Welcome.
This is a mindful,
Self-compassionate meditation,
Loving-kindness for ourselves.
This practice is an adaptation of traditional loving-kindness meditation,
Or meta-meditation.
And with this meditation,
The intention here is to give ourselves,
Gift ourselves,
A word,
Phrase,
Or phrases,
Words of love and kindness and compassion,
Words that we need to hear,
Words that we long to hear.
And I will offer words as option for you throughout the practice.
But also know that you are in choice,
And so if you have an existing loving-kindness practice,
And existing phrases that are meaningful for you,
Or if,
As we move into the meditation,
You find phrases coming into your heart,
Please feel free to use those.
So let's begin.
Allow your eyes to close,
Either fully or partially.
Finding a comfortable seat,
Or laying down,
Just with intention,
Listening to your body and what it needs today.
And then take a few deep breaths to settle into your body,
And settle into the present moment.
And you can put a hand over your heart as a reminder to bring not only awareness,
But a loving awareness to your experience and to yourself.
And at any time,
You can allow your hand to fall or relax.
And then just feel your breath.
Feel your breath move in your body,
Wherever you notice it most easily.
Feeling the gentle rhythm of your breathing.
And when your attention wanders,
Noticing the gentle movement of your breath once again.
And now releasing the focus on your breath,
Allowing the breath to slip into the background of your awareness.
Go ahead and bring to mind the word,
Phrase,
Or phrases of loving kindness and compassion that are most meaningful to you.
And some examples include,
May I accept myself just as I am.
May I know my own worth.
May I belong.
And if you notice that any of these phrases feel off in any way,
Just mindfully notice that for further reflection.
And see if in this moment,
You can modify the phrases to land in a safer way.
So for example,
May I accept myself just as I am,
Can become,
May I begin.
To accept myself just as I am.
Or if words are better than phrases,
Maybe just accept safety.
And repeating those words over and over,
Allowing them to encircle you.
Surrounding yourself with words of love and compassion.
And if it feels right,
Absorbing the words,
Allowing them to fill your being.
And to resonate in every cell of your body.
May I accept myself just as I am.
May I know my own worth.
May I belong.
And if you notice that any of these phrases feel off in any way,
Just mindfully notice that for further reflection.
Nothing to do.
Nowhere to go.
Just bathing yourself with kind words.
Soaking them up.
And whenever you notice that your mind has wandered,
You can refresh your aim,
Come on back,
By offering yourself soothing touch.
Or just connecting to the sensations in your body.
Coming home to your own body.
And then once again,
Offering yourself the words.
May I accept myself just as I am.
May I know my own worth.
May I belong.
Coming home to kindness.
And then finally,
Releasing the phrases.
Releasing the practice.
And resting quietly in your own body.
And then when you're ready,
Slowly and gently,
Opening your eyes.
Thank you.
