This is a self-compassion practice.
Then,
As usual,
Comfort is very important throughout the exercise.
If at some point you feel that you need to move to be more comfortable,
Feel free to do so,
But try to do it gently and always mindful of the movement.
Let's start by finding a comfortable posture,
Sitting upright in a dignified posture with shoulders relaxed and chest open,
Chin slightly down,
And whenever you are ready,
Close your eyes.
Pay attention to your body and feel your breathing.
Take three slow and luxurious relaxing breaths.
With each inhalation,
Create space inside,
And with each exhalation,
Allow the body to relax.
Gradually start to caress.
Connect with the intention that brought you here to do this exercise.
Most likely this intention reflects your desire to give time to yourself,
To give some moments of self-care,
And of course,
To let go of self-blame.
Now with this intention in mind,
As you breathe in,
Slowly say to yourself,
As I work with new challenges,
Breathing out,
May I let go of expectations,
Breathing in as I work with new challenges,
Breathing out,
May I let go of expectations.
Notice your expectations.
Expectations may be a simple goal.
Allow them to come to present in front of you.
They may come in form of a phrase or image,
Phrases such as,
I should have done this by now.
I shouldn't have done that.
Once you have them in mind in front of you,
If you have several,
Breathing in and select one.
And when you breathe out,
Let go of that expectation.
The idea here is not to get rid of it,
But to decrease the emotional load that we put onto this expectation.
We allow them to breathe.
We allow them to flow.
Sometimes we also use unmet expectations against ourselves.
Notice if this is your case.
If that is the case,
With the in-breath,
Engage with these unmet expectations and let them go with the out-breath.
Continue breathing in a soft and relaxed way and stay connected to your breath.
Let's create some inner space.
Take one deep and slow luxurious breath and with the inhalation,
Say to yourself,
As I sense my intention to care for myself,
Breathing out,
May I let go of self-lame.
Repeat this three more times.
Simply feeling this intention of caring and letting go.
Inhale,
As I sense my intention to care for myself.
Exhale,
May I let go of self-lame.
Exhale,
May I let go of self-love.
Once more,
Connect to your breath and notice your inner space.
Notice if there are traces of self-blame or self-criticism.
Notice any stubbornness of not wanting to fully let go.
If that were the case,
Just hold that in attention with kindness,
Not trying to be where you are not.
Simply let it be there and notice how tight your grip is and allow to open space with the in-breath.
Breathing in,
Say to yourself,
As I sense my limits and my abilities with kindness,
Breathing out,
May I let go of impatience.
Repeat this three more times.
Really putting loving and compassionate energy into it.
Breathing in,
As I sense my limits and my abilities with kindness,
Breathing out,
May I let go of impatience.
Breathing in,
As I sense my limits and my abilities with kindness,
Breathing out,
May I let go of impatience.
Notice what does it feel like to respect your own rhythm,
Letting go of extra pressure.
To take the step that is possible at that moment without any rush.
Notice how it feels to let go of impatience.
Now bring your attention to your breath and notice the quality of your thoughts.
Take one deep and slow relaxing breath and at the end of the exhalation,
Notice your body.
Pay attention to the sounds and space around you.
You can start to move a little bit side to side and slowly,
Slowly open your eyes.
Thank you.
