Welcome to this guided meditation practice.
In this meditation,
We will create space between ourselves and our thoughts.
To cultivate feelings of sympathy.
And kindness.
Practicing self-compassion can be an effective tool for individuals healing from trauma.
As it helps to alleviate emotional distress.
Improve mental well-being.
Enhance resilience.
And promote mindfulness and self-awareness.
Settle your body into a comfortable seated position.
Rest your hands wherever they fall most naturally.
Allow your spine to roll up.
Feeling it straighten and lengthen.
Roll back your shoulders lightly,
Dropping down the shoulder blades.
And when you are ready,
Gently close your eyes.
Tune into your breath.
Simply noticing what it feels like right now.
And for a few moments now,
Just follow the breath.
As it travels in.
And out of the body.
As you observe your breath.
You do so without any judgment.
Just observe what you notice in your breathing.
Accept your breath as it is.
Let's take a couple of deep breaths,
Breathing in through your nose and breathing out through your mouth.
Take a couple more deep breaths like this on your own.
Allow the breath to be soft.
And natural again.
Letting go of any control of the breath.
If at any point you find your mind wandering,
That's okay.
Simply note that your thoughts have strayed.
Without judging yourself for it as you return your focus to the breath.
Observing what is present through the lens of acceptance,
Kindness,
And compassion.
Recognize your intention to be happy and well.
Recognise your intention to be compassionate.
And kind.
And don't delve into any thoughts or stories about why you want to be happy.
Don't think about any stories,
People,
Or experiences related to your happiness.
Just find this natural wish for ease and comfort for yourself.
And repeat the following phrases.
I am compassionate.
I am kind.
I am whole.
Notice how it feels to be saying these words to yourself.
Noticing if any thoughts or feelings arise to the surface,
And accepting anything that may stand out to you.
Just sit with yourself in this moment.
With this gentle intention in mind.
Offer yourself some phrases of loving-kindness.
Repeat them slowly to yourself,
Either out loud or in your mind.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be well.
May I be at ease.
As you rest here,
Focusing your attention on your breath.
Imagine that every time you breathe in,
A bright yellow light enters your body and fills you with the warmth of sunshine.
Breathing in this warm yellow light.
See it enter the body through the nose,
Filling your lungs and softly illuminating your face.
This light relaxes your eyes,
Cheeks,
Lips,
Jaw,
Neck and shoulders.
With every in-breath,
See this golden light travel down into your arms and hands and down to your fingertips.
See it travel into your belly,
Hips,
Legs,
Feet and all the way down to your toes.
Take a moment to feel this warm light calming you,
Relaxing you completely.
Allow this sunshine to find any places within you.
That you think are not good enough.
These can be parts of your body.
Pieces of your personality.
Your mind.
Or memories of the past.
Take a moment to allow the golden light to find them.
Once your attention has found those places.
Take a long,
Deep breath in,
Allowing the golden light to fill those spaces with its soothing and nurturing presence.
Allow the light to heal,
Repair and restore your doubts about yourself.
Allow it to heal self-criticism.
Self-Comparison Perfectionism.
And all self-judgment.
As this light removes those doubts within you,
Begin to invite in self-compassion,
Patience,
Understanding.
Kindness and acceptance.
As this practice draws to an end.
Gently begin to come back to your surroundings.
Come back into your body.
Begin to stretch gently.
Wiggling your toes and your fingers.
Moving your head from side to side.
And when you are ready,
Open your eyes.
