Welcome to today's meditation all about soothing self-compassion.
We're going to turn our attention toward the heart and just look at some of the ways that self-compassion acts as a really transformative healing tool for whenever it is that we find ourselves struggling against ourselves.
Turning inward and experiencing conflict in such a way as to be exhausted or drained or swimming in a sea of negativity.
So just finding as always your comfortable pose whether that's seated or laying down.
And using whatever support is around you,
Cushions and blankets and props that make sure that you're as comfortable as you can be.
Whenever you've found that place to softening down into it.
You're literally carving out the space around you and within you as you turn your attention toward yourself,
Your heart and your precious time and energy.
And particularly with these more internal inward looking soothing practices.
It's really important that we create a space for ourselves where we feel safe and secure,
Comfortable,
Nourished and well supported.
And it might be that you wrap a blanket around your body,
It might be that you've set a candle or some incense,
A light.
And you've turned off all the distractions around you so that you've created something of a cocoon for yourself.
And if you haven't done these things and you'd like to just take a few more moments now to set yourself up in this cozy,
Warm kind of a way.
This is really important as we set our intention for the practice ahead.
And as you gather those things together and settle back into yourself,
Into your body.
Close down the eyes and take a nice deep breath in.
All the way to the top,
Filling yourself completely before letting that breath go through the nose or the mouth.
Good,
Nice long exhale here.
And if you want to take two more rounds of breath in that exact same way.
Let's do that now together.
And together let's move the left hand onto the heart space.
And you might want to bring the right hand over the top.
Just nuzzling the shoulders and the elbows back down in towards the body.
And as we turn the drishti,
The gaze inward,
Let's become aware of where it is that the mind and the heart are troubled.
What they're bothered by,
What they're berating us for perhaps.
Noticing what the object or content of this struggle is.
So it might be a work related issue.
It might be something in your relationships,
Something you've said.
Something that needs to be said.
It might be a feeling of regret or chastisement.
Where you're just giving yourself a really hard time for something and it's making you miserable.
It's creating a lot of pain and struggle.
And I want you to just go in a little deeper now and feel the warmth of your hands against your heart.
And allow that touch to be really soft and gentle.
Relaxing the hands into the heart space.
It might be that there's some tenderness there,
Some real emotional and physical soreness in the heart.
In which case we'll allow the hands to continue to rest gently.
And just to continue to drop awareness,
The gaze of the eyes,
The gaze of the mind down into the heart chakra.
And as we breathe here it's a gentle breath.
A gentle breath that directs itself towards the heart.
Acknowledging first and foremost the existence of any pain,
Conflict or struggle in the heart.
Honouring this pain as a flag,
As a messenger really.
And respecting it,
Respecting the messenger that speaks from the heart.
You might say to yourself,
I acknowledge you or I see your pain or this is what it feels like to hurt.
And I want you to begin to go a little deeper now,
Now that you've made this connection with your own heart.
And begin to use this age old technique,
So,
So supportive of talking to your heart as if it were the dear heart of someone that you care for deeply.
A friend,
A child,
A beloved person.
We might say to ourselves or to this heart,
I'm sorry that you're in pain,
I'm sorry that you're hurting.
And just let the response of the heart feed back to you,
Whatever it is that it feeds back.
Maybe there's a sensation of softening or relenting.
And you might continue to support this heart,
This dearly beloved heart by saying,
I support you.
I'll do what I can to help you.
I'm here.
You're letting your own heart know that you literally have your own back.
And you're opening a channel of love between you and yourself.
And yet if there's still some struggles,
Some resistance,
The mind perhaps kicking up a fuss,
Criticizing,
Going over and over and over this issue that you can't quite seem to resolve.
You might be blaming yourself for.
You can continue with the words.
This is temporary.
This is suffering.
All humans experience this.
This too shall pass.
I see that you're suffering.
I'm sorry that you're suffering.
I'll do everything I can to support you.
This is human.
This is temporary.
This too shall pass.
Notice how it feels to hear those words from yourself.
Soft and gentle.
Like soothing a small child.
In fact,
Soothing your inner child.
And as this channel continues to open and broaden so that you can receive your own loving guidance.
Know that you are forgiving yourself.
Honoring yourself.
Making space for more freeing.
More liberating emotions within you.
And giving yourself all the space that you need to accept your humaneness.
The fact that you hurt sometimes.
The fact that you struggle sometimes.
And the fact that you know how to love yourself through those struggles.
Telling yourself you are doing the best that you can.
And you are doing the best that you can with what you have,
With the circumstances you find yourself in.
And that's all the best that any of us can do in this human life and in this shared experience.
Taking now another couple of rounds of full and gentle breath down into the heart space.
And feeling the warmth of the hands and the heart as they meet each other.
And as you walk gently into the rest of your day or night with this feeling of connection to self.
And love and self compassion for all of your efforts.
For your self awareness.
For the ability to mentor,
Coach,
Support and love yourself as you walk through your life.
Knowing that you can return to this simple self compassion practice whenever you need it.
Being within a store of love created by your own heart.
Namaste.
