Kindness to self using words.
So starting by finding a posture that works for you,
Finding a sense of balance,
And then resting into stillness.
As we rest our eyes closed,
Give yourself the opportunity to really arrive in this moment,
With a few deep breaths connecting into this breathing body,
Noticing what's going on for us right now,
Any mental activity,
Can we feel anything in the body?
Whatever's there,
Is it possible just to let things go by like clouds in the sky?
As we focus our intention towards this practice,
Some kindness towards ourselves,
We start with some basic grounding,
And really inhabiting our physical presence,
Briefly scanning the body top to toe.
We're just listening to the body for any sensory information that the body's giving to us.
There's a tendency to really try to meditate sometimes,
But take this invitation to really just relax into this.
It doesn't have to be so hard,
There's a tendency to go into things almost bracing and resisting,
But is it possible to just slightly reframe this attitude and to soften our approach a little?
We're going to tune into our breath.
Can we just allow the body to breathe itself in the way it knows best?
And as we tune into the sensations of breathing,
We can connect with ourselves a little bit,
Just staying with the natural flow of in-breath followed by out-breath,
Noticing this breath and the next.
Scanning the body for any sensations or anything that pulls the mind,
Whatever that experience is,
We can try and just breathe with it.
On the in-breath,
Bringing in a sense of kindly awareness,
And on the out-breath,
Softening our attitude and softening our approach a little.
In this way,
We can connect our breath in a kind way with any experience.
And we can now set an intention of kindness towards ourselves.
Often it's easier to express kindness to others.
So let's bring to mind that sense of what it's like when a loved one or a friend is in pain or hurting.
Do we tend to have a natural compassion towards others' suffering?
And can we bring that same sense of kindliness to ourselves,
Which we might feel in the body of warmth or an aliveness?
Perhaps kindness is a sense of energy or of spaciousness.
Whatever it is,
Throughout the rest of the practice,
Just keeping one eye on what the body feels when we connect with kindness.
And words might be helpful in developing the sense of kindness to ourselves.
We might like to use the phrase,
May I be well,
May I be happy,
May I be free from suffering.
And as we sit here continuing to breathe,
We can just repeat these phrases to ourselves,
Wishing ourselves well.
May I be well,
May I be happy,
May I be free from suffering.
And if these words don't quite work for you,
Then it's a chance to play around with the phrase or words that you can really connect with.
May things be just alright,
May things not be so difficult every day,
And may I find even just some brief moments of peace from time to time.
Giving some space now to continue with your own well-wishing words.
And if we go to other thoughts or experiences,
Using this as an opportunity to just shepherd our mind back to the breathing body.
Bringing ourselves back to this breath,
The direct felt sensations of this in-breath and this out-breath.
And can we bring to mind that sense of compassion that we might so easily give to others,
And the possibility of just directing some of it our own way.
It might feel strange or unnatural to do this.
I'm just testing out the possibility.
Often when we do this kind of practice,
We can naturally have some resistance to something new like this.
Can you recognize any holding or tension in your physical posture?
And can we encourage on the out-breath just to relax these areas?
Can we open up just a little to receive some of this self-kindness?
May I be well,
May I be happy,
And may I be free from suffering.
Checking in with perhaps how we're feeling now,
And remembering to go easy on ourselves.
We might not feel very different at all,
But we're just practicing that skill.
That skill of turning compassion towards ourselves.
And as we come to the end of the practice now,
Is it possible to just see if we can take some of this,
Even a little of this self-compassion that we've cultivated,
To go with us for the rest of the day?
