Self-Compassion Break

This short, guided practice invites you to center and invite ease into the mind and the heart. With focused attention on the body and repetition of phrases, you turn down the volume of the stress response in the body, initiating relaxation of the body and mind. From this relaxed state, you can release perfectionism, self-criticism, and shame, and embrace the evolution of healing and self-care as a learning process.

Transcript

Hi and welcome to this meditation.

I'm Dr.

Patty Halama of Awaken Peace Healing.

Begin by finding a comfortable seat,

Either sitting on a cushion or a chair with your spine gently straight.

Close your eyes if that feels available to you,

Otherwise just find a soft spot in front of you.

Begin by taking a few centering breaths,

Taking a nice slow,

Steady breath in through the nose,

Pausing at the top of the inhale,

Then gently opening the mouth and exhaling with a sigh,

Softening through the muscles around the eyes,

Cheeks,

And jaw,

Even softening the tongue.

Take another nice breath in through the nose,

Pausing again at the top of that inhale,

Then open the mouth,

Exhale with a sigh,

Softening through the shoulders,

The torso,

Whole upper body.

And pausing at the bottom of that exhale.

One more breath like that,

Breathing in through the nose,

Pausing at the top of the inhale in that moment of stillness and fullness.

Open the mouth and release,

Slowly exhale,

Sinking into the support of the seat beneath you,

Softening through the hips,

Thighs,

And knees,

All the way down to the feet.

As you allow your breath to resume its natural rhythm,

Place one hand very gently on the sternum,

Your heart center,

And place the other hand gently around the abdomen.

Take another slow and steady breath in through the nose here,

And release as you allow your breath to fall into a very natural rhythm,

Moving in and out through the nose.

Now,

Bringing your awareness to the difficult emotion or physical discomfort in the body.

You might even give that sensation or emotion a name.

Notice where the pain of this emotion or discomfort is in the body.

Where does it live right now?

And bring your breath right there to that point of pain,

Breathing in and out into the space and begin to repeat the following phrases in your mind silently.

This is a moment of pain.

Pain is part of the human experience.

Others feel this too.

I'm not alone.

May I be kind to myself in this moment.

This is a moment of pain.

Pain is part of the human experience.

Others feel this too.

I'm not alone.

May I be kind to myself in this moment.

This is a moment of pain.

Pain is part of the human experience.

Others feel this too.

I'm not alone.

May I be kind to myself in this moment.

Feeling the warmth of your hand on the sternum at the heart center,

Breathing here for a moment.

Now stating your name to yourself and repeating the following.

Your name.

I'm here for you.

I'm learning to take care of you.

I love you.

Dating your name.

I'm here for you.

I'm learning to take care of you.

I love you.

Stating your name.

I'm here for you.

I'm learning to take care of you.

I love you.

Exhale gently.

Allow the breath to take in the nourishment in the air and to transport the compassion of your words into the cells of your body.

Exhale,

Gently releasing the hands.

Inviting the corners of the mouth to draw back softly towards the ears,

A very soft,

Gentle grin as if to say,

It's okay.

I've got you.

Then pausing,

Noticing the effects of this practice in the body,

The mind,

And the heart.

Taking a breath of gratitude as you thank yourself for the offering of compassion that you've given yourself today in this moment.

Then gently fluttering the eyes open and resting your gaze before you,

Just for a moment to preorient yourself to your space and time and carrying the gift of compassion that you've offered yourself with you throughout the day.

Namaste.

Reviews

What a lovely compassion break. I enjoyed it and will come back.

Beautiful. The practice left me calm and centred. 🙏

Thank you for helping me to call down and breathe. Your voice is friendly and safe. tyvm

Such a lovely, nurturing, needed moment to start my day. Much gratitude🙏

Beautiful! I really needed that self care and compassion towards myself! Thanku.

Relieving myself and some of my pain with it, thank you so much !

I found the teacher’s voice pleasant. I would have preferred that the background music be a little quieter. I appreciated what I perceived as an emphasis on moment of suffering. I interpreted that as this won’t last. Also I liked the idea of telling myself that I am learning to take care of myself. Thank you for offering this. I’m feeling more calm.

Beautiful and nourishing meditation. Brought tears to my eyes.

Thank you so much for helping me to connect with myself and give myself compassion.

A truly beautiful experience. Thank you for giving me the strength that I needed ✨🕊️🤍

Beautiful. I love the breath work and the soothing self statements.
Thank you 🙏🏼 😊.

Thank you for this beautiful meditation and for helping me to face the day x

Excellent love for me💙thank you so much for guiding me Patty🙏again.

Just beautiful..thank you for the meditation. I'll be doing this one again 💚🙏

Amazing meditation to sit with your harder feelings and learn self-love. Thank you!

Thank you so much, this was just what I needed to hear . I am deeply grateful. Namaste 🙏
I did press 5 stars 🌟

Really felt the love, feeling like "someone else" said it to me, at the same time as it felt like myself 🥰

Thank you. The part where you had us say, “I’m learning to take care you.” Was needed and very powerful.

That was amazing! I am doing journal work to work on pain in my body, and this was the perfect ending to my session. Thank you!

Beautiful meditation for healing and loving yourself.