This is the self-compassion break meditation.
So coming into a comfortable posture for your body,
Feeling your feet making contact with the floor,
Feeling your body resting on the surface it's resting on and if you'd like to close your eyes or lower your gaze whatever's comfortable for you just to limit those distractions.
Maybe letting your shoulders drop down and back,
Opening the chest,
Expanding the lungs,
Letting your hands rest on your lap or by your side.
And in the self-compassion break,
In order to look and explore how we deal with something that's difficult or tricky,
We're going to bring to mind a situation and work with that.
So please do what you need to do to look after yourself and to practice self-care throughout this practice,
Making sure that you're resourced.
Anytime you can stop the practice if you'd like to,
You can open your eyes,
You can adjust your posture,
You can come to an anchor like the breath,
The feet on the floor,
Whatever's comfortable for you.
So in this practice I'm going to ask you to recall a difficult situation,
Something that's causing you a little bit of stress,
Maybe something that's health related,
Relationship related,
Work,
Maybe something that a friend's going through,
Something that's a tricky situation that's happening or been happening that you're aware of,
That you've been going through.
And different things might be going through your mind,
Different scenarios,
And please pick something that's maybe mild to moderate,
So maybe a five out of ten.
Not picking the worst thing that's going on for you or something to practice on,
Practice on something that's mild to moderate,
Just to build the skills.
So settling on the situation if it's comfortable for you and just seeing,
Feeling what's happening in this situation.
Just recalling what's happening,
What's being said,
Who's involved,
And knowing that any time you can stop the practice or adjust to your anchor,
Open your eyes or do something else to look after yourself.
And if it's okay to carry on with the exercise,
Just coming back to noticing what's happening,
What's going on in this tricky situation.
Perhaps as you recall in your mind,
You might start to notice changes in your body sensations.
So where is this difficulty,
This tricky situation showing up in your body?
You might notice some tension,
Some tension in your body,
You might notice some tension,
Some holding in the body,
In the muscles,
Maybe some tensing in the shoulders,
Maybe some frowning in the face,
Clenching the jaw,
Maybe tightening of the hands,
Maybe things like a little bit of churning in the belly,
A bit of tightness in the belly or the chest.
So wherever you can feel that,
Coming up a little bit closer to that area and just exploring it kindly with curiosity,
How it feels for you.
And doing that with self-care,
So gently making contact with the discomfort.
And as you notice those bodily sensations,
Perhaps you can start to notice those bodily sensations,
Perhaps saying to yourself in this moment of difficulty,
Bringing yourself kindness,
So maybe saying something like,
This is tough,
This is stressful,
Maybe something like,
This is challenging.
Just knowing that we all struggle and we all suffer sometimes in life,
It's part of the common humanity of being a human being.
So recognising that you're not alone in dealing with tricky situations and even perhaps saying to yourself silently,
I'm not alone,
Others are like me,
Others struggle in their lives too,
Just like I do.
This is how it feels when we're struggling in these kinds of ways.
Others have had difficulty in their lives too.
And as you say to yourself these words,
Maybe bringing your hand to your chest area,
Maybe somewhere on the heart or other area that you find soothing,
Maybe putting your hand in the other hand and holding your own hand.
And using the hand as a token of kindness and gentleness.
Bring a little bit of self-soothing,
A bit of warmth,
A bit of kindness to your experience right now,
A bit of compassion.
It's the warmth and the touch to symbolise compassion for yourself in this difficult moment.
And maybe because you're struggling in this situation that's imagined,
Maybe saying to yourself something like,
May I be kind to myself?
Or maybe something like,
May I give myself what I need in this moment?
Maybe something like,
May I accept myself as I am?
May I have a moment of ease in this difficulty?
And if you're having difficulty finding the words,
Maybe thinking about what you'd like a good friend to say to you.
What words would you like them to say?
What emotions would you like to receive?
Or maybe what you would say to a good friend in a similar situation,
What messages would you want them to hear?
What words of kindness would you say to them?
And perhaps saying those words to yourself in this moment that's tricky for you.
So saying those words to yourself silently,
Feeling into the words,
Receiving their meaning,
Their well-wishing,
Their compassion,
And just allowing yourself to be here,
Just as you are in this moment.
And then letting go of the practice,
Being aware of your body,
The senses,
The body,
And the mind.
Being aware of your body,
The sensations,
Maybe noticing the breath,
Or coming to one of your other anchors.
And when you're ready,
Opening your eyes or raising your gaze,
And taking in the room,
The light,
The color,
Maybe the window,
Your surroundings.
And then gradually bringing a bit of movement to your body,
And finishing the practice.
