Take a moment to get comfortable as we begin.
Finding a place that you can sit or stand or lie down.
You can have your eyes open or closed,
Whichever is most comfortable for you.
And as you settle in,
Letting yourself notice your physical experience,
The solidity of your body,
The feeling of your feet on the ground or wherever they are,
The sensation of being supported by the chair or the ground or whatever is holding you up right now.
Letting yourself notice how your body moves as you breathe.
Anything in your experience that feels good,
Safe or comfortable as we begin.
Now letting your attention go to your inner experience and noticing what's here.
Noticing any sensations that might be present.
Any emotions,
Any thoughts or memories,
And acknowledging each of them as you notice.
Acknowledging anything that's familiar that may be related to something that you were just doing or something that you might need to do in the future.
And as you acknowledge each of these aspects of your experience,
Asking to see if they'll be willing to sit on the side as you engage with this self-compassion practice.
And now inviting in a figure that has the capacity to have an almost infinite amount of compassion towards you.
This might be an animal,
Maybe a pet or a wild animal.
This could be a plant,
Like a tree.
This might be a place in nature or part of the natural world,
Like the ocean or the sun.
This might be a real place or an imaginary place.
This might also be a spiritual figure,
Like an angel or another spiritual figure that has meaning for you.
And as this compassionate figure comes into focus,
As you begin to be aware of it,
Letting yourself notice any details.
Noticing what this figure looks like,
What size it is.
Does it have a color or movement?
Noticing what it feels like to be here with this figure.
Now,
If it feels okay,
You can try embodying this figure.
What would it feel like to be this compassionate figure?
To have those qualities,
That size,
Movement,
Strength,
Capacity.
And as this figure,
How do you see yourself?
If you could look through the eyes of this compassionate figure,
At your human self,
And the human experiences,
Emotions,
Challenges that you're facing.
And as this compassionate figure,
Acknowledge the human challenges and experiences and emotions that you see in yourself.
And extend some compassion,
Extending the wish that you may be happy and the wish that you may be free of suffering.
Notice what it feels like to be in the presence of this compassion.
Does it feel possible to let it in?
Or does it stay on the outside?
And however much of that compassion it's possible to allow in,
Even if it's just one drop,
Allowing it to sink in.
To move to every cell of your body.
And noticing what it feels like.
Now extending some thanks to your compassionate figure for being willing to show up and for extending this compassion.
And thanks to yourself for being willing to engage in this practice.
And bringing your attention back to your physical body.
Whatever you're sitting on or standing on.
Your feet and your hands.
Wiggling your fingers and toes.
And in your own time,
Coming back to the room.
This practice is now complete.
