Welcome to this meditation for self-compassion.
Let's begin by finding a quiet place to practice,
Whether you feel more comfortable laying down
or sitting.
As you settle,
Begin to close your eyes and gently place the palms of your hands over
your heart.
Begin to notice the rise and fall of your chest beneath your hands,
Taking a little
time to hold yourself right here.
You can release your hands into your lap.
Now bring your attention to your breath.
Just tuning into your natural breath here,
Feeling as it expands in your chest on the
inhale and softens on the exhale.
There's no need to control your breath,
Just find that natural,
Effortless flow.
Taking a scan of your body,
Pay attention to any stiffness or tension.
Using your breath,
Can you soften into those areas?
Inhale and exhale.
Feel your body let go,
Sinking into the ground beneath you.
Coming up on the inhale,
Feel the breath move down,
Expanding through your belly and
your ribs,
Exhale.
Keep following the flow of your inhales and exhales,
And with this breath,
Reconnecting
with yourself.
Inevitably things will come up which will pull your attention away.
If you find yourself drifting into thought or notice feelings begin to arise,
Can you
observe them with curiosity rather than judgment?
We have a tendency to be self-critical or frustrated and want to push these thoughts
and feelings away.
Instead,
Let's try to sit with them,
Acknowledge what is coming up,
And then offer kindness
to yourself in these moments.
Use your breath to welcome understanding and exhale all that is not serving you.
By practicing this witnessing of our thoughts and feelings,
We become more aware and over
time when these emotions come up or when we are faced with stress,
We can shift our judgment
to kindness and create a more compassionate inner dialogue.
Your voice is the one you listen to all day long and it's the most important voice you
listen to.
So I invite you to repeat the following affirmations.
Today I am showing up for myself.
I acknowledge my imperfections with kindness.
I am patient with myself as I change and grow.
My words and thoughts are powerful,
So I will speak kindly to myself.
I am doing the best that I can with what I have been given.
I will not stress about things I cannot control.
I welcome what is.
I welcome what comes.
I accept and love myself completely.
Now for the next few minutes,
If there is an affirmation that resonated with you,
Try
repeating this to yourself.
Gently coming back to our breath,
To this moment,
And remembering that the more we practice
self-compassion,
The more it grows.
Be grateful for this time that you've dedicated to you,
For being supportive and kind to yourself,
Especially on hard days.
Thank you for meditating with me.
I hope you found a little bit of peace to take with you into your day.
