Welcome back.
You made it to your practice session.
Again.
Another step taken.
If you listen to one minute today,
That is continuation of the process and it deserves a celebration.
We are in this for the long run,
Not for a sprint.
If you want to join me for more than one minute,
You can,
But you don't have to.
Find a comfortable seat.
Take a long and deep breath in through the nose.
Open your mouth and take a long and steady sigh out.
In our theory session,
I've asked you to label some of the emotions you feel when you think about things that you can't stick to or manage to learn and the beliefs you have about yourself.
In this practice,
We will release negative emotions and negative beliefs you have about yourself.
This does not mean you have to push these feelings and thoughts aside.
We will simply practice to release and regulate them in a healthy way so they do not hinder you in your change process.
So when you're ready to practice,
Take another long and steady breath in through the nose,
All the way through the belly,
Up to the chest,
And opening your mouth,
Releasing slowly,
Relaxing the shoulders,
Relaxing the face,
Releasing your hands,
And releasing your eyes.
I'd like to invite you to get back to your previous attempts and failures,
To learn new behaviors and habits.
What have you tried and haven't been able to stick to?
Which emotions pop up when you think about this?
Name them.
Do you feel shame,
Anxiety,
Anger,
Sadness,
Disappointment,
Frustration,
Or perhaps something else?
And when you've noticed how you feel,
Place your attention on any sensations you may pick up in your body that are arising simultaneously with these emotions.
Where in your body do you feel them most?
In your hands,
Hips,
Abdomen,
Chest,
Throat,
Face,
Or perhaps somewhere else?
Which beliefs are you holding regarding why you can't do this thing?
What are you not enough of that you believe is causing you to fail?
Are you not disciplined enough?
Not smart enough?
Not conscientious enough?
Not athletic enough?
Not focused enough?
What are you not enough of?
Now imagine that next to you is a dear friend,
Parent,
Or partner.
Feel their presence.
See their face.
Feel their touch.
And allow them to give you a warm and loving embrace.
And hear their voice when they tell you,
If you haven't been able to do yet what you want to do,
There is nothing wrong with you.
There is nothing to be ashamed about.
You are deserving of love and belonging,
And you are able to change.
You will change.
And you can do it with kindness,
Compassion,
And my support.
Gently place your hands over your heart.
Take a long and deep inhale.
Open your mouth and gently release.
And allow a smile on your face.
Today you practice naming and feeling difficult emotions.
Perhaps you have noticed that placing your kind attention on them releases their intensity.
Allowing and releasing into your feelings often softens them,
And it helps us to not buy into the negative beliefs that follow if we don't pay attention to how we feel.
We allow our emotions,
We can reframe the stories we tell ourselves by practicing loving kindness.
Most of us find it difficult to receive kindness,
Compassion,
And patience from ourselves.
It's easier to imagine someone else giving it to you.
But with time,
If you repeat this practice often,
You will learn to be compassionate with yourself as well.
Take a moment to realize that you sat down today to learn something new,
And that this is a step of progress on the path towards change.
This is the practice of learning,
And a feeling of gratitude towards yourself is your reward.
You did it.
Practice feeling in your mind.
