Compassion,
Especially self-compassion,
Is very beneficial when you are experiencing stress,
When you need to take care of yourself and show up as the best version of you under difficult circumstances.
There is a large body of psychological science showing that compassion reduces negative self-judgment,
It enhances your resilience,
It lowers your level of anxiety and depression and helps you regulate your emotions more effectively.
Compassion also strengthens your relationships and reduces burnout.
Go ahead and find a comfortable position.
If you're seated,
Allow your spine to be long and your heart to be open.
If you're lying down,
Placing your arms at your side uncrossed,
Feeling the ground underneath you and begin by taking on a compassionate facial expression.
Bring friendliness to your eyes,
Bring kindness to your cheeks and you can even allow your mouth to smile slightly with a kind and caring smile,
Releasing any tension in your face,
Embodying a compassionate heart,
Your shoulders drop and your heart opens,
Feeling that warm friendliness exuding from your chest,
Your heart and your face and embodying compassionate hands,
Hands that are open to receive and to give.
Feel in your hands the holding of care,
Of giving and receiving care and we can bring our nervous system and our body into a more compassionate state of mind by slowing our breath down,
Slowing our breath down to a slow soothing rhythm pace,
Inhaling your mind slows down,
Exhaling your body slows down,
Your inhale slows long and deep,
Your exhale slows long and deep.
Breathing in a way that is just right for you,
A way that feels nourishing and kind and notice how it feels to be in your body when you breathe in this way.
You can even say to yourself with a friendly voice tone,
Breathing in and with a friendly voice tone,
Breathing out,
Gently caring for your body with this soothing rhythm breath.
And now we are going to create a version of you that is you at your compassionate best,
A version of you that is wise and strong and kind and warm,
A version of you that can handle stressors,
That can care for yourself and that can show up in the world in a way that is aligned with your heart and the way you want to be.
I'd like for you to imagine yourself standing in front of you and this is you at your most compassionate best.
Look at yourself and notice you when you are strong,
What it looks like when you feel strong in your body,
Strong in your being.
And this compassionate version of you is also wise.
This compassionate version of you knows how challenging this life can be,
Has a deep understanding about the nature of suffering,
But also knows how much of what happens inside is not our fault.
Imagine you can see this wisdom in the compassionate version of you standing in front of you.
And this compassionate version of you is also committed,
Committed to change,
Committed to staying aligned with what matters,
Able to tolerate difficulties with strength and determination,
Courage and flexibility.
Look at yourself with those qualities and also see yourself with this deep sense of commitment.
Commitment to alleviate your own suffering and other people's suffering.
Imagine how your compassionate self would look,
Would stand,
The facial expression,
Even their tone of voice.
And then I'd like for you to walk up to this compassionate version of you and imagine that you could step inside,
Step inside this version of you and feel it in your body.
Take on its body posture,
Its facial expression,
Feel the feeling of having a kind and caring and wise heart.
Notice your own breath.
If you'd like,
You can move around a little bit,
Sort of notice these qualities as you sit or lie or stand where you are,
Embodying these qualities.
Notice how you shift your body posture and your facial expression,
How you listen to the world around you and what would you see in your life,
Feeling and experiencing this version of you.
And now I'd like for you to be able to use this version of you to face a stressor,
A problem,
Conflict that you're struggling with right now.
When you think about that difficulty,
Notice the key emotion that shows up.
Anxiety or fear or anger or sadness,
Shame.
Identify that key emotion that emerges.
And let's try and have this compassionate self approach this problem.
Can you look at it through the eyes of your compassionate self?
How would you describe your experience with wisdom or strength?
What would your compassionate self say about you and what's behind this experience?
What would your compassionate self like to say to the part of you that is struggling?
What words of wisdom or strength or warmth could you offer?
And how could your compassionate self validate you,
Validate the hurt and the suffering that you're experiencing?
How would your compassionate self encourage you?
And what is the wisest action that your compassionate self could help you do,
Could direct you towards?
How would your compassionate self help you right now,
In this moment?
What would it like to say or do to the part of you that is struggling?
This is your greatest inner resource.
This compassionate version of you can help you.
Feel its strength,
Feel its wisdom,
Feel its courage.
It's here to help.
Now just sit for a few moments taking a few sleuthing breaths.
Connecting again with this experience of your body and the here and now.
The sounds around you and the body sensations that are present.
And when you are ready you can slowly allow the imagery to fade away.
Tune back into your soothing rhythm breathing.
If this is a time for sleep you can allow your mind to wander off into a deep restorative nourishing and healing sleep.
If this is a time for you to move into your day,
Bring with you this embodied compassion,
The facial expression,
The posture,
The open heart into your interactions today.
And when stressors arise remember that you can return into your most compassionate self.
It's here to help.
And finally as this practice comes to an end,
Bring to mind one person,
One group,
Or one being that you would like to bring this compassionate self to outside of yourself as an offering and make an intention to share this compassionate version of you outward today.
Many
