Welcome to this guided meditation to help you cultivate greater compassion for you,
For your emotional experience,
For your human experience.
As humans we all experience a range of emotions from those that uplift to those that challenge.
Sometimes we judge certain emotions.
We might believe that we shouldn't be angry,
Rage-filled,
Jealous,
Sad,
Disappointed or any other type of emotions that you perceive to be difficult or negative.
Today we will begin to soften our judgments of these more difficult or perceived negative emotions and to hold them with care,
Compassion and love instead.
To begin with find a comfortable seated position your legs can be crossed or extended out in front or if you're seated on a chair just relax gently onto the floor.
Let your eyes close or soften your gaze towards the floor honoring you in this space.
And as we begin to shift our awareness from the world outside take a moment now to feel your body connected to the surface beneath you.
To feel your sit bones,
Your hips connected to the earth,
The mattress,
To the seat,
To the floor and allowing this surface to support you now and throughout this meditation.
Take your awareness gently through your body from the base of your spine all the way to the top of your head.
Moving slowly through each vertebrae,
Moving your awareness through the internal organs through your ribs,
Your heart,
Your shoulders.
Gently releasing any tension that you may come across as you move towards your jaw,
Your forehead,
Crown of the head and with each gentle breath softening,
Surrendering.
Breathing into the whole body.
Now invite you to call to mind a time when you experience an emotion that you perceive to be negative or difficult.
On a scale from one to ten of intensity this should be an emotion that you would rate at a level three,
Four,
Possibly five.
Throughout this meditation we are honoring you in each moment in each breath so if at any point this practice feels destabilizing return your attention to the felt sense of the surface beneath you or to your breath or any other anchor that supports you to be present in this moment.
As you hold this situation and this emotion in your mind in your mind's eye notice if there are any judgments attached to it.
Is there self-criticism?
Is there a feeling of rage or condemnation no matter how strong or subtle?
Is there righteousness?
Again no matter how strong or subtle allow yourself to simply be aware to notice whatever judgments there might be and see if you can soften them as you exhale.
And as you inhale welcome self-compassion into your experience.
So instead of judging your emotions to be good or bad right or wrong notice the sheer fact of their presence and invite a loving,
Caring,
Compassionate warmth spread through you to spread through the emotion that you are feeling.
The emotions that you've called your mind's eye to bear witness to today.
And if you feel called to do so bring a tender palm to your heart space now resting one or both palms over your heart and welcoming in self-compassion.
This can be through the offering of words of support love and care such as I witness my emotions without judgment.
I love honor and care for myself with compassion.
I am here for myself through all of life's experiences.
Let these words and the loving presence of your hands on your heart support you.
Soften the stories and judgments you hold about yourself.
You hold about these emotions.
Resting in this self-compassion continuing to soften your thoughts about your emotions as you continue to cultivate care and love for yourself.
I witness my emotions without judgment.
I love honor and care for myself deeply and completely.
I am here for myself through all of life's experiences.
Take a deep breath in.
Exhaling from the mouth.
Taking another deep breath in this time filled with gratitude for your whole self.
And exhale release.
Taking another deep breath in this time in celebration of yourself as it's not easy to offer ourselves love and compassion.
In this moment celebrating you and honoring you.
Holding space for you.
Taking another deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Taking your time whenever you are ready.
You can gently and slowly open your eyes.
Moving your fingers,
Your toes.
Coming back to this space,
To this present moment.
Before continuing on with your day.
Breathing in and out through the nose and out through the mouth.
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