Sit comfortably,
Take your seat.
You can be seated on a chair with your feet flat on the ground and your hands resting on your thighs or you can be on a cushion with your legs crossed in front of you and your hands resting on your thighs.
Sitting in an alert upright posture but not one that's uncomfortable but a seat that you respect.
And go ahead and close your eyes or you can softly gaze downward a couple inches in front of you.
And take a couple moments to settle into the space into the room.
Relax your body.
Lift your chest a little to breathe easily and tuck your chin slightly and let your shoulders relax down and back.
If during this practice you need to shift your position feel free to do so mindfully.
And if you want to open your eyes do so then close them again and return to the meditation.
Begin by taking three long slow deep breaths.
Inhaling slowly and deeply through your nostrils and exhaling slowly and fully through your nostrils.
This sends a signal to your body to relax even more deeply.
Now return to your natural breathing.
There's no need to control it or regulate it in any way just let it be natural and easy breath.
And if during this practice strong emotions arise there's no need to judge them as good or bad right or wrong.
Allow them to be as they are and sit with the sensations until they no longer command your attention and then come back to the meditation.
Think of all the ways you've spoken negatively to yourself and judged yourself around difficult conversations.
And in your mind see the one difficult conversation that maybe you have just had.
It could have been five minutes ago an hour ago.
And pay attention to the ways you spoke negatively to yourself and judged yourself around this particular difficult conversation.
Phrases like I'm a failure with relationships.
Why would anyone want to be with me?
I'm too selfish to be in a relationship.
Silently saying I forgive myself.
For judging myself and for all negative self-talk that I engaged in as a result.
We all say things from time to time that aren't helpful or accurate.
And I forgive myself for saying those things to myself.
We all say things from time to time that aren't helpful or accurate.
And I forgive myself for saying those things to myself.
Let go of the words and see the conversation in your mind.
And notice what you said or what you didn't say.
Acknowledging any place you wished your actions,
Your words were different.
And accepts that they're not.
With these words and actions in your mind,
Silently say to yourself I forgive myself for this action,
These words,
And all the suffering that occurred as a result.
I forgive myself for these actions and these words and all the suffering that occurred as a result.
We all say things from time to time that cause suffering.
And I was doing the best I knew how at the time.
I forgive myself for these words,
This action,
And all the suffering that occurred as a result.
We all say things from time to time that cause suffering.
And I was doing the best I knew how at the time.
Let these words go.
And now think of any other people or perhaps the difficult conversation itself that you may be blaming for a role in your suffering.
Did someone say something unkind or cruel?
Did you find yourself the victim?
And while thinking of this person or the group or the event,
The conversation,
The person that you have been blaming,
Breathe deeply and silently say for the ways I have been harmed by you,
Whether knowingly or unknowingly,
I forgive you.
I have been carrying this pain for too long and I am putting it down now.
I have been carrying this pain for too long and I am putting it down now.
I have been carrying this pain for too long and I am putting it down now.
For the ways I have been harmed by you,
Whether knowingly or unknowingly,
I forgive you.
I have been carrying this pain for too long and I am putting it down now.
Let go of the words and the images.
And with your eyes still closed,
Scan your body from your head to toe.
And notice any places where you are holding tension,
Any dis-ease or stress.
And breathe deeply into those areas through your nose.
And exhale the tension out of your mouth.
Again breathe into where you feel the tension left in the body.
And exhale it out of your mouth with a sigh.
Let go of the breath now and sit in the stillness.
It's very important to come out of meditation slowly as this is your integration period so there is no rush.
Keeping your eyes closed,
Stretch out into the space.
You can circle your wrists and your head.
And when you are ready,
Blink your eyes open and notice the shapes and colors around you,
Objects.
And when you are ready,
Move slowly back into activity.
