Self-acceptance can be challenging as we age.
In this meditation and recitation I focus on accepting ourselves just as we are where we are in this moment right now.
To do this I use four statements that I ask you to repeat mentally to yourself after me.
We'll do this recitation for each statement twice.
I finish this meditation with a single bell which will allow you to stay in the meditation for as long as you like.
If you do continue you can simply be with the statements of the recitation allowing them to settle.
Or repeat the one that resonated with you or just repeat or do the one that you remember.
You can use the recitation as a journaling prompt noticing which of the statements or words feel good or uncomfortable for you.
Don't overthink it.
Let the words flow.
Let it out.
I invite you to do this practice for a week and note the changes from day to day,
How you feel from one day to the next.
It can take time to feel the impact of being kind to ourselves and self-acceptance.
I'm Kate Hubert from Mindful Movement and Meditation.
I invite you to follow me here on Insight Timer and I would love it if you could leave me a rating for this meditation and all comments are appreciated.
So let's begin.
Sitting comfortably,
Arms and legs uncrossed,
Whether that's could be sitting in a chair or lying on a mat,
Entirely up to you.
Just keep the arms and legs uncrossed,
Spine straight but not rigid or uncomfortable.
Take a nice full and deep breath in through the nose and exhale through your mouth.
Let's do that one more time.
Breathing in through the nose,
Exhale through your mouth and return your breathing to in and out through the nose.
Settle into your body.
Relax into it.
Relax through your face.
Relaxing the small muscles around the eyes.
Relax those muscles in front of the ears,
Around the mouth and the jaw.
Can move your jaw around a little bit to release any tightness or tension.
Let's let it settle into a natural comfortable position.
Take your awareness to the throat,
Sides of the neck,
Shoulders.
With the next out breath allow your shoulders to feel very heavy and very soft.
Let them relax as if they're moving away from your ears and down toward the floor.
Allow this sensation of heaviness and relaxation to move down through both upper arms into your forearms,
Both hands,
Both thumbs and all the fingers.
The physical relaxation comes to the body with the out breath.
Take your awareness to the back of your neck.
Relax the back of the neck with the next out breath.
Moving down through your upper back,
Mid back,
Lower back.
Be safe and supported by whatever surface is against your back.
Down through the back of the legs,
Right down to the feet.
Take your awareness to the front of your body.
Relax the front of the body,
Chest,
Solar plexus and the belly,
The legs,
Right down to your feet.
Relax the side of your body,
Both sides together.
Down through the ribs,
The hips,
The sides of your legs,
Inside and outside,
Right down to your feet.
Right down to your feet.
Feel your body continuing to soften,
Relax with each out breath.
No effort,
Nothing more needs to be done.
Allowing your body to relax with the out breath.
Take your awareness now away from the busyness of the mind.
Take your awareness to your chest,
Very center of your chest.
Feel as if your breath is entering and leaving your body through the very center of your chest,
The heart center.
Notice the rise and fall of your chest with each breath.
Let the heart be soft.
Softening with each breath.
And now I invite you to repeat after me.
Just repeat mentally to yourself.
May I be healthy.
May I be healthy.
May I love and be loved.
May I love and be loved.
May I accept myself just as I am.
May I accept myself just as I am.
May I be happy.
May I be happy.
Just be aware of the softness and the fullness in your heart with these words.
Letting this self-acceptance,
Self-love spill over into every cell of your body.
No effort,
Feel that your heart is full.
Love,
Kindness,
Acceptance for yourself.
You can continue to repeat these words to yourself.
May I be healthy.
May I love and be loved.
May I accept myself just as I am.
May I be happy.
Feeling the fullness in your heart.
Letting it spill out into every cell of your body.
The more you let go,
The more you let go.
The more love and kindness or self-acceptance that we have for ourselves,
The more we have to give to others.
