Welcome to this self-compassion guided meditation.
This recording is based on the work of Kristin Neff.
Before we start,
Take a minute to get comfortable and close your eyes or lower your gaze.
Let your attention drop into your body and check for any areas of tension.
You might lower your shoulders,
Release the muscles around your eyes and mouth,
Or soften your belly.
As you let go of any tightness,
Shift your focus onto your breath.
You already know how to breathe,
So you simply want to take in and appreciate the process.
Breathing and exhaling.
Feeling the air as it flows in and out of your body.
At this point,
I'd like to invite you to begin this self-compassion meditation by bringing to mind a situation that causes you some stress.
Choose something upsetting yet not overwhelming.
As you bring the situation to mind,
See if you can actually feel the stress and emotional discomfort in your body.
Observe what you feel and note where you feel it in your body.
As you sit with the discomfort,
You can now begin to offer yourself compassion by first acknowledging your suffering.
You might silently say something like,
I recognize this as a moment of suffering.
Right now I am feeling hurt.
While this is hard,
I can sit with this difficulty.
In this way,
You are describing your experience without casting any blame or putting pressure on yourself to change anything.
This is a form of self-kindness versus self-judgment.
Your compassion expands when you remind yourself that you do not suffer alone.
You might say to yourself something like,
I know that suffering is a part of life.
I know that other people feel this way.
Everyone faces challenges and I am not alone with my pain.
At this point,
You might add some physical touch.
You can either put your hands over your heart or place them on your knees or wrap them around your torso in a hug.
Any form of gentle touch intended to soothe yourself can be helpful.
Notice how it feels to hold yourself with loving kindness.
And now you can choose even greater kindness.
Just as you might ask a friend what they need to hear in order to feel loved and supported,
You might ask yourself that same question.
Perhaps one of the following phrases would feel calming.
I am doing my best and deserve a break.
I like everyone am imperfect and that is okay.
I am worthy and deserving of loving care.
I can choose to be patient and understanding.
The shift in this practice is away from resolving a problem,
Toward recognizing and understanding the stress that problem causes.
By bringing compassion to the experience,
You create space for both suffering and loving kindness.
Thus you lessen the need to push away what feels hard,
As the pain isn't your pain,
But rather an unpleasant experience.
This is a way of not identifying with your thoughts and feelings.
For when we feel targeted by difficulty,
We feel separate or isolated from others.
As we near the end of this practice,
You might reflect on whether there is any action you can take to help you manage any remaining stress related to your situation.
You might realize that a hot or cold beverage would be nice,
Or you might feel like you need to move your body in some way.
You might decide that you would feel better if you talked to someone.
Whatever it might be,
Give yourself permission to take any action that feels helpful.
This self-compassion practice helps us reduce the suffering that comes from judging or evaluating our circumstances and or putting pressure on ourselves to fix things.
The practice can be used any time,
Day or night.
May you be happy and healthy and live a life full of compassion.
