Welcome to your practice for today.
My name is Ellie and I'll be guiding you through today's meditation focusing on cultivating self-compassion.
You know,
We can be so hard on ourselves sometimes,
Myself included.
And it's practices like this that bring us back to our inner truth and that is one of compassion,
Of kindness and love.
And we show those things to ourselves first.
When we cultivate self-compassion we radiate that out into the world and it brings a new compassion for the people in our lives and everyone else in the world as well.
Through that kindness wouldn't the world just be such a better place but it's got to start within you and that's what we're focusing on today.
So to begin,
If you haven't already find yourself a support,
Either seated or laying down.
Connect your awareness and your mind towards the points of contact between yourself and the support beneath you.
So maybe that's at your feet or at your hips.
And just feel into that support because it really is support.
You're being held up by something and allowing yourself to be held up.
It's quite big sometimes.
Become aware of the feeling of touch between your skin and the clothes you're wearing.
At each point of contact you feel that skin against clothes.
Just say to yourself the word touch and then move on to the next space you feel that sense of contact.
Become aware of your body.
Noticing spaces that you can consciously unravel,
Maybe places that are clinging still,
Resisting that support and just give them permission to soften as much as you can.
Draw awareness towards your breathing.
Allowing the body to breathe itself and just observing the breath.
Draw in and out through your body.
No two breaths the same.
And without forcing yourself to breathe the perfect breath just allow it to be as it is.
Each inhale revitalizing the body.
Each exhale just allowing that sense of release.
Letting go.
When we let go of things we allow space for that sense of revitalizing to come back into the body.
Now ask yourself the question,
How am I feeling?
That might be emotionally or might be physically.
Just scanning through the body and noticing how you're feeling right now.
Now imagine greeting that sensation or feeling like a mother.
Nurturing it.
Just noticing it.
And allowing it to breathe.
Allowing it to be there.
If you think of your thoughts or feelings or memories as a child,
Imagine if you suppress a child or ignore it.
Usually it gets louder.
Whereas when you hold it and it feels seen and heard they flourish.
And with your thoughts or emotions if you suppress them in the same way they get louder.
Whereas when they feel seen usually they're released.
Leaving space for new light,
New revitalizing,
New energy to enter your body.
So for the next two to three minutes we'll sit here in this open awareness space.
Watching your breathing and also watching your thoughts.
When thoughts or emotions arise,
Notice them,
Hold them and then just let them go.
And then come back to this moment,
Back to yourself and back to this awareness state of watching the mind and body.
I'll come back to you in a couple of minutes when your meditation is over.
.
.
Okay,
Notice where your mind's gone to.
Greet that with loving,
Kindness and compassion.
Hold it and then just let it go and bring yourself back to your breathing.
Breathe a few conscious deep breaths.
Feel the weight of your body into the earth.
Connect again to that feeling of support,
Safety.
Setting the intention to carry this compassion with you throughout the rest of your day.
Whenever you're ready blink your eyes open.
Thanks so much for sitting with me today and I hope we practice together again very soon.
