We are usually very hard on ourselves.
No matter what we do,
No matter how much time
we put in,
It seems like there is this persistent dissatisfaction with who we are,
What we look
like,
And how we're showing up or not showing up.
Even when we are genuinely making progress
and putting in the effort,
It's still not enough.
Somehow,
We still fall short of our
own expectations and end the day feeling inadequate.
So if there's anything we need more of these days,
It's gentleness with ourselves,
And
hence why I created this meditation.
This guided session is intended to bring you to
release some of your harsh self-judgment and invite some gentleness so you can move forward
with deeper serenity and self-compassion.
Let's begin.
I first want to invite you to settle into this space by taking in some swigs of fresh breath,
Feeling the reviving coolness of the inhale and the soothing relief of the exhale.
Allow these breaths to slow down the tumultuous churn in your mind,
Allowing stillness,
Wider and wider space,
To soak your body and spirit with its grace.
Feel held by the space in your room.
Feel held and hugged by your body and reroute yourself
back into your body,
Back into this present moment.
If there's any lingering worry or pressing item from your to-do list,
Just set it down and know
you can come back to it in a few minutes.
This is your time of self-care,
Where nothing else matters.
Now,
I invite you to surrender your body completely to gravity,
Allowing your jaw,
Your shoulders,
Arms,
Torso,
Pelvis,
Legs,
Knees,
And feet to just drop and rest,
With nowhere to go,
Nothing to do right now.
Take another luxurious breath in and out.
I use the word luxurious intentionally,
As if you think about it,
Breath is one of our greatest gifts and luxuries,
Carefully crafted by the hands of deep time.
In fact,
It's estimated to have taken
10 million years for atmospheric oxygen to build up so you can breathe.
So let's treat our breath with respect and gratitude by receiving it with full awareness,
Feeling them enter your nostrils,
Filling your chest cavity,
Feeling your belly rise and fall with every breath.
Now,
I'd like you to observe whether there are any harsh messages circulating in your system.
What are these messages saying?
Feel free to verbalize them out loud.
Notice how there's a distance between you as the observer and these messages from your inner critic.
We often identify with these messages,
Believing that we are these messages.
Just watch them now,
As if they were clouds in the sky,
Nothing more but projections of your mind.
Now,
I invite you to notice how your body is responding to these harsh messages or attitudes.
What physical sensations are emerging?
For me,
My harshness triggers in my body
this heavy hollowness in my belly,
This burning contraction in my chest.
Scan your body now for any sensations that are arising from your harsh treatment of yourself,
Your severe judgment,
Or your shame from not meeting certain benchmarks.
And I'd like you to embalm these areas of your body with your deepest,
Most tender love and understanding.
Maybe even give yourself a hug,
Breathing gentleness into these touched areas
and allowing the harshness to soften with your compassion,
With the recognition that you are a human,
Not a machine,
Doing your best.
Staying in the space of self-love and gentleness,
I'd like you to now bring to mind all the winds,
Even the tiniest ones,
And all the ways you have shown up and grown these years,
All the lessons you've learned on your journey so far.
Take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate these overlooked milestones and personal qualities
like your strength,
Which likely have been overshadowed by your internal criticism.
Soak all of these into the marrows of your bones and uplift yourself with your own inner cheerleader.
Speak to yourself as if you were your best friend,
Your best advocate.
I'm so proud of you for taking the time to do this important work today.
If you struggle with feeling small and insignificant,
I recommend listening to my meditation called Your Atomic Self,
Which will allow you to see how you are artwork of the most dazzling and intricate kind.
It will sweep away any feelings of smallness from the cellar of your mind,
And you can find that meditation in my Insight Timer profile.
Thank you so much for practicing with me today and showing up for yourself.
Wishing you a beautiful rest of the day,
And see you next time.
