Self-Compassionate Loving Kindness For Healing

This practice of loving kindness with self-compassionate phrases is beneficial in healing negative self talk. The meditation begins with a brief discussion relating Cheri's experience using the practice for healing her inner critical voice. The meditation was recorded during a live event in August.

Transcript

Recently I've been working through a lot of challenging emotions.

I'm still working with fear and anxiety from a few weeks ago and it seems to just spark up like a fire rekindling from time to time and I know that this is normal and it happens.

It's part of my process and I use my practice to name and then lean into whatever is arising for me.

But it still can be difficult.

In addition,

I'm expanding my business from virtual to in-person so now I'm also facing my inner critic and holding space for a lot of difficult emotions and negative self-talk.

As much as I'm aware of this,

I still find myself being hard and unkind to myself.

You know that inner critic just loves to tell tales but fortunately I'm tuned in well enough to recognize the negative self-talk when it comes my way and when it happens I can drop into my body and breath,

Check in with my heart,

Let go of self-talk,

Maybe do some inquiry and find what's really true for me.

So I don't have to believe self-talk.

I choose to reject self-loathing inner critic dialogue because I truly know I'm complete.

I'm whole just as I am.

I am not broken and the same goes for you too.

Even when you have that inner voice saying otherwise,

You are not broken.

You are complete,

Filled with light and love.

So stay in your heart instead of feeding the flames of self-hatred.

And one practice I'm finding especially healing is loving kindness with self-compassionate phrasing and I find myself using this practice as a healing balm and today I would like to offer this practice as a healing balm for you as well.

And for this practice being comfortable is important so just taking a few moments to collect any props that may bring you comfort.

It could be a blanket,

A throw,

A favorite sweater,

Pillows,

Anything that's supportive and comforting for you and just taking a few moments to collect what you need and then finding your way into a comfortable position and you may decide to lie on your back.

You could use a pillow under your head or knees,

Cover yourself with a nice throw or maybe sitting in a comfortable chair,

One that offers support for your back.

And either way,

A posture that allows you to remain wakeful but relaxed and taking some time here now to settle in and as you feel your body making contact with the surface that you're on,

Just allowing your muscles to soften,

Letting go of any obvious tensions and checking in with areas that you find tension frequently.

So for me,

I move to the face,

Checking in with the muscles surrounding my eyes.

Eyes,

We use them for expression.

They get used quite a bit.

And the cheeks,

Moving into the jaw.

The jaw,

This joint that's used for talking and eating and we often hold tension there without even knowing.

Moving down the neck and throat areas,

We hold emotions into the shoulders and on the arms and down to the belly and softening your lower belly and slowly checking in with the pelvis,

Hips and legs,

All the way to the feet,

Letting go,

Softening,

Releasing all the way down to your toes as if a warm golden liquid poured over your entire body,

Washing all the tension away.

Just being in this body,

Nothing to do and nowhere to go,

Being just here now and turning your awareness to your breath as it moves in and out of your body and not needing it to be or do anything,

Just breathing naturally.

You've been breathing without ever thinking about it since the moment you entered this world.

So noticing the movement of the breath in the body and letting it be just as it is.

It may be soft or sticky and there's no right or wrong way,

Just the breath moving in and through the body.

If you find yourself caught in thought,

That's great.

You're being mindful and each time just coming back to this body,

Breathing.

As we begin to bathe ourselves in loving-kindness,

I invite you to think of a time you felt happy and content,

Joyful even.

Maybe a time when you were a child or maybe more recently.

Just consider where were you?

Picture it with as much details as you can,

Noticing the colors and the sounds that you heard.

Were you smiling or laughing?

And how did you feel in the body?

Were you relaxed in nature or energized in that play?

Just bringing in as many of your senses as you can and really feel this experience,

Happiness,

Contentment,

Joy feeling in your body.

And as you're experiencing the feelings and emotions,

Allow them to move throughout your body into your bones and blood,

Your soft tissues and all your cells.

Then moving past the soft edges of your physical body,

Letting it all radiate outward as if you were a pulsating body of bright golden light.

And then slowly let the imagery dissolve as you breathe this energy of loving-kindness through you and outward to the world.

And as you bathe in this loving energy,

Begin to repeat the following phrases or those that most support you,

Either silently or out loud.

May I be happy and accepting of myself.

May I hold my heart open to my joy and my sorrows.

May I be happy and accepting of myself.

May I hold my heart open to my joy and my sorrows.

Happy,

Accepting,

Open.

May I live with honesty and integrity.

May I live my life with purpose.

May I love myself completely.

May I live with honesty and integrity.

May I live my life with purpose.

And may I love myself completely.

Honesty,

Purpose,

And love.

May I be kind to myself.

May I come to understand that I am worthy.

May I live my life authentically.

May I be kind to myself.

May I come to understand that I am worthy.

May I live my life authentically.

Kind,

Worthy,

Authentic.

We'll sit in silence for the next few minutes as you continue to breathe this loving kindness and compassion for yourself.

And now returning your attention to your body breathing here,

Now.

Breathing through your heart and discovering the qualities of the heart.

Holding yourself open to experience the energy of loving kindness you've offered yourself.

And maybe becoming aware of any healing that has occurred.

Feeling the softness of a heart filled with light and love.

And then begin to take gentle movement in your fingers and toes.

And honoring yourself for spending this time in practice.

And then once the bell is rung,

Gradually opening your eyes and reorienting yourself within the space you're in.

Reviews

This love and kindness meditations i think are the most difficult type for me because of a inner critic mind for a long time in my life. Even so, i do love trying this kind of practice to give something different in this moment of life. I really like the way you guide the meditation, Cheri and thay voice, along with the silences are perfect.
I'm looking forward to share more time with you and i hope that in this days, your inner critic it's a little bit less noisy.
Thank you for being here and have a lovely day ✨ (: