Welcome,
It's lovely to be with you today,
And today we're going to explore a mindfulness practice around self-compassion.
This is really a moment for you to be gentle,
Curious,
And to take a moment to reconnect with yourself.
As we begin this practice today,
The invitation is to remain gentle with the flow of your breathing,
And this is a space for us to come together and to collectively choose peace.
As we begin,
I invite you to take a moment to settle into your space,
Take a few gentle breaths,
Inwards and outwards for release,
Really holding space to feel your breath and to rest gently within it.
I invite you to allow your body to release any tension,
You may like to take a gentle stretch if you need to,
And to let go of any outside noise or pressures that you may be carrying.
This is an opportunity to take back your mind,
To take back your space,
And to take back your attention.
I'd like to invite you just to take notice of where your body may make contact with the surface beneath you,
And just know that throughout this mindfulness practice you have permission to adjust at any point of your practice.
So firstly,
We're just going to begin by taking a gentle breath,
I'd like to invite you to begin to take a gentle body scan,
Starting with the crown of your head,
Being present with what may be arising for you,
Allowing yourself to connect to your body and space.
I invite you to gently become aware of your chest,
Connecting with your heart space,
Being able to sit with what may arise at this time.
As you make your way down towards your core,
I invite you to start to feel a golden light of power felt within you,
A golden light that radiates outwards and surrounds you,
The potential that you hold and that you carry within.
I invite you to continue scanning lower throughout your body,
Noticing any tension that may arise without trying to change or force it in any way,
Just being mindful,
Allowing yourself to become aware of your legs,
Of your feet,
Of your toes,
Really connecting with this vessel,
This body that is holding and carrying you through life.
Just taking a moment to acknowledge,
This is how I am in this moment,
And this is okay.
Just taking a gentle breath inwards,
And gently releasing.
So the gentle exploration of self-compassion,
I would like to invite a gentle inquiry at this time.
What may you notice or what do you notice about how you speak to yourself in the day to day,
And as you navigate through life,
What tone of voice does your inner voice carry?
There's no need to judge what you find,
This is just about noticing what arises for you.
Just hold in a very gentle curiosity.
In this moment,
I invite you to place one hand on your heart,
One hand on your belly,
And just acknowledging,
I'm listening to what is true for me right now.
And again,
Just coming back to your gentle breathing,
It's when life feels heavy,
What may unconditional kindness towards yourself actually sound like?
If you were to remove the word should from your inner dialogue,
What would remain?
If there was nothing you should have been,
Or you should be,
Who could you truly be today?
And as you settle into those prompts,
Notice any openness or resistance that comes up for you.
Just hold a gentle curiosity towards them.
I might like to invite the reflection of,
What if I gave myself permission to be exactly where I am?
And again,
Just coming back to your gentle breathing,
Allowing a gentle release.
We think about self-compassion,
And I wonder what is one small way that you feel you may be able to honour your needs today,
Not in the future,
But today?
Really noticing what feels true,
And what feels important to you at this time.
I may ask and invite you to reflect on what part of your story deserves to be held with more tenderness.
Again if you were to release the should be's or should have been,
If perceptions were released,
If you were to no longer carry the weight of the past,
I may invite you to silently offer yourselves these words.
May I meet myself with patience.
May I trust my own pace.
May I be gentle with my becoming.
May I meet myself with patience.
May I trust my own pace.
May I meet myself with patience.
May I trust my own pace.
May I be gentle with my becoming.
And again,
Just coming back to your gentle breathing,
Allowing yourself to breathe in gently,
And breathe out of release.
Just taking a moment to notice any shifts in your body,
Your mind,
Or your heart.
Self-compassion deepens each time we practice.
It's a process of gently noticing our thoughts,
Our responses throughout our days,
And coming back to this compassion in these moments.
I invite you just to hold your hand gently to your heart,
Really feel yourself in this moment,
Again being connected to your breath,
And honouring yourself for showing up today for showing commitment to yourself and your heart in this practice.
Gently allowing yourself to come back into the moment,
Feeling the gentle glow,
The gentle power that is kindling within you.
If you'd like to bring your hands together,
Stretch your body,
Just gently welcoming yourself back into the space,
Before gently opening your eyes,
And welcoming yourself to this new path,
This new moment,
This new page.
