have this wisdom right now.
It's present within your life experience as a rich resource you can tap into anytime.
Now holding onto your friendly facial expression and calling on a warm tone of voice.
Imagining yourself expressing wisdom as you speak.
For the next few moments imagining yourself being a wise and insightful person.
Open and thoughtful,
Caring.
And now imagining from your wisdom comes a sense of caring authority.
And now imagining from your wisdom comes a sense of caring authority.
Gentle strength and inner confidence.
Connecting to this sense inside of yourself now.
The dignity of this reflected in your body posture.
Tuning into your posture.
A sense of groundedness emanating from your soothing breathing rhythm.
And allowing yourself to be held.
Body like a mountain.
Breath like a breeze.
Mind like the open sky.
Noticing how you feel while embodying this sort of gentle authority and warm inner confidence.
Feeling into how you would speak in a compassionate way with this gentle authority.
How you would move in the world.
And how you would express this inner confidence,
Maturity and wisdom.
And now focusing on your desire to be helpful and supportive.
And your wish for others to be free from suffering and the causes of suffering.
To be happy and to prosper.
Holding your friendly facial expression.
Considering your voice tone.
And feeling into how you would speak in a compassionate way with kindness.
And now focusing on your desire to be helpful and supportive.
And your wish for others to be free from suffering and the causes of suffering.
Becoming aware of any areas of tension or physical pain or emotional reaction.
And gently softening around those areas.
Holding them with kindness and warmth as best you can.
And bringing your wisdom and strength.
Are there as a support for you also when things feel difficult?
And so for the next few moments,
Gently and playfully,
Imagining that you have great kindness and the desire to be helpful.
Noticing how you feel when you imagine having these feelings within you.
Perhaps noticing how there is a certain calmness that comes with kindness.
And also a positive pleasurable feeling.
And now on the basis of your wisdom,
Your strength and kindness,
Imagining that you have the courage to face and work through any difficult experience that may arise with compassion.
And you are willing to move towards what is difficult without blaming or criticizing.
For a few moments imagining you are such a person.
Someone who is deeply committed and responsible for working with their own mind.
Who chooses to be motivated by compassion.
And now imagining that you are looking at yourself from the outside.
Seeing your facial expressions,
The way you move in the world.
And noticing your motivations to be thoughtful,
Kind and wise.
Hearing yourself speaking to people and noticing the compassionate tone in your voice.
Seeing other people relating to you as a compassionate person.
And seeing yourself relating to other people in a compassionate way.
And for the next few moments playfully watching yourself as a compassionate person in the world and others relating to you as such.
Knowing that the more you practice slowing down and imagining being this kind of person in the world,
The more easily you will find accessing these qualities in you.
And the more easily you will find they can express themselves through you.
And now as a way of drawing this practice to a close,
Allowing your attention to rest wherever it wants to.
Not needing to focus on anything in particular.
And now as a way of drawing this practice to a close,
Allowing your attention to rest wherever it wants to.
May you be your best compassionate self with yourself and others.
Thank you.
