Let's start by finding some stillness.
In a comfortable seated position,
Begin to notice the surface supporting you.
Now bring your attention to the play of air on your exposed skin.
If you haven't already,
Close your eyes and begin to notice the rise and fall of your belly as you breathe.
If you can't feel any movement in this part of your body,
Check if you are gripping your abdomen.
If so,
Can you relax it?
And can you start to deepen your breath,
So that you can draw oxygen down into your belly,
And then send the breath back out via your nose.
No force,
Just letting your body do what it naturally does when we let go of resistance.
Now tune in to any sounds in your immediate surroundings,
Before stretching your hearing out to the most distant sounds.
Just sit in this place of sensory awareness for a few moments.
Continue to breathe and listen.
Now from this place of stillness,
Bring to mind a self-critical thought that you frequently struggle with.
It might be something like,
I'm a terrible person,
Or I'm not good enough,
Or who would ever want to be with me,
Or I'm a failure.
Once you have this thought in your mind,
Start to slowly scan your body from head to toe,
And notice where you can feel this thought viscerally in your body.
You might be holding tension in your gut,
Or you might feel a weight on your chest,
Or a constriction in your throat,
Or tightness in your shoulders,
Or some other sensation.
Once you locate it,
Rate the discomfort on a scale of 0 to 10,
With 0 being no discomfort at all,
And 10 being the most discomfort you have ever felt.
We will use this score at the end of this tapping exercise to monitor our progress.
If you need more time to feel into this,
Pause the track for as long as needed.
Now start tapping on the side of the hand with four fingers,
With either your eyes open or closed,
And repeat after me.
Even though my inner critic can be harsh sometimes,
And I can feel how the message lands in my body,
I accept this part of me as much as I possibly can right now.
Even though my inner protector has a lot to say,
And I can feel how my body is responding to all this self-criticism,
I choose to bring greater awareness to this dynamic,
And question what might be behind the thought.
One more time on the side of the hand.
Even though there is a part of me that can be harsh and self-judging,
I acknowledge that it has been with me.
For a very long time,
And is just trying to keep me safe.
Going to the top of the head,
I recognise the fact,
Eyebrow,
That there is a part of me that is harsh and self-judging,
Outer eye,
And at the same time,
Under the eye,
I understand that my inner critic,
Under the nose,
Developed when I was very young,
Under the mouth,
And is just trying to keep me safe,
Collarbone,
And with all that in mind,
Under the arm,
I accept my inner protector,
Top of the head,
It is trying its best to look out for me,
Eyebrow,
Thanking my inner protector,
Outer eye,
For bringing attention to what needs to be released,
Under the eye,
It is okay to fail,
Under the nose,
It is okay to make mistakes,
Under the mouth,
It is impossible to always be in control,
Collarbone,
It is healthy to accept my limitations,
Under the arm,
And to accept my humanness,
Top of the head,
All this self-criticism,
Eyebrow,
I wonder if I can start to let go of this self-critical thought,
Outer eye,
And feel it release from my body,
Under the eye,
Questioning this thought,
Under the nose,
Choosing to look at this thought from a different perspective,
Under the mouth,
Is this self-critical thought serving me,
Collarbone,
Or is it hurting me,
Under the arm,
Can I begin to release it now,
Top of the head,
Choosing to let go of any harsh judgements,
Eyebrow,
Knowing that I am enough just as I am,
Outer eye,
Knowing that I don't have to believe every self-critical thought that I have,
Under the eye,
Setting the intention,
Under the nose,
To analyse these thoughts,
Under the mouth,
And let go of any harsh judgements,
Collarbone,
That are coming from a place of fear,
Under the arm,
Choosing to release any self-critical thoughts right now,
Release the tapping and breathe into your heart space before exhaling slowly and gently through your nose,
Repeat again,
And then tune into your body and notice what has changed,
Has your score out of 10 shifted,
Just take note of where your body is at before we continue with more tapping,
Return to tapping on the side of the hand but this time we will just move from point to point as we direct loving kindness to our inner protector and all other parts of ourselves,
It can help to hold an image of yourself as a child in your mind's eye as you tap,
Side of hand,
May you be well,
Top of the head,
May you be happy,
Eyebrow,
May you be free from suffering,
Outer eye,
May you feel safe,
Under the eye,
May you feel protected,
Under the nose,
May you live with ease,
Under the mouth,
May your heart be filled with joy,
Collarbone,
May you know peace,
Under the arm,
May you be content,
Side of hand,
May you be satisfied,
Top of the head,
May you be recognised,
Eyebrow,
May you be pleasantly surprised,
Outer eye,
May you be free of pain,
Under the eye,
May you be free from harm,
Under the nose,
May you be full of self-acceptance,
Under the mouth,
May you thrive,
Collarbone,
May you be filled with gratitude,
Under the arm,
May you be loved,
Side of hand,
May you be free,
Release the tapping,
And draw your breathing down into your belly,
Before slowly and gently exhaling through the nose.
Continue breathing like this while you cross your hands,
Placing your palms over your chest,
So that each middle finger rests right below the opposite collarbone,
And your thumbs are pointed towards your chin.
Interlock your thumbs so it looks like a butterfly's body,
And your hands are its wings.
Now begin to alternate tapping your hands on this part of your body,
Going slowly and rhythmically,
Left,
Right,
Left,
Right.
Continue to breathe into your belly as you tap.
Now release the butterfly tapping,
And tune back into your body and notice what has changed.
Where has your score out of 10 landed?
Do you feel lighter and more at ease?
Has your mind become quieter?
I hope you were able to feel the shift,
And that you enjoyed this practice.
If you found this tapping meditation helpful,
Remember to bookmark it so that you can easily return to it.
I encourage you to keep practicing developing a mindset of self-kindness daily.
Until next time,
May you be safe,
May you be well,
And may you be happy.
Thank you.
