Heart Meditation for Cultivating Self-Compassion

This is a talk and guided meditation from the Insight Meditation Community of Washington’s 2017/2018 New Year’s retreat. It includes reflections on how cultivating compassion towards ourselves is essential for our own well-being and happiness—and a key to opening our hearts to the suffering of others. It concludes with a guided self-compassion meditation.

Reviews

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Love the slow pace of the meditation. Allows time to reflect on each component. Practiced kindness and acceptance towards my wandering mind.

Thank you for the gentle reminder that the body may die but the spirit lives on forever. Some people think grief happens only when someone dies. They may not know that it is possible to grieve deeply for someone who has a progressive cognitive illness. The poem you shared by Thích Nhất Hạnh reminded me that my mother is still with me. I am in the process of losing my mother to Alzheimer’s but it is reassuring to know if I look deeply enough I can still find her. Disease cannot take her from me. Her spirit goes on.

Most helpful and hopeful session to all that I have done to this point in my journey. Love the suggestion of doing a 5min loving kindness and or forgiveness meditation before daily meditation, although this now will be my daily meditation as the pace and guidance was so helpful. Thank you Hugh 🧘‍♀️

Thank you, Hugh. I am learning so much from your guided meditations.