Begin by finding a comfortable position where you are seated,
Relaxed with your spine upright.
Plant your feet on the ground and begin to take a few slow deep breaths in and out.
Now bring to mind a problem you are struggling with,
Taking a few moments to reflect on the nature of this issue,
Remembering what has happened,
Considering how it is affecting you,
And perhaps even think about how it might affect your future.
And as you do this,
Notice what difficult thoughts and feelings arise,
Really taking time to tap into a sense of curiosity,
Noticing where you feel this pain or struggle in your body.
Is it in your head,
Your neck,
Shoulders,
Throat,
Chest,
Abdomen,
Arms or legs?
Where exactly is it?
And what does it feel like?
And now pick one of your hands and turn the palm upward.
Take a moment to connect with times you've used this hand in kind ways.
Perhaps you've held the hand of a loved one in pain or rubbed someone's back,
Perhaps given someone a supportive hug.
Maybe you've cuddled or rock a crying baby.
Or maybe you've used this hand to help out a friend with some difficult task.
See if you can fill this hand right now with that same sense of care,
Support,
And kindness.
Imagine this hand filling up with warm,
Kind energy.
And now begin to place this hand slowly and gently on whichever part of your body that hurts the most.
Perhaps you feel the pain most in your chest or in your head,
Stomach,
Wherever it feels most intense.
Bring your hand and lay your hand there.
If you're feeling numb,
Lay your hand on the part that feels the numbness.
And if you're feeling neither pain nor numbness,
Then gently rest your hand over your heart.
Allow your hand to rest there lightly and gently.
Feel it against your skin or against your clothes.
Visualizing and really feeling the warmth flowing from your palm up into your body.
And spreading in all directions,
Up and down.
And wherever you find an area of pain or tightness or tension,
Allow that warm,
Kind energy to spread and infuse it.
Imagine your body softening around this discomfort.
Loosening up,
Softening,
Making plenty of space.
And if you're numb,
Then soften and loosen around that numbness.
If you're neither numb or hurting,
You could imagine it any way you like.
You might imagine that in some magical sense,
Your heart is opening.
For example,
Taking time to hold your pain or numbness very gently.
Hold it as if it was a crying baby or a whimpering puppy.
Or perhaps a priceless and fragile work of art.
Infuse this gentle action with care and warmth.
As if you're reaching out to someone you care about.
Let the kindness flow from your fingers into your body.
And now use both of your hands in one kind gesture.
Place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach.
Let them both gently rest there and hold yourself kindly.
And as you rest in this space of warmth and kindness,
Take a moment to consider that this pain or numbness is a part of being human.
It's not a sign of something wrong with you.
It's a sign that you're a living,
Caring human being.
And this is what living,
Caring humans feel when life is difficult.
We hurt or we shut ourselves down and go numb.
This is something you have in common with every living human on the planet.
It is a part of who you are.
A part of being human and having.
You can take your time as you sit in this manner as long as you wish.
Connecting with yourself.
Caring for yourself.
Offering comfort and support.
You can continue this for as little or as long as you like.
Five seconds or five minutes.
It really doesn't matter.
It's the spirit of kindness that counts when you make this gesture,
Not the duration of it.
And know that whenever you feel ready to come back into the room,
You can always gently and really slowly blink as you open your eyes.
Look around the room.
Listen to the sounds around you.
Stretch if you need.
