Okay,
For this meditation.
We're just going to practice inclining the heart towards self-compassion.
Because self-compassion is truly a skill that generally needs to be cultivated in order for it to become more accessible to use in times of need.
And so this meditation is intended for increasing that ability to access caring about one's own experience.
So getting into a position that feels comfortable order for you to be relaxed enough so that you can settle into your heart space center.
And taking a few moments to really honor that transition from being focused on the outside world,
Noticing sights and sounds and textures,
Sensations,
To really becoming more interested in your internal landscape and just honoring that this is a transition.
So it might not be right away that you can feel quite grounded or anchored,
Not like a light switch that goes on and off,
But really a process and using the breath to guide you in this process.
Exhaling the breath completely from your nose.
And on the inhale,
Imagining scooping up all that stale air that has been circulating at the base of your lungs and bringing it all the way to the top,
Expanding your belly,
Your chest,
Holding your breath there for a moment,
Keeping your lips sealed.
And a nice,
Slow,
Long exhale through the nose.
Cutting your breath there for just a moment at the end.
Allowing that pressure to build.
And then inhale,
Expanding the belly,
The diaphragm,
Pulling all that stale air from the base of the lungs to the very tippy top.
And then holding your breath there for a moment as well,
Letting that air circulate,
Keeping the lips sealed.
Nice,
Slow,
Long exhale through the nose.
Cutting your breath there at the end for just a moment and letting your third breath be at your own pace.
And just scanning your body.
And seeing if you can identify somewhere in the body where you feel your heart space is located.
This could be the crown of the head or in between the eyes or the eyebrows.
It could be the center of the throat,
The chest.
Towards the left of the chest,
In your core,
Your solar plexus.
Anywhere where you feel like this is my heart.
And when you identify that,
Just take a few deep breaths into that space and really fleshing out and kind of creating a mind-body connection to the space.
Breathing in and breathing out from this space.
And now bring to mind something that is currently or has previously caused you some sort of emotional pain or suffering.
And when you have your scenario,
Repeating silently to yourself after me or out loud,
Whatever feels better.
The phrase.
May I open to any parts of myself that are hurting.
Noticing how that feels to care.
May I open to any parts of myself that are hurting.
Breathing into that space May I open to any parts of myself that are hurting.
And with this meditation,
Really practicing turning towards the pain and suffering instead of maybe a more reactive or habitual.
Reflexive turning away,
We are inclining the heart towards caring about our own experience.
May I open to any parts of myself that are hurting.
May I care about any parts of myself that are hurting.
May I care about any parts of myself that are hurting.
May I care about any parts of myself that are hurting?
And may the suffering that I am experiencing Help me to move towards the suffering that ends all suffering in the end.
Using suffering as a teacher,
An opportunity for wisdom and insight into your human experience that really matters.
Honoring,
Suffering,
And loving.
May this suffering bring me insight that leads me to the end of all suffering.
And my gentle wish for you is that right now,
May your whole body be relaxed.
May you relax your whole body right now.
May you relax your mind.
Relax your mind.
Relax your heart.
Relax your heart.
And whenever you're ready to transition out of this space,
Wiggling your toes,
Wiggling your fingers.
Opening your eyes and just feeling a little bit more tender more equipped.
To be with whatever has happened or is currently happening.
Just building that skill set that is really inclining the heart towards the pain and suffering.
No longer afraid of it,
But towards it.
