Softening Self-Judgment | A Gentle Inner Journey

Self-judgment can pull us out of the body and away from our inner truth.
This gentle meditation invites you to slow down, soften self-criticism, and listen beneath the noise.

Through grounding, breath, and heart-centered awareness, you’ll be guided to meet judgment with compassion rather than resistance. There’s nothing to fix or change, simply space to reconnect with your inner voice and allow clarity to rise naturally.

Arrive exactly as you are.
Your body and soul already know the way.

Transcript

Hello,

Hello.

I'm Brenda and welcome to the SoulWorks Studio.

My work lives at the intersection of mind,

Body,

And soul.

I guide people to their inner landscape where clarity,

Truth,

And healing become possible when we slow down and listen.

My approach comes from years of personal healing,

Lived experience,

And the practices I've developed through mind,

Body,

Soul mastery.

Here in the SoulWorks Studio,

Everything is rooted in presence,

Curiosity,

And letting your inner wisdom lead.

Arrive as you are.

Nothing needs to be fixed or managed.

We simply pay attention to what's here and let the body and soul speak in their own way.

Thank you for being here and for trusting yourself enough to show up for this inner work.

Now,

Before I move on to the topic and the main meditation,

There are some preparations that you can make for yourself to make this experience the most enjoyable for you.

Please put a note on the door letting your family know what time you'll be out and reconnect with them.

Turn off all notifications,

Such as putting your phone on airplane mode or silent,

Turning off the dings on the computer.

Have a journal and pen nearby along with water.

If you choose to lie down,

Make sure there's a bolster under your knees,

A blanket for your tummy so you can stay nice and cozy.

And some people like an eye cover,

And if you don't have an eye cover,

The arm of a shirt works perfectly.

Now,

To set yourself up for the best experience within,

Headphones will bring this all closer to you.

So let's move on to why we're here today.

I'm here to talk about judgment and micro judgments.

Most of our judgments were learned long before we ever had a choice.

They came from the voices around us,

Not from the wisdom within us.

It's almost like the noise that sits on top of our truth and we can't hear our truth because there's so much noise.

When self-judgment rises,

It usually points to a place inside us that still wants tenderness and not criticism.

We all carry self-judgment.

For some,

The voice may be loud,

Continuous,

Overbearing.

And for others,

It's soft or maybe random.

We've all said things so often that it's become normal,

A normal loop,

Like a broken record repeating.

We don't even notice the judgments of ourself anymore.

Yet,

The body remembers when these judgments began,

Even if the mind doesn't.

And these judgments that our body's holding show up as tension,

As self-doubt,

As pain,

Or as silence.

I'd like you to go ahead and close your eyes for a moment.

This isn't the main meditation.

Just close your eyes and take a few deep breaths in and out your nose.

Allow your eyes to soften,

Your jaw to be slightly open.

And on your next exhale,

Feel your shoulders soften and drop.

Now,

Turn your attention to your heart space and simply notice if you're observing your judgment or if you're participating in it.

And taking one more slow breath,

And when you're ready,

Slowly open your eyes.

And if I continue with this observing or participating and give you an example,

I'm currently working through the judgments I have of my physical body and appearance.

I notice it in small ways,

Like micro-expressions,

Micro-judgments.

And I see it and notice it when I see my reflection in a mirror,

I notice the micro-judgment.

Or when someone takes a photo of me and shows me,

My body has a micro-judgment of what I'm seeing.

So in that area,

I'm participating in my judgment.

And what I've come to learn is what matters most is how we meet these judgments and how we engage with them.

Now that my awareness is heightened about these micro-judgments,

When I see my reflection,

I'm able to change the way I engage with them.

Again,

Are you a participator or an observer?

And some of these judgments have come from a much younger version of ourselves who is trying to navigate the world.

So it's important that we begin to meet those parts with compassion and not pressure.

The work we're going to do in a moment is gentle.

It's about truth rising in a way that feels safe in your body to bring healing and freedom.

So,

Get yourself ready and prepared to go within.

So close your eyes and gently settle into the space around you.

This is your time,

A sacred moment to go deeper.

And allow your breath to flow softly in and out through your nose.

The edges of your eyes soften.

The jaw is relaxed and slightly open.

And your shoulders soften and drop.

Each slow,

Steady breath,

Bringing you further into ease.

Now,

Imagine your breath traveling downward,

Flowing gently through your body,

Through your legs,

Into the soles of your feet,

Anchoring you deeply to the earth.

And with each inhale,

You draw in steady grounding energy.

And with each exhale,

This energy connects you to the very core of the earth,

Keeping you tethered,

Supported.

And now with this next inhale,

Draw in this grounding energy.

And this time,

As you exhale,

Feel the breath rise,

Flowing up and out through the top of your head,

Almost like it's floating high in the sky.

And it's connecting you with God,

Source,

And Spirit.

Universe,

Whichever resonates with you.

And on the next inhale,

Imagine this connection returning as a golden beam of light,

Flowing gently back down through the crown of your head,

And flooding every part of your being.

Let this warm,

Golden light,

This cosmic energy,

Fill you.

Every cell awakened.

Every breath activating your inner wisdom.

So breathe in the earth's stability.

And exhale,

Expanding into the infinite connection above.

Continue this flow of grounding and expanding,

Anchoring and opening.

Feeling shifts within you as you're held in this golden light.

Drifting deeper,

Feeling the gentle rise and fall of your breath.

As you rest in this grounded place you've created,

Knowing you're safe,

Feeling held and supported,

Turn your attention to your heart.

Your mind,

Your inner world.

Doing so with kindness,

Patience,

Compassion.

Nothing to fix,

Nothing to force.

Just noticing.

Simple observation.

Allowing your breath to soften the edges inside you.

And knowing that self-judgment is something every person experiences.

So meet this with softness as you silently ask,

In what way have I been judging myself recently?

Not the deepest one,

Not the hardest one.

Simply the first that rises.

Let it appear like a whisper.

Just a truth surfacing in its own time.

In what way have I been judging myself recently?

And take a long,

Slow,

Deep breath.

Here.

Now notice more about the words or thoughts you use with yourself.

The tone.

The energy behind them.

Still observing.

Being kind and gentle.

Curious.

Allow this awareness to sink slowly into your heart.

As if your breath is guiding you inward.

Downward.

Into the center of you.

Deep into the heart space.

And now,

Silently ask,

Where have I been judging myself recently?

Have I heard this before?

Allowing the answer to rise on its own.

You're not searching,

You're receiving.

And if it feels right,

Ask,

How far back does this go?

Trusting that your body will only show you what feels safe to revisit.

If a memory begins to appear,

Notice the age of you.

Breathe softly.

Giving this version of you space to be seen without fear or judgment.

Reminding your body that you are safe and supported.

You may even notice what that version of you needed in that moment.

And if feelings rise,

Let them rise gently.

As if you're holding them with open hands.

Soft.

Steady.

Gently allowing the expression of them.

Now bring your hands to your heart.

Feeling the warmth of your palms.

Notice your breath.

Beneath them.

And with hands on your chest,

Silently repeat after me.

I'm sorry.

Please forgive me.

I love you.

Thank you.

Again,

Slowly,

With compassion toward this version of you.

I'm sorry.

Please forgive me.

I love you.

Thank you.

I'm sorry.

Please forgive me.

I love you.

Thank you.

I'm sorry.

Please forgive me.

I love you.

Thank you.

I'm sorry.

Please forgive me.

I love you.

Thank you.

I'm sorry.

Please forgive me.

I love you.

Thank you.

Letting each phrase settle into the memory,

Into the body,

Into the heart.

Letting the words soften whatever tension remains.

Simply breathing in compassion for yourself and sending it to your heart.

And now take in a long,

Deep breath,

And on the exhale,

Slowly out the pinhole of your mouth.

And staying here with hands over your heart,

Asking quietly,

Is there anything else my body and soul want me to know?

Letting the answer rise softly,

Simply,

Naturally.

Is there anything else my body and soul want me to know?

And when that feels complete,

Hold it gently inside you.

And now coming back to your heart,

The connection to your mind,

Body,

And soul.

Allow gratitude to fill your heart space for the awareness,

The healing.

And now taking a moment to listen for anything else.

Anything else your body,

Your soul,

May want you to see,

Hear,

Feel.

Or know.

And with this next breath,

Breathe in the word accepting and breathe out the word this.

Accepting this.

Breathing in accepting and breathing out this.

The golden beam of light that was filling you begins to dissolve softly back into the cosmos,

Leaving you with a sense of deep oneness.

Now feel the energy settle throughout your system as the roots that anchored you begin to fade away,

Yet leave you feeling rooted and connected,

Expanded and restored.

And now allow the energy of awareness to travel up into your body with your breath.

Wiggle your toes,

Wiggle your fingers.

The energy of awareness travels higher up through your body,

Bringing more and more consciousness into each moment.

Open and close your hands,

Becoming even more grounded and present in your current environment.

And when you're ready,

Slowly open your eyes,

Grab your journal,

And write down what you're more aware of.

Welcome back.

I encourage you to take a moment to simply notice how you feel and notice what may have shifted for you.

There is no rush to move on.

So give yourself whatever pace you need as you return to your day.