Giving and Receiving Compassion

This is one of the core meditations of the Mindful Self-Compassion program. For more, visit the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion.

Transcript

This meditation is called giving and receiving compassion.

And to start please find a comfortable position either sitting or lying down.

And if you like putting a hand over your heart or two hands or putting your hands over some other part of your body that is soothing and comforting.

And for now just feeling the gentle touch of your hand and perhaps the warmth of your hand.

And doing this is a reminder that we're bringing not just awareness but loving awareness to our experience and to ourselves.

And then taking a few deep relaxing breaths.

A few deep relaxing breaths noticing that as you breathe in how your breath nourishes your body.

And how as you breathe out your breath soothes your body.

So taking a few deep breaths noticing the nourishment as you breathe in and how your body is soothed as you breathe out.

And then allowing your breathing to find its own natural rhythm.

Just feeling the natural rhythm of the breath as you continue to feel the sensations of breathing in and breathing out.

And now focusing your intention entirely on your in-breath.

Giving yourself savor the sensation of breathing in.

And then just release your breath.

So focusing on the sensation of breathing in and then releasing your breath.

And noticing,

Noticing again how with every in-breath your body is nourished.

So just savoring for a moment one after another the experience of breathing in and then just releasing your breath.

So feeling how your in-breath naturally nourishes your body.

Perhaps you might also wish to breathe in something else,

Something good for yourself,

Something that you may need right now.

So as you breathe in perhaps you'd like to breathe in a quality of warmth or kindness or compassion or love or strength.

So continuing to feel your body breathe in,

Breathe in also something that you may need,

Something you would really like right now.

You can inhale a quality or you can breathe in an image like light or you can even breathe in a word like love,

Peace.

Breathing in something good for yourself and then just releasing your breath.

Doing this for yourself,

Breathing in something good for yourself with every in-breath.

Now shifting your focus to your out-breath and as you breathe out feeling the ease of exhalation,

Feeling the relaxation that comes as we breathe out.

And now just feeling your body breathe out and noticing how your body feels as you breathe in.

Now please call to mind someone whom you love,

Someone whom you love or someone who is struggling at this moment and needs some love or perhaps some compassion.

So bring someone to mind and visualize that person clearly in your mind.

See,

See that person in your mind's eye.

It's person whom you love or is struggling and needs some compassion.

And now begin directing your out-breath to this person.

That is to say offering this person the ease of breathing out.

So as you breathe out sending,

Sending something good to this person,

Sending your breath to this person.

And if you wish even intentionally sending something else,

Something extra,

Perhaps some extra warmth,

Kindness,

Something good,

Sending something good as you exhale to this person.

One out-breath after another,

Clearly visualizing this person in your mind and sending something good with every exhalation.

Now begin feeling your body breathing both in and out.

So holding the other person in your mind's eye but now breathing in for yourself and out for the other person.

Breathing in,

Feeling your breath as you breathe in and breathing out for the other person.

Feeling your breath as you breathe out.

Breathing in for me and out for you.

Breathing in for myself and out for you.

One for me and one for you.

So really savoring your breath,

Savoring the blessing of breathing.

Feeling the nourishment of your in-breath and breathing in for yourself and if you wish even breathing in something extra,

Perhaps some warmth,

Some love,

Something good for yourself and then also feeling the goodness of breathing out and sending something good to this other person.

So breathing in for yourself,

Out for the other.

One for me and one for you.

And if you wish you can focus a little more on yourself.

You can breathe in a few breaths for yourself and then you can breathe out one for the other person or if you wish you can breathe out a few breaths for the other person and then one in for yourself.

Whatever you need,

Whatever you like.

Breathing in for yourself and out for another.

Feeling the breath,

Feeling the breath as you inhale and as you exhale.

Bringing in something good and also sending something good out.

Or if you wish,

After breathing in for yourself you can also send your out-breath to more than one person,

To a group of people or to all beings.

However you like to do it.

But remembering,

Breathing in for yourself and then out for others.

Feeling your in-breath,

Letting every in-breath be for you.

And then exhaling for others.

Just allowing your breath to flow in and out.

Perhaps like the gentle movement of the sea.

The sea flowing in and the sea flowing out.

And allowing yourself to be a part of that gentle movement,

Of that flow.

Allowing your body to naturally breathe in just as the sea flows in and then naturally out just as the sea flows out.

Letting yourself be part of this limitless,

Boundless flow.

Breathing in and breathing out.

Breathing in and breathing out.

Breathing in for ourselves,

Breathing out for others.

And if your mind wanders as your mind naturally will,

All minds do.

Then once again just feeling your breath once again.

And also feeling your body and really breathing in for yourself.

Refreshing your aim,

Giving this to yourself.

Breathing in for yourself.

And then perhaps if you have lost focus on another person,

Refreshing your aim in that direction as well.

Seeing clearly,

Visualizing this other person.

Feeling your own body,

Visualizing this other person.

Breathing in for yourself,

Every in-breath for yourself,

Every out-breath for another.

One for me and one for you.

One for me and one for you.

Breathing in,

Breathing out.

Just allowing the body to breathe itself.

Allowing the breath to move in and out just like the sea.

Moving in,

Rolling out.

Being part of this endless ocean of compassion.

One for me and one for you.

And finally releasing the practice and just sitting quietly in your own experience.

Just letting yourself feel what you feel.

Letting yourself in this moment.

Letting yourself in this moment to be just as you are,

Just like this.

And then gently and slowly opening your eyes.

Reviews

Excellent. I do love your meditations so much. Will share this one today with the participants of my mindfulness course as day 10 of the 12 days challenge. I’m sure they will love it too. Thank you so much, Chris! 🙏🏻

Feeling the ocean of compassion with each breath-so soothing ❤️ thank you

Thank you Christopher for this soothing meditation ! Sending you a bright shining light of gratitude for this and everything you have done for msc :)

A great stabilizing practice, balancing the giving and receiving according to your present needs. Chris is a kind hearted master in the path of Self-Compassion.

Simple and targeted compassion meditation. Chris delivered exactly what is written on the tin 😌🙏🏽

Chris's meditation of this "Metta Light" changed my llife when he led it in an MSC workshop six plus years ago. I meditated with his recording today as a dear "high-risk" soul-sister was being operated on to repair a broken hip. I was 500 miles sway in physical terms, and folded in with her and her medical team in the boundless sea of compassion. We all thank you, Chris, for your blessed presence. Nancy, a retired UCC pastor and MSC teacher.

As a breathworker I‘m grateful for experiencing the powerful whilst tender combination of compassion and conscious breathing. Connecting and relieving.Thank you.

Beautiful 💕♥️💕

Great to have your voice at hand, after attending the MSC Intensive in Elspeet last week. :)

A realization came to me while practicing this guided meditation: practicing compassion can be through offering your vital breath to others - one exhale at a time. Thank you.

Thank you Chris🙏

Lovely thank you!

Thank you Chris! 🙏

Loved everything about it. Plenty of silent spaces between the words, allowing it to settle in. I felt like I was actively sending and receiving compassion, not just thinking about it.

Beautiful pace and very soothing. Thank you.

Simple beautiful thank you

Wonderful compassionate meditation. Love this so much!

Loved it. A great way to share compassion with someone you love.

So lovely!
"one for me...and one for you"
Perfect start to my day.

Soothing and pleasant. Great start to the day.