Embracing Vulnerability

At first, vulnerability may feel like an edge you do not wish to approach. You can probably feel it in your heart and belly. For most people the stomach muscles harden to armor the gut, while the shoulders hunch forward to protect a tender heart.

In this practice you will use warm hands to offer mercy and comfort to your own vulnerability, in much the same way as a warm blanket comforts a child. Instead of feeling shame or fear, you are invited simply to experience warmth and love. You don’t need to do anything else with this part of you, although you may receive some insights during this practice that are worth writing down in your journal.

Transcript

Find a way to sit in a supportive and comfortable position on a chair or on your meditation cushion.

Begin to notice what it feels like to be in your body in this moment.

And over the next 10 breaths,

Scan your body from the bottom of your feet to the crown of your head.

When you reach the crown of your head,

Scan back down,

Ending at the soles of your feet.

As you prepare to embrace and tend to your own vulnerability,

Consider what your intention is for doing so.

By turning towards yourself,

Towards your tender places rather than away,

What do you hope to receive for yourself or change in your life?

Reflect on what brings you to this practice and as you consider the event in your life that is causing you to feel vulnerable or maybe it's an internal dialogue or something someone did or said,

Notice what it feels like in your body.

Where is that tender spot,

That vulnerable place?

As you turn your awareness to the physical sensation of vulnerability,

Reflect on if this space in your body feels open or if it feels blocked off and armored.

This isn't a judgment call about how you're being with your vulnerability.

Reflecting on whether this space is open and ready or guarded and armored is just giving you information on what's true for you right now.

What's here?

It's literally this.

.

And bring the palms of your hands together and start to rub them to create friction and warmth.

As though you were warming your hands on a cold day.

Move a little faster now,

Really rubbing them together.

And once they feel warm enough,

Bring the palms of your hand to the place in your body where you feel vulnerability,

Offering yourself mercy and compassion in the face of pain and suffering.

Realize that turning towards your vulnerable places takes courage.

Once you've turned towards it,

Placed your hand on the places that hurt,

You might wish to begin to offer yourself some words of tenderness and kindness.

First,

You might ask yourself,

What am I observing here?

What am I experiencing?

What am I feeling here?

What are the physical sensations?

The storylines.

The thoughts that are happening right now.

What is it that I'm feeling in my emotions?

My mood.

And you might notice that your emotions are a combination of thoughts and stories with physical sensations.

And that underneath the really big emotions,

There might be some more subtle emotions.

The emotions.

And as though you are able to offer yourself the care that a beloved friend would offer you when you're in need,

Ask yourself,

What is it that I need right now?

What is it that I need right now?

What is it that I need right now?

What is it that I need right now?

It might be kind words.

It might be a time out.

It might be a walk to reset your mind.

Maybe you have a request for yourself.

Maybe it's to soften a self-critical voice or to ask for some support from someone else.

What do you need in this moment to support yourself in holding and making the space for your vulnerability,

For your true human nature?

What do you need?

Finally,

Take a few moments to acknowledge that you have seen and heard and honored your own vulnerability,

Perhaps silently saying to yourself,

I see you.

I honor you.

I love you.

I love you.

Now,

Let go of all technique and simply rest,

Releasing your hands,

Noticing your breath as it comes and goes with a natural presence,

Natural awareness.

And lightening up this place.

To close this practice,

Wrap your arms around yourself.

Give yourself a nice squeeze.

Take a deep breath in.

Let it go.

And thank yourself for taking time out to pay attention.

Reviews

This is simply wonderful. I have been barricading wounds/ fears/ dreams for a long time, and this is helping me find those doors and begin the process of opening them. Thank you

Thanks very much for this self compassionate practice. The self reflective prompts were helpful:)

Very helpful with insightful questions and space to breath and think

Excellent walk-through of the process of listening to body and emotions and the connections between! Thank you :)

Very helpful to embrace a part of my vulnerability that I was afraid of.
Thank You ❤️✨

Very helpful guidance throughout with ample silence for balance. 🙏

I’m trying to embrace my vulnerability and this was exactly what I needed. Thank you.

Exactly what I was looking for. I like the pace. Thank you

This is perfectly weighted for such a tender thing... A real gift. Bless you and many thanks. 💎🙏🏻

This was really helpful for where I have been at emotionally this week. It helped me realize that I am allowed to feel vulnerable in my practices.

A very helpful healing meditation for me. Thank you 🙏🏻🕊💕

I learned to meditate in your class last November. Regular practice is changing my life. Thank you.

Thank you for your kind and loving guidance.

Helped me out. Thanks

Beautifully constructed. You led me to do some good work.

Tender assistance. Thank you for this offering . Feeling grateful

I felt this was a wonderful meditation! It gave me enough time to work on my own personal issues. If you don't like silence, I recommend putting on meditation music for backsground noise. In my opinion the silence was a welcome friend. There is a closing bell to end the practice. Great job to Heather Stang!

Being aware of my vulnerability makes me stronger and fearless