Hello and welcome to this meditation.
My name is Hilary Davis and today I'm going to guide you through a self-compassion meditation that's a useful way to remind yourself to apply the three components of self-compassion when you're facing a difficult time in life or a struggle.
Those components are mindfulness,
Common humanity and self-kindness.
So begin by finding a comfortable position in your seat.
Place your feet flat on the floor and let your hands rest comfortably in your lap.
Bring some length to your spine and close your eyes or lower your gaze and take a nice deep breath in.
Then exhale slowly and let go of any tension you might be feeling.
Allow your body to relax with each breath.
Tune into your senses.
Notice any sounds you can hear that might be outside the room.
Then draw your awareness in closer and notice anything within the room or even any sounds from your own body.
Notice anything you can see,
Whether it's through your closed lids or while taking a soft gaze.
Notice the points of contact your body's making in the chair and your feet on the floor.
Notice the weight of clothes on your skin.
Now bring that awareness to your breath and where you're feeling it in your body today.
With each breath that you take in,
Visualize breathing in self-kindness and acceptance.
And with each breath out,
Try to release and let go of any self-judgment or criticism that might be there.
Just with nice soft easy breaths,
Breathe in kindness and breathe out judgment.
If it feels comfortable for you,
Place one hand over your heart or on your stomach or on the side of your face.
And feel the warmth of your hand.
And feel the kindness and care that that touch imbues.
Just let it rest there for a couple of breaths.
Now bring to mind a moderately difficult situation or struggle that you've been facing in your life.
It might be something like an issue with your health,
It might be something from work,
Or it might relate to a personal relationship.
Visualize yourself in this situation and bring some awareness to how your body responds.
Whether you feel any tension or discomfort or unease,
Take a moment to acknowledge these feelings with kindness and compassion.
And if you don't notice any changes in your body,
Then choose a slightly more difficult problem that you're facing.
Next,
Allow yourself to approach this situation with kindness and love.
See yourself responding to the situation with self-compassion and understanding,
In the same way that you would if someone you loved was struggling with exactly the same issue as you.
Take a nice,
Slow,
Deep breath in.
And as you exhale,
Release any tension or resistance towards this situation.
Allow yourself to embrace kindness and compassion towards yourself.
Now say to yourself some words to allow you to bring some mindfulness to this struggle.
These words have to feel right for you,
But they might be something like,
This is a really difficult situation for me and I'm struggling.
It makes me feel stressed,
Worried and sad.
And if those words don't feel quite right,
Say something in your mind that fits your situation better.
Now remind yourself of the element of common humanity that binds all people,
Namely that everyone experiences hardships,
Everyone is flawed and everyone can make mistakes.
While the physical or emotional pain you feel might be different in its quality or intensity to that of someone else,
The basic experience of human suffering is the same for everyone.
So to acknowledge this,
You could try saying something like,
This type of experience is a part of life.
Everyone experiences situations like this and I'm not alone.
It is part of being human.
Now,
Gently place your hand on your heart or your stomach or your face,
Somewhere that gives you that feeling of comfort,
Or you could wrap your arms around your torso.
Whatever kind of gesture brings you a feeling of being soothed or comforted.
And say to yourself the words of kindness and support that you need to hear at the moment.
This is the element of self-kindness.
Perhaps it's something like,
May I be kind to myself while I am experiencing this struggle.
May I give myself what I need at the moment.
May I have the strength to sustain myself during this difficult time.
If you're finding it hard to find the right words of self-kindness for yourself,
Think of what you would say to a friend or loved one if they were in the same situation as you.
So whatever comforting words you would say to them,
Direct those to yourself.
And take a few moments now to repeat these words of kindness and support to yourself.
Allow your breath to be deep and slow and long while you let your kind words settle on you.
Let them really sink into your heart.
And take comfort from the warmth of your hand on your body and breathe.
When you're ready,
Start returning to the present moment.
Bring a little bit of movement back to your fingers and toes and gently open your eyes.
Remember to be gentle with yourself and kind.
And know that you are worthy of love and compassion just as much as everyone else in your life.
Thank you for joining me in this self-compassion practice.
I hope that it has brought you some peace and kindness into your day.
Keep practicing and remember that you can come back to this meditation whenever you need to direct some self-compassion towards yourself during a difficult time.
So until next time,
Please look after yourself.
Thank you.
