I invite you now to find a comfortable position in which you are centered and alert.
For example,
If you're seated in a chair,
You could lean slightly forwards,
Straighten your back,
Drop your shoulders and press your feet gently into the floor.
Now bring to mind something that you are deeply struggling with.
Take a few moments to reflect on the nature of this struggle,
To remember what has happened,
To consider how it is affecting you and to think about how it might impact your future.
Sit here with this and notice what difficult thoughts and feelings arise.
Now pick one of your hands and imagine it is the hand of someone very kind and caring.
Place this hand slowly and gently on whichever part of your body hurts the most.
Perhaps you feel the pain more in your chest or perhaps in your head,
Neck or stomach.
Wherever it is most intense,
Lay your hand there.
If you are numb,
Lay your hand on the part that feels the numbest.
If you're feeling neither pain nor numbness,
Then simply rest your hand on the center of your chest.
Allow your hand to rest on you lightly and gently.
Feel it against your skin or against your clothes and feel the warmth flowing from your palm into your body.
Now imagine your body softening around this pain,
Loosening up,
Softening and making space.
If you're numb,
Then soften and loosen around that numbness.
And if you're neither hurting nor numb,
Then imagine in any way you like that in some magical sense your heart is opening.
And hold your pain or numbness very gently.
Hold it as if it is a precious baby or a tiny puppy or a priceless work of art.
Infuse this gentle action with caring and warmth as if you are reaching out to someone you care about.
Let the kindness flow from your fingers into your body.
Now use both of your hands in one kind gesture.
Place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach.
Let them gently rest there and hold yourself kindly.
Just sitting here,
Connecting with yourself,
Caring for yourself,
Offering yourself comfort and support.
And finally sending yourself a message of self-compassion.
However you are right now in this moment,
You are worthy of love.
You are worthy of healing.
You are worthy of belonging and connection.
Take a nice deep breath in and allow yourself to come back into the physical space.
Just wriggling your fingers and your toes.
And whenever you are ready,
Opening up the eyes and returning back to the space.
