- So next I'll lead a little bit longer
self-compassion meditation.
And before that I do that, I'm going to make it quieter
in my environment.
I think.
All right.
So bringing yourself again
to that upright and seated posture, or for this,
you can bring yourself into a lying down position.
This will be about a four or five minute meditation.
And so the idea with this practice, again,
of self-compassion meditation is to bring yourself
into a posture that is really supportive and comfortable.
So if that means
that you're more slouching back in your chair,
that you're more reclining
maybe even putting your feet up or having a blanket,
getting warm, whatever that means for you,
is be as comfortable as you can for this practice.
Alright?
So arriving in that state, and again,
the invitation is for you to close your eyes,
or soften your gaze,
and then really relaxing through your body.
So from your head to your toes,
bringing this warm relaxing way of ease,
warmth, and happiness,
so that you can just let go of any tension
that might be in your body,
bringing your breath to those areas,
and just seeing if you can let go just a bit more.
And once again,
I'll ask you to bring to mind an issue
that you've been having a challenge.
It might be the same one that we practiced with earlier.
It might be a new challenge.
So thinking about something that's about a five or a six
on a scale to 10,
and bringing awareness to where you feel that issue
in your body,
how have you experienced it?
Has it kept you from sleeping,
or changed your eating patterns,
or has it been on the top of your mind,
or just sort of niggling in the background.
Whatever that is, let's get that in mind.
And then give yourself credit and gratitude
for all the things that you've already done to
address that problem or that issue in your life.
Often, we just move from thing to thing,
without giving ourself any credit for having tried.
So this is the time.
Give yourself credit for what you've already done.
And then I'd like you to imagine that in front of you
there is a very comfortable easy chair.
And into that easy chair sits a very dear friend of yours.
This is someone that you really care about
and it can be someone from your past,
or someone from now, and they sit in this chair.
And as you gaze upon them,
you just see all the things
that you appreciate about them.
It might be their, the shininess of their eyes
or their posture, or just the way they smile at you.
You really appreciate them.
They're here because they want to talk to you
about a problem that they've been having.
They don't want you to solve it necessarily.
I just want you to listen to them.
So your friend, your loved one,
sits in the easy chair and begins to tell you their problem,
which is actually your problem
that you were just thinking about.
So you're imagining your friend
with the same problem that you have.
As your friend describes it,
you present to them, you're present with them,
with kindness and support and compassion.
You might have gestures that you use.
You might put a hand on their arm,
or might give them a small hug,
depending on what your relationship is.
You gesture to them that you're there with them
that you really want to be a support.
While you may not have the solution to the problem,
you care about them deeply.
And you just really,
really radiate care and concern for them.
And they look you in the eye and they just are so grateful
for the way that you have treated them.
And they tell you thank you that they are really very,
they're feeling so much more support,
and strength moving forward
for having been in your company.
And they get up and they leave.
And then into the chair comes you,
the exact you that you are
when you see yourself in the mirror.
But not just the superficial physical appearance of you,
all of you comes to sit in that chair.
And then you tell yourself
the problem that you've been having,
and with the same kind of tenderness and care and concern,
you listen to yourself.
You gesture to yourself with kindness and love,
and this attitude of deep support and concern.
And as you do, so you feel heard by yourself.
You feel supported, you feel gently heard and cared for.
And the words that you use,
please consider talking to yourself
with the words that you most need to hear.
You know what they are.
And so tell yourself these words now,
the sweet and gentle inner voice
of care and compassion and concern.
Just notice what it feels like
to talk to yourself in this way,
this intentional attention of being kind
and supportive to yourself.
Even though you might not have the solution right now,
you can love yourself where you are,
and how you are in this moment.
No need to be any other way than what you are.
And so,
noticing that you can come back to this place anytime,
just by intending it to be so,
and noticing that the care and concern
that you provide other people
is not diminished when you care for yourself.
And so noticing too that in suffering, we are not isolated.
There are many people living now,
and living in the past, and the future,
who have had the same issue.
And so feeling connected to peoples all over the world
and all through time, knowing that our suffering connects us
and that it's often where we're hurt or wounded,
that we can help other people in the future.
So perhaps bringing some gratitude to this suffering,
knowing that it will renew you,
in terms of being able to help other people.
So now deepening your breath a bit,
and feeling what it is like to be cradled and held
in this compassion that you've created for yourself,
and seeing if you can just keep this going
for as long as possible today.
And so now bringing mindful movements
into your fingers and toes with attention,
bringing awareness into your body.
And if you've had your eyes closed, you can reopen them,
become more aware of your environment.
And when you can use this practice,
it can be very healing after you might've felt disappointed
or like you've made a mistake,
or something hasn't gone your way,
or you've been dealing with a problem
that you just can't figure out how to fix.
It can also be a really good preparation
if you know that you're going into a situation
that might be challenging for you.
So self-compassion can be used as a preventive,
as a remedy,
and then sometimes even in the moment
when you're experiencing things that are very difficult,
we can still bring this sense
of support and care to ourselves,
either with the words that we tell ourselves, the gestures
or just the way that we hold ourselves
with presence and care, and compassion.
So it's time to end this self-compassion practice.
So bringing some movements and eyes open,
and awareness of your environment.
But stay in that really nice peaceful place.