Hello,
It's really lovely to have you here.
My name is Mark.
And before we begin.
I'd like to invite you to find a comfortable position.
Allowing your hands to rest naturally.
It feels comfortable gently close your eyes or simply soften your gaze.
And take a slow,
Easy breath in.
And let it go.
Gain Breathing in and breathing out.
There is nowhere else you need to be.
Nothing to solve or fix.
Just these next few moments given entirely to yourself.
As your breathing settles into its own natural rhythm.
Simply noticing the support beneath you.
The chair.
The bed.
Or the floor.
Allowing yourself to arrive here.
Many of us spend time looking back we revisit conversations.
Decisions.
Relationships.
Missed opportunities.
We replay moments in our minds and.
.
.
Ask ourselves,
Why didn't I see it?
Why didn't I understand sooner?
Or,
Why didn't I choose differently?
It's questions like these that often come from a place of pain.
But they also come from a misunderstanding.
Because the person you are today is you.
Is looking back with knowledge that simply didn't exist then.
You were seeing yesterday.
Through the eyes of today.
And really,
That is never a fair comparison.
Take another gentle breath.
And as you breathe out.
Imagine setting down a heavy weight of hindsight just for a short time.
Now,
If it feels comfortable.
Allow a younger version of yourself to come gently into your awareness.
Not necessarily as a child.
Simply a version of you from.
A time when life felt different.
Perhaps they were struggling.
Perhaps.
They were full of hope.
Maybe,
They were doing everything they could simply to get through the day.
Notice them without trying to change anything.
Meet them.
Meet them with curiosity.
Meet them.
With kindness.
You may notice emotions arising here.
Boom.
Sadness.
Compassion.
Or perhaps.
.
.
Nothing at all.
Whatever you notice here is perfectly welcome.
Now,
Gently.
Remember this.
That version of you.
Could only make decisions with the understanding.
That they had at the time.
They did not have today's perspective.
They had yesterday's experience.
Yesterday's fears.
Yesterday's hopes.
And yesterday's knowledge.
They were living forwards.
Cheers.
As you are now.
It's all too easy to believe.
We should have known better.
But wisdom does not arrive all at once.
It grows quietly.
Sometimes over months.
Sometimes over years.
Sometimes it grows after a disappointment.
Sometimes after heartbreak.
And sometimes,
After making exactly the mistake we wish we had avoided.
Some lessons can be learned from books,
Some from conversations.
Some from watching other people.
Part.
There are certain lessons.
The deepest,
Most meaningful ones.
That only time can teach.
Time teaches us.
Who truly values us.
Time teaches us what really matters.
Time teaches us.
Which worries fade away,
And which dreams quietly remain?
Time teaches us where our boundaries belong.
And time teaches us resilience we never ever imagined we possessed.
Without time.
Without experience.
You could never have known what you know today.
So,
Perhaps your past self does not need your criticism.
Perhaps they deserve your gratitude.
Because they kept going.
They kept going even when they were uncertain,
Even when they made mistakes.
And even when they couldn't yet see what would later become so obvious to you.
Take a slow breath in.
And as you breathe out.
Silently offer these words to that earlier version of yourself.
I understand why you made the choices you did.
You were doing the best you could.
You did not know.
What only time could teach.
Thank you.
For carrying me here.
Now again,
Breathing gently,
Just allowing those words to settle.
Notice if anything softens inside you There is no need to force forgiveness,
No need to suddenly let everything go.
Because sometimes grace.
Begin simply by becoming.
A little less harsh with ourselves.
Imagine placing a gentle hand on your own heart,
Notice the warmth.
The steadiness.
The gentle reassurance.
Now repeat silently.
Allowing each sentence plenty of space,
I honour the person.
I was.
I released the expectation that I should have known sooner.
I trust the lessons time has gifted me.
I thank my past for bringing me here.
I choose kindness over judgment.
Allow wisdom to replace regret.
Continue forward with compassion.
Rest here for a few quiet breaths.
Nothing to achieve.
Nothing to become.
Simply breathing,
Simply being.
As we begin to draw this practice towards a close.
Remember this.
Your past self.
Was never meant to possess today's wisdom.
That wisdom did not even exist yet.
It was still being formed.
Through every conversation.
Every challenge.
Every success.
Every mistake.
Every ordinary day that slowly shaped the person.
You are becoming.
The fact that you understand more today is not proof that you failed back then.
It is proof that you kept living.
You kept learning.
You kept growing.
And perhaps.
.
.
That is enough,
Perhaps.
Today,
You can stop asking.
Why you didn't know sooner.
And instead quietly smile at everything time has gently revealed.
Take one final slow breath in now.
And let it go.
Begin noticing the room around you once again.
The sounds nearby.
The feeling of the air against your skin.
Perhaps gently wiggling your fingers and your toes,
And whenever you are ready.
Slowly open your eyes Thank you so much for taking this time to be with yourself today.
May you carry a little more understanding.
And a little more self-compassion.
And a reminder.
That's some lessons!
Simply cannot arrive before their time.
Have a beautiful rest of your day.
Go in peace.
Namaste.
