Learn To Love Yourself Even More

Welcome to this self-love meditation because we could all do with being a little kinder to ourselves sometimes.

So taking your time to get comfortable whether that's sitting or lying down.

Seeing if there's any adjustments you can make to feel even just a little bit more comfortable.

And then inviting the body to settle into stillness and closing the eyes.

If you're uncomfortable with the eyes closed you can just gaze softly downward or into the distance.

So softening the face,

Softening the forehead,

Softening the eyes and around the eyes,

Inviting the cheeks to relax,

Unhooking the jaw,

Maybe even swallowing once and relaxing the throat.

Shrugging the shoulders up towards the ears for a moment and then letting them fall down,

Shoulders relaxing.

Inviting the arms and the hands to relax,

The legs and the feet to relax as much as possible.

And the belly and the chest are soft,

Just responding naturally to the natural rhythm of your breath,

Your body breathing.

Let's just start with three deep breaths together,

So breathing out and then deep nourishing breath in and then sighing out in the out-breath,

The body relaxes.

Big sigh out,

Another time,

Deep nourishing breath in and doing a really audible sigh on the exhale as you invite the body to relax.

One last time,

Deep nourishing breath in and breathing out,

The body relaxes.

And breathing out,

The body relaxes,

Letting the breath settle,

Come back to its own natural rhythm.

You might even already start to notice after just three deep breaths,

You feel a little calmer,

A little more relaxed or maybe not,

Just being curious.

As you now bring to mind someone you love,

Someone where it's a really simple,

Easy,

Unconditional source of love.

It could be a family member,

It could be a pet,

It could be a friend,

It's just somebody in your life where there's a lot of love,

A lot,

A lot,

A lot of love.

And there's no wrong choice,

So knowing that whoever you choose is perfect,

And settling on whoever it is you have chosen and making that commitment to have this person in your practice or this animal in your practice today.

As you start to visualize them,

So it's an animal,

It's a pet,

It might be their fur,

Their shape,

Things they do,

And if it's a person,

It's their face,

Their eyes,

Their smile,

Their posture,

Their body,

Their mind,

Their posture,

Maybe their clothes even,

But bringing this creature,

This being into your mind,

Into your mind's eye and visualizing them.

And noticing how you feel as you think about them,

As you imagine them,

As you create them in your mind.

How does your body feel as you bring this person to your mind?

I'm just starting to connect with that sense of loving and caring for this person or animal,

That sense of wanting them to be happy,

Of wanting good things for them,

Of enjoying spending time with them.

Just connecting with that sense of love and care,

Of wishing well,

Wanting good things,

Of wanting to ease their pain and their suffering.

I'm feeling that in your body,

Can you feel that love,

That care in your physical body?

Do you feel it in a particular body part?

Is it a general felt body sense?

Does it feel warm or cool?

Does it feel soft or strong?

Feel heavy or light?

Is there a texture to it?

Is there even a color?

And whatever you're feeling in your body,

Just turning up the volume of this feeling.

So as if you're turning up the dial,

The volume dial,

And just imagining those feelings of love and care starting to grow and expand,

So that they fill your whole body,

Inviting your whole body to really fill with these feelings of love and care.

All the way from the tips of your toes,

To the crown of your head,

The tips of your fingers,

Your whole body filling with this love,

This care,

This good wishes,

These good feelings.

So your whole body is full to the brim of these loving,

Caring feelings,

Until you start radiating them out and sending them out.

So this love and care starts pouring out of you,

So that you're,

And start sending that love from your heart or your body towards this person or this animal.

So this love and this care is radiating from your heart to theirs or your body to theirs.

And it might just be that felt sense that you know you're you're sending love to them.

There might be a visual there,

There might be a sense of light,

Radiating from you or color radiating from you to them.

But just sending this love and this care towards this person or this animal that you love.

And as you send it,

They open themselves to receive it,

They're opening their arms,

They're receiving your love.

We're just going to bring a short little mantra in,

To just to reaffirm this love that you're sending.

So in your own mind,

Just repeating these words.

May you be happy,

May you be healthy,

May you be at peace.

May you be happy,

May you be healthy,

May you be at peace.

Just repeating that a few times on your own as you send this love towards this person or this animal that you love.

May you be happy,

May you be healthy,

May you be at peace.

And they open themselves up,

They're receiving your love.

And as they receive your love,

They start sending some of that love back to you because they love you too.

So just picturing out that them sending their love back to you,

Whether it's through a gesture,

Through that light radiating from them to you,

Or that color radiating from them to you,

Or just that felt sense.

Maybe it's as simple as just a smile,

The look they give you.

But they're sending that love back to you.

And you're opening yourself up to receive that love.

You might even affirm it by maybe even just resting a gentle hand onto your heart,

Your chest,

Acknowledging that you're receiving the love from this person.

Staying in your body,

That felt sense in your body of how it feels to love.

And just affirming now to yourself that you're receiving this love.

And saying the words,

May I be happy,

May I be healthy,

May I be at peace.

May I be happy,

May I be healthy,

May I be at peace.

Repeating those words a few times.

Do you accept their good wishes,

Their love,

Their care?

May I be happy,

May I be healthy,

May I be at peace.

And you might notice that you're totally able to receive this love,

Or you might notice there's a little discomfort,

A little resistance,

A little activity in your mind.

And that's okay,

Just acknowledge it.

So if there is resistance,

Just label it.

Resistance,

There's resistance.

If there's discomfort,

Just label it.

Discomfort,

There's discomfort here.

You know,

Whatever's there,

Acknowledge it,

Label it,

It's valid,

Whatever you're feeling is valid.

But at the same time,

Just being curious,

What would it be like to just experimentally explore receiving this love,

This care,

These good wishes?

It's taking on a very almost experimental stance,

Like you're a scientist exploring what it would be like to be loved.

Not saying that you have to accept this love,

There's a gentleness and a curiosity to it.

What would it be like to accept this love?

I'm just inviting the resistance or the judgment of it's there,

Just step to one side for now,

And you'll come back to it later.

But just for now,

You're going to do this experiment of what it would be like to accept this love.

Just reaffirming it with the words,

May I be happy,

May I be healthy,

May I be at peace.

And noticing how do you feel in your body now?

How do you feel in your body now as you explore accepting love and care?

Then letting go of the words,

Thanking this person or this animal for joining you in this practice and letting their image dissolve.

Coming back to your body in the present moment,

The chair or the bed or the floor beneath you,

Whatever it is.

Face relaxed,

The shoulders relaxed as much as possible.

And the body breathing,

Can you feel your breath?

Just knowing that right now,

You are enough.

Right now,

You are enough.

Just being you is enough.

And that you are unconditionally deserving of love.

So just affirming that to yourself too.

I am enough.

I am enough.

I am enough.

And also,

I am deserving of love.

I am unconditionally deserving of love.

I am unconditionally deserving of love.

How does it feel in your body to say that?

Where do you feel it?

What does it feel like?

The color,

Texture,

Shape?

Is it a particular body part?

Is it a general felt body sense?

How does it feel to say these words?

I am enough and I am unconditionally deserving of love.

And again,

If there's resistance,

That's okay.

Label the resistance.

If there's discomfort,

Label the discomfort.

Whatever is there,

Label it,

Acknowledge it.

Whatever you're experiencing is valid.

It's a valid human experience.

Feeling the body breathing.

Just closing off.

Think to yourself now,

What is one thing,

Just one thing you like about yourself?

What's one thing you like about yourself?

And you're allowed,

Whatever you like about yourself,

You're allowed to.

It's valid.

You don't have to explain it or justify it or downplay it.

It might be a physical feature.

It might be how you feel a certain feeling.

It might be a skill you're good at.

It might be your health.

It might be how you are with people.

Just one thing that you like about yourself.

And just saying it to yourself,

I like my smile.

I like how I'm good at my job.

I like how I've come overcome adversity,

Hardship in my life.

And again,

You might notice discomfort and just acknowledge it.

Name it.

But know that you're allowed to like yourself,

To like things about yourself.

Noticing how your body feels as you say these words.

Then taking a deep breath.

And another one.

Looking back at your life,

Think of what is one thing you have accomplished?

One thing you've accomplished in your life.

And it could be as simple as getting up this morning was an accomplishment.

It could be overcoming ill health.

It could be surviving hardship.

It could be graduating high school.

It could be going to college.

It could be getting a job.

It could be having a difficult conversation.

It could be anything.

What's one thing you've accomplished?

And just give yourself the credit you deserve.

I mean,

Go you.

You did that.

Probably wasn't easy,

But you did it.

You might even say to yourself,

I'm proud.

I'm proud of me.

I'm proud of you.

And again,

If there's discomfort,

That's okay.

Name it.

Acknowledge it.

Notice how your body feels.

And just always remembering you are enough.

Who you are is enough.

And you are unconditionally deserving of love.

So we'll just finish off with three more deep breaths together.

So on your own,

Just taking three deep nourishing breaths.

Body expanding on the in-breath.

Maybe sighing out on the out-breath as the body relaxes.

Faces relax.

The shoulders relax.

You take three deep nourishing breaths.

Whenever you're ready,

Maybe gently moving or fluttering the eyes open.

Whatever way feels good for you to come out of this practice and back to the rest of your day.