Take your time to find a comfortable position,
One that feels nourishing.
You might be seated in a chair,
If so just allow your shoulders to drop away from the tips of your ears,
Or you might be lying down on the ground,
In which case see if you can make your body just a little bit heavier,
As though you're allowing the ground to receive the full weight of your body.
Now take a moment to bring to mind something that you are struggling with,
And this might be something that brings about a feeling of discomfort or even pain in your body.
I encourage you to not choose the most difficult thing in your life,
But something that you are finding mildly to moderately challenging.
Take a few moments to reflect on the situation or on the thought,
What's happened,
How is it affecting you,
And how are you worried it might affect you in the future.
Notice what difficult thoughts and feelings arise.
Now bring your awareness to one of your hands,
And imagine it is the hand of someone deeply kind and caring,
Someone who you feel has unconditional love for you.
And this might be someone who's been a part of your life,
Maybe a grandparent,
Or it could be someone who is a public figure.
Some people might choose the Dalai Lama or Mother Teresa.
It could also be imbued with the sense of the paw of a pet that you feel loves you.
Now place this hand,
This hand that is filled with kindness and love,
Slowly and gently on whichever part of your body hurts the most.
Perhaps you feel the pain or the emotional discomfort most in your chest,
In your neck,
Or your stomach.
Wherever the pain is most intense,
Lay your hand there.
If you feel numb,
You might lay your hand on the part of your body that feels the most numb.
And if you're feeling neither pain nor numbness,
Then simply rest your hand on the center of your chest.
Just allow your hand to rest wherever it lands.
Feel the weight of it,
Feel it against your skin or against your clothes,
And feel the warmth flowing out of this hand into your body.
Now I invite you to imagine your body softening around this pain,
Loosening,
Softening,
Making space,
Holding your pain or your emotional discomfort.
Or if you're feeling numb,
Holding that very gently,
Holding it as if you would hold a baby or a small child in pain,
Or a lost puppy,
Or maybe a priceless,
Delicate work of art.
Infusing this action with a sense of caring and warmth,
As if you are reaching out to someone you care deeply about.
Letting the kindness flow from your fingers into your body.
And to round this practice off,
We'll use both our hands,
Placing one hand on your chest and the other hand on your stomach.
Let them rest there,
Come to rest there gently,
Holding yourself kindly.
If it's difficult for you to connect to a sense of kindness to yourself,
Don't worry.
If we weren't shown much kindness as we were maturing in our early years,
It can take a little bit of practice to develop this sense of kindness.
Give yourself time,
Find patience,
And know that simply the intention to be kind to yourself is enough for now.
Take a moment to sit or to lie with this sense of caring for yourself,
Knowing that you've got your own back.
Take all the time you need.
In a moment,
The bell will sound.
Feel free to remain in this practice or to come out of it slowly.
Take your time.
