Mantra Meditation For Healing The Inner Critic

Welcome to today's guided meditation.

We will be working with the inner critic and taking some time to get to know that voice in the head that can really kind of attack us,

Tell us all of the reasons why we're wrong,

Why we're bad,

Why we're not good enough.

Kind of a fun concept and idea in psychology is when we have anxiety,

When that anxiety brain gets going,

So often we will have this thing that we have anxiety about that we hyper fixate on and underneath that there's so many layers of other things.

So the brain trying to keep you safe will hyper fixate on something that's safe to worry about.

So that could be,

Maybe there's a certain person in your life that it's really easy to kind of just like be anxious about them,

About what they're doing,

How they're living their life.

Maybe it's your finances,

Your relationship,

Something that it's safer to be anxious about that,

Be curious about it.

And underneath that there can be some deeper wounds that your brain is trying to protect you from having to look at or think about or tap into because they can hold a lot of pain.

And that anxious brain,

That critical brain can really kind of become this umbrella to try to protect you from those things happening deeper underneath.

So in today's practice,

We're going to explore just that inner critic and give them some love.

And you can dive into this as much as you want to.

If you want to kind of open it up and look at that deeper stuff,

If it starts to arise,

You're more than welcome to.

However,

If that feels too intense,

Then you can kind of be up in this upper umbrella and just offer that aspect of you unconditional love.

If at any point it gets to be too intense,

Feel free to come out of the practice,

Place your hands on your heart,

Give yourself some really deep belly breaths and remind yourself you're safe and okay.

Alrighty,

So go ahead and get yourself nice and cozy.

If you need a blanket,

A pillow,

Anything that's going to be supportive to you.

And then when you're ready,

You can go ahead and close your eyes.

And as you close your eyes,

Letting your awareness,

Letting your body know that you are starting a guided meditation and that it's safe to go inward.

Giving self that little prompt can be really healing to the nervous system.

And we'll start by taking a few deep breaths together.

So with your next exhale,

Let all of the air in your body go and then breathing in all the way down at the base of the spine,

Filling up as you fill in the abdomen,

Filling in the heart center,

Collarbones all the way to the top of the head and then exhale in the opposite direction.

So releasing the air from the head,

The face,

The throat and collarbones,

Emptying out through the heart center,

Through the abdomen,

All the way to the base of the spine.

We'll do that a couple more times.

Filling up as you inhale from the base of the spine into the abdomen,

Really calling your energy in,

Everything you need into the heart center,

Through the throat to the tip of the head and exhale,

Letting everything go that you don't need as you exhale out of the face and throat,

Shoulders,

The heart center,

Down through the abdomen to the base of the spine.

Doing this one more time as you inhale,

Filling up the base of the spine,

The abdomen into the heart center,

The collarbones up into the throat and jaw and face all the way to the top of the head and then exhale,

Letting go through the face,

The shoulders,

The heart center,

The abdomen,

The base of the spine.

As it feels good,

Allowing your breath to return to its natural breathing pattern.

And with your next inhale,

Allowing your awareness to arrive right at the belly button,

Right here in that root,

That solar plexus space.

And we'll invite your awareness to rest here in the abdomen for today's practice.

If at any point you drift off,

That's okay.

Simply guiding yourself back here when you remember to do so.

So taking just a moment to land here,

Maybe noticing how it feels to rest in the abdomen or what the quality of this experience is today.

Is it easy to land there?

Is there some resistance?

And we'll work with our breath one more time as we land here and create a bit more space to arrive.

So allowing your awareness to rest and stay in this abdomen space,

Right behind your belly button.

Go ahead and exhale,

Let all of the air out of your body.

And with your next inhale,

Breathe,

Filling up that abdomen to the count of one,

Two,

Three.

Holding your breath at the abdomen for the count one,

Two,

Three.

And then exhaling all of the air out of the abdomen,

One,

Two,

Three.

Repeating this a few more times.

Inhale one,

Two,

Three.

Holding the breath one,

Two,

Three.

Exhaling one,

Two,

Three.

Inhale one,

Two,

Three.

Holding the breath one,

Two,

Three.

Exhaling one,

Two,

Three.

Repeating this one more time.

Inhale one,

Two,

Three.

Hold one,

Two,

Three.

And exhale one,

Two,

Three.

Allowing your breath to arrive as it needs to and feeling yourself root a little bit deeper here into the abdomen space behind the belly button.

We'll invite into this practice,

Into this moment,

That aspect of self that's the inner critic that tells us we're wrong,

We're bad,

We're not doing things the right way,

Or perhaps that we should be doing them better or different.

Then we'll plant that seed of intention to offer healing to this aspect of self.

So as you rest here in the abdomen,

Maybe noticing or inviting the inner critic to take up a little bit more space,

Asking them to step forward,

Maybe they can flash at you where they're at in the body,

Or you can just invite them to expand,

To be seen within you,

Just noticing how they arrive for you.

Another option,

If it feels good,

You can visually see a golden podium in front of you,

Maybe four to five feet in front of you,

Visualizing this podium,

Knowing that it's a couple of feet tall,

And you can ask your inner critic to stand on the podium looking back at you,

Maybe noticing what they look like,

Perhaps seeing what age they are.

Is this a version of you that is young?

Maybe a childlike version?

Do they feel wounded or afraid?

Energy,

Do they carry with them?

Remembering to breathe,

Remembering there's no right or wrong here.

You can look at this as much as you want to,

Or you can just know that this inner critic is there,

Reminding yourself that the inner critic says the things that they say,

Not because they're true,

Not because you're bad or wrong or broken or need to be fixed.

But instead,

Often this version of self comes from a time where you were hurt and wounded,

Or maybe were not seen,

Heard,

Loved,

And validated,

Maybe criticized from someone else.

And they'll share this perspective with you and get those thoughts going,

That inner narrative going as a way to try to protect you from feeling that same pain,

From something worse happening.

So just recognizing that aspect of self and their need for that unconditional love that this version of you here now can offer them.

And we'll invite them to take up as much space as they need for this practice,

Creating that safe space for this part of self to be seen and heard.

And we'll invite in the mantra Soham Namah.

So as we internally repeat this mantra,

Inviting that healing energy to be received by this inner critic,

Inviting in that awareness and that unconditional love.

With your next breath,

You can let go of this vision or this idea of the inner critic,

Knowing that they're here with you,

Allowing your awareness to rest again right in the navel center of the abdomen,

A couple inches behind the belly button.

And as I say the mantra Soham Namah,

I invite you to internally repeat this mantra here in the abdomen space.

Beginning now,

Soham Namah.

Soham Namah.

Soham Namah.

I was saying to be available,

To open yourself up to the healing vibration with this mantra.

Soham Namah.

Soham Namah.

Knowing that the aspect of you that is fighting so hard to keep you safe is also receiving the healing vibration.

Soham Namah.

Soham Namah.

Soham Namah.

Remembering to breathe naturally.

As you ground yourself,

Your awareness,

Into the navel center,

Right behind the belly button,

Receiving in this space,

Soham Namah.

Soham Namah.

Soham Namah.

Reminding yourself if any emotions,

Any memories come up with this mantra,

That's okay,

You're safe,

You're here now.

And seeing if you can create that space between who you are and what happened to you.

Offering a bit of distance,

Unconditional love can come in,

Wrapping you almost like a warm blanket of love,

Healing,

Reminding you that I am enough here now,

Exactly as I am,

Regardless of the choices I've made,

Regardless of my past.

Soham Namah.

Soham Namah.

Soham Namah.

Soham Namah.

If it feels good,

I invite you to place your hands on your abdomen,

Taking a moment here to feel the rise and fall of your breath,

As you connect with your body.

Remembering that seed of intention we planted at the beginning of the practice,

To invite the inner critic to step forward,

Inviting love and healing to this aspect of who you are.

This time,

You can invite any words of unconditional love to this aspect of self,

Or to all of who you are in your entirety.

Perhaps offering yourself a thank you,

Or never giving up,

Or an I love you,

Exactly as you are.

If it feels good,

You can release your hands,

Taking one more moment here as your awareness rests in the navel,

In the belly button,

And just taking a moment of pause to feel yourself,

Feel your awareness as it is grounded and living in your body.

You came here to be a human at this time.

So how does it feel to be living in the human body and to have your awareness rooted in this life?

Creating a little extra space to have this experience,

To all of what that means.

Take as much time as you would like in this space,

Really receiving yourself.

When you're ready,

You can wiggle your fingers,

Wiggle your toes,

Maybe inhaling a little deeper,

Exhaling,

Letting go a little more.

And only when you're ready,

Opening up your eyes in the humming honor of practice.