Hello and welcome to this practice,
Offered with love to help you to adjust to your new disability or diagnosis.
I have been very deliberate about language here,
And although over time,
With this practice and with the other adjustments that you find in your life,
You may well find acceptance.
There's no pressure to do that just here and just now.
You may have complex feelings about your disability or diagnosis,
And those feelings are real and valid.
This practice is offered as a space for you to acknowledge those feelings and apply some self-compassion.
You deserve space and time to process,
And just by choosing to do this practice,
You have already committed to yourself in a way that will resonate with all parts of you.
Please take some time to commit to your comfort now.
Adjust your environment to be as comfortable as you possibly can.
If you're experiencing new sensations or changed cognition,
You may still be learning about what makes you comfortable.
So take some time to pay attention to the surface you're resting on,
Your clothes and any covers,
Your temperature,
Light,
Noise and any aromas in the room.
Make as many adjustments as you can to be comfortable,
And perhaps most importantly of all,
Find a position that will be supportive.
For some this may be sitting or lying down.
Other people feel more comfortable standing,
So do give yourself permission to arrange your body in the best possible way.
And remember if at any point in this practice you do drift off,
That's fine.
And allowing yourself the time and space to do that is part of self-compassion.
Self-care.
So once you're comfortable,
It's time to set an intention of care and compassion for yourself.
So turn to yourself in the most loving way imaginable.
This might mean holding yourself or placing hands on yourself in a certain way.
It might mean deepening your breath,
Sensing into your heart,
Or affirming that your intention in this moment is to be kind and loving towards yourself.
So give yourself a moment to set that intention of self-compassion in whatever way comes to you.
And it may be that in this moment of openness,
You experience sensations,
Emotions or thoughts that you're not enjoying.
If this happens,
Just take a moment to acknowledge them,
And if you can,
Name them,
And then affirm to yourself that this is part of your experience,
That you are safe in this moment,
And that you offer yourself the kindness to acknowledge and honour whatever is happening for you right now.
Reminding yourself of your intention of care and compassion for yourself,
And using your body,
Your breath,
The words you tell yourself,
To express this care,
Compassion,
Love and kindness.
And then whatever that experience is in this moment,
Naming it and adding kindness to it.
So I invite you to repeat some affirmations with me,
Offering these words to yourself as a gesture of love.
And if you'd like to add the name for whatever you're experiencing,
Please do so.
When you hear the affirmation in my voice,
Please accept it,
And then offer it back to yourself in your own inner or outer voice.
I feel what I feel,
And I love myself.
I feel what I feel,
And I offer myself compassion.
I feel what I feel,
And I am worthy of love.
I feel what I feel,
And I deserve to be happy.
I feel what I feel,
And I offer myself kindness.
I feel what I feel,
And I love myself.
And just take a moment longer to offer yourself this care,
Compassion and kindness,
And allow whatever is coming up for you right now to be held in love.
And if you find that you need to release or express in any way,
Give yourself permission to do that now.
Continuing to hold yourself with compassion and with love,
Turning back to yourself with whatever gesture you can offer yourself to hold yourself in love.
So you might literally hold yourself or place your hands on yourself.
You might allow your breath to convey gentleness to yourself.
You might offer yourself words of care,
And then once again offering yourself affirmations,
Allowing yourself to receive them as you hear my voice.
And offering them back to yourself with added compassion in your own inner and outer self.
Whatever happens,
I love myself.
Whatever happens,
I offer myself compassion.
Whatever happens,
I am worthy of love.
Whatever happens,
I deserve to be happy.
Whatever happens,
I offer myself kindness.
Whatever happens,
I love myself.
And then just resting for a few moments more,
And allowing the practice to settle.
So whatever you've experienced during this practice,
Whether it's been emotional or whether it's been more numb,
Just allowing that to settle.
And acknowledging that although many things may not be easy right now,
Still you offer yourself this time of rest,
Of peace,
In kindness to yourself.
And sometimes when there have been intense feelings,
Or when your disability or diagnosis is new,
There is a moment where the shock ends and the energy begins to settle.
So just sensing inwards,
Finding any places within yourself where the energy is already settling now,
And allowing yourself that quiet,
Calm space.
No matter how small it is,
Breathing as deeply and gently as is comfortable for you,
And thanking yourself for the love,
Care and compassion you show yourself.
If there's anything which has arisen during the practice which you no longer need,
You can release that now,
Surrendering it as you breathe out and trusting that you can let it go,
Releasing whatever you no longer need.
So breathing in,
Allowing that breath to be an act of love for yourself,
And breathing out,
Releasing anything that's arisen that is no longer serving you.
And then beginning to release the practice.
So if you do find that you need to rest,
It's perfectly okay to stay here for as long as you wish.
Accepting this gift as one of compassion and care for yourself,
And if you need to sleep,
You can even allow yourself to drift off.
And when you're ready,
If you're ready,
You can start to notice your surroundings once again,
Becoming aware of wherever you're resting,
Remembering how you set it up for yourself to be as comfortable as possible,
Noticing the sounds,
Temperature,
Lighting and aromas in your space,
Remembering how you set your space up to be as comfortable as possible,
And giving thanks to yourself for that gesture of love.
And when you're ready,
Releasing the practice and coming back to the here and now.
Thank you for sharing this practice with me.
You can repeat it as often as you need to,
And you may find that over time,
Things get easier.
I wish you well.
