So let's take some deeper breaths in through the nose.
And out through the mouth.
Imagine that you're breathing in calm.
Breathing out tension.
Closing the eyes.
Feeling weight of the body sinking down.
Feet on the floor.
Having a sense of being grounded.
Rooted.
Taking time out.
Noticing sounds.
Not reaching for sounds,
Just letting sounds arrive in the hearing.
This is a poem called What It Is.
It is nonsense,
Says reason.
It is what it is,
Says love.
It is calamity,
Says calculation.
It is nothing but pain,
Says fear.
It is hopeless,
Says insight.
It is what it is,
Says love.
It is ludicrous,
Says pride.
It is foolish,
Says caution.
It is impossible,
Says experience.
It is what it is,
Says love.
Softening the forehead.
Softening the jaw.
Allowing the shoulders to relax back and down.
Getting into your softening belly.
Softening the attention on the rhythm of the breath and noticing if it's fast or slow.
Heavy your light.
And now calling to mind some aspect of your personality or how you behave that you don't like.
Something that makes you feel like you failed or you're inadequate in some way.
Noticing any sensations that arise in the body as you bring this to mind.
Any tension in the chest,
The belly,
The throat,
The jaw,
The forehead.
Just by calling to mind this aspect.
Your personality or how you behave that you don't like.
Noticing if there is any discomfort in the body and acknowledging this is suffering.
This feels uncomfortable.
This is a painful experience.
This is difficult.
And now acknowledging everybody suffers.
I'm not alone in the fact that I suffer.
Everybody fails at things.
Everybody feels inadequate sometimes.
Everybody feels pain.
This is part of the human experience.
Now we're going to practice self-kindness.
May I be kind to myself?
May I accept myself as I am?
May I accept myself as I am?
May I live with ease?
May I live with ease?
May I live with ease?
Noticing how the mind and body feel right now.
It is nonsense,
Says reason.
It is what it is,
Says love.
It is calamity,
Says calculation.
It is nothing but pain,
Says fear.
It is hopeless,
Says insight.
It is what it is,
Says love.
It is ludicrous,
Says pride.
It is foolish,
Says caution.
It is impossible,
Says experience.
It is what it is,
Says love.
Bringing attention back to the contact with the chair and the feet on the floor.
Noticing sounds.
When you're ready,
Slowly opening the eyes.
