The Compassion Bench

Take a walk in nature to a quiet, late summer place. Here you will find a bench. A compassion bench. Where it all falls away and you see a wider view. Where a bigger part of yourself comes forward. Where you can just relax and be you. And you will find a compassion for that person that you'd never expect. Let's go.

Transcript

The compassion bench.

No matter how awful it may seem,

No matter how loudly you yelled,

No matter how much you want to run and run and run and scream at the sky,

There is a place of compassion somewhere.

A bench.

A bench that sits in the late summer sun.

A bench where you can meet them,

Whomever they may be,

And experience understanding and compassion in space.

Where it all falls away and you see a wider view.

Where a bigger part of yourself comes forward.

Where you can just be as you are.

I will take you there now.

Close your eyes.

Notice your breath and maybe don't change it.

Settle in.

You hear a trickle of water before anything else.

A little brook nearby.

It's a trail.

It's summer.

In an old forest,

A particularly large tree looms ahead of you and you fixate on the nubs and bumps in the bark.

Things are slower here.

Warmer here.

You listen.

You listen to the forest.

Water moving.

Your own breath.

Your own footsteps quiet on the trail.

A gentle breeze,

Especially above you.

You move along.

The light is yellower ahead of you.

The forest is opening up.

Summer has made its way through this field and blackberries hang heavy.

Golden yellow and bright purple wildflowers surround you as you walk into the tall grasses.

It feels like a place out of time.

Away from everything.

There is nothing to burden you here.

You are free.

You are alive here.

You are you.

You take a deeper,

More satisfying breath and raise your arms up to the sky.

All is well here.

A soft warmth envelops you and you smell the flowers.

Ahead of you,

The land ascends just a little bit.

At the far edge,

Past a couple of low boulders awaits a bench.

It is just at the edge of some soft,

Swaying pine trees.

You can already smell the fir as you make your way towards this bench.

The closer you get,

The more you are aware of something higher,

Something intelligent,

A kind of grace that descends upon you.

There's a generosity awakening in your chest,

Inside your heart.

The bench is thick with overgrown flowers and grasses.

Orange in the late summer sunshine,

This bench is protected by the pines and by some boulders just behind it.

It feels like a sacred,

Safe place as you reach it and sit down.

Time stands still for a moment and you feel a quiet presence of acceptance and appreciation.

It's everywhere in this place.

What is happening?

You let go and you enjoy the grace that is taking hold within you.

You suspect maybe it's been within you all along.

Seated firmly on this old wooden bench,

You take off your shoes and let your feet feel the smooth grasses.

The old forest is on the other side of the field and you recognize a couple of the tree trunks heavy with moss.

In the late summer sun,

The tall grasses lean this way and then that way.

You take in the beauty and feel humbled by it all.

There is someone that you'd like to invite here.

That's someone that you'd like to understand better.

That person who is the problem.

That person who hurt you unexpectedly.

Them.

Him.

Her.

You know that when they come here you will see something about them that will give you understanding and compassion.

You invite them now to join you.

You watch them sit down next to you on this bench.

You don't look right at them at first.

The two of you simply sit in this place in silence.

You sit in silence for a while actually and breathe.

You breathe and you accept whatever is there in you.

You breathe and you accept whatever is there in them.

As the two of you sit in this place you can feel them relax.

You can feel yourself relax and stabilize.

You are ready to listen.

You are ready to listen to whatever it is that is ready to be understood both about them and in yourself.

It's time.

What is it they need?

What is it they might be afraid to admit?

Your understanding of them keeps opening and opening and this clarity empowers you and stabilizes you.

What would make things better for them?

It's okay if you feel anger.

If the wound is still raw let it all come and be what it is,

Your life.

You can still decide to stay open and to listen.

You can still decide to stay open and to listen.

You can still decide to stay open and to listen.

And so you do.

And you realize that there is one thing that would truly help them.

One thing in particular that would make their life better.

You might not be able to give it to them in real life.

You might never want to talk to them again to be honest.

That's okay.

But you can give it to them here on this compassion.

But you can give it to them here on this compassion bench.

So bring it into being whatever it is that would help them.

Compassion.

Healing.

A solution.

Money.

Grace.

Laughter.

Just the right information.

An exquisite chocolate cake.

Decide to conjure it.

Let it grow vivid and real by noticing a detail.

And then another one.

Feel the power you have to create this.

Feel the power you have to create this.

Even if it's awkward and things come up for you.

You're stretching.

Turn towards this person.

Take them in.

Offer them this gift.

Close the loop for them.

Meet their need.

This might feel contrary to what you would otherwise do and that's okay.

Keep offering.

Soon they are full.

Soon they are full.

They have what they need.

They are thankful.

Can you feel that?

They are thankful and satisfied.

They take your hand and silently bow their head in acknowledgement.

As you bow your head they evaporate and you are left on the bench alone in the warm sunlight.

Something has changed in you.

Something is different.

You place your hands on your heart and acknowledge this moment.

You stand and raise your hands to the sky as you realize that you can come back here anytime you want.

You can welcome compassion into your life whenever you want.

And that's how you want to live.

As you walk back towards the forest you decide deep in yourself that compassion has a power that is greater than any resistance or anger.

And you will do what it takes to let it flow into your life even in unexpected ways.

At the edge of the clearing you turn back and look at the bench one last time.

It sits empty and it will be there when you return.

Reviews

Possibly my favorite meditation yet: compassionate, kind, and peaceful.

Yet another tool for my toolbox, love that bench

Really what I needed and I didn't know I needed it when I started. Thank You!

Absolutely beautiful. I forgave my father for leaving us.

This is a beautiful and loving example of how to live. Thank you

Loved this, could completely picture this bench

The Compassion Bench led me to make the choice of forgiveness. Release and lightness resulted. Thank you. 🙏🏻

Neat compassion. Amazing voice. I’m bookmarking this cause I’m gonna need to take a walk to sit down and use this wonderful compassion bench . works up feelings of grace if you let it💕🔥🐠dls

Very moving and powerful.

Beautiful. Thank you🙏🌻

Thank you! Ive been wound up like a spring for 48 hrs because of an individual at work. I chose this meditation by chance....perrrrfect!!! Thank you so so SO much!

beautiful! (and nice voice, by the way)

What a lovely thing to do 💜 thank you 🙏

Beautiful, peaceful, powerful. Will definitely return to this meditation again. Thank you!

I will definitely return to this meditation when I need some extra help feeling compassion for the person in my life who always seems to be pushing my buttons 😊

A great place to go! Thank you for this meditation!💜🕉💜

I've been dealing with 'empty nest' & my kids & I not understanding eachother lately. This is it. Thank you for the compassion bench!