Planning a comfortable position,
Seated,
Standing,
Or lying down,
And just noticing if there's any adjustment you need to be even 10% more comfortable.
Maybe grabbing extra support,
Or having a blanket,
Really allowing yourself to be as comfortable as possible for this practice.
And as you're ready,
Gently turning the awareness inward,
Perhaps lowering the gaze,
Or gently closing the eyes,
And tuning in,
Noticing how you feel,
Any thoughts floating through,
And knowing that whatever you're bringing to this practice is welcome.
There's room for whatever it is you're experiencing.
And bringing your awareness to the body's weight,
And the gravity,
And the connection to the earth,
The sense of being rooted to the earth,
Held and supported by the earth,
And sensing the space above you,
The space between the body and the ceiling,
And up to the top of the building,
And out beyond,
Sensing the vastness of the open sky,
The cosmos,
Gently making a relationship with these energies of the sky above and the earth below,
Sensing the back body,
The length of the spine from tailbone to head,
Strong back,
And soft,
Open front.
And taking some time just to tune into whatever your experience is,
Presence,
Curiosity,
And self-compassion,
Gently turning the awareness towards the breath,
And noticing the nourishing quality of the breath,
Allowing a few gentle cleansing breaths to move through you,
Continuing to breathe naturally,
And taking a moment to connect with your heart,
And gently bringing a palm to rest on your heart,
As you breathe,
Feeling the hand rising and falling as the chest expands and softens,
Seeing if you can connect with this part of yourself,
With the loving,
Tender presence,
As if sending yourself care through the palm of the hand,
And tuning into whatever it is that you're having difficulty or challenge with,
And knowing that whatever you're going through in this moment,
Knowing that your experience is entirely human,
Every emotion,
Every experience,
Everything that we go through is part of our humanity,
And taking some time to honor your human experience with care,
Warmth,
And curiosity,
Now taking some time to imagine that someone you love is going through something similar
to what you're going through now,
Whatever the source of struggle is in your life,
Gently consider that someone you love has or will go through something very similar,
What this in your awareness,
What words of support,
Love,
And care would you offer to this loved one,
How would you show this person your compassion,
And gently turning the awareness toward yourself,
And offering those words of support,
Love,
And care to yourself in this moment,
If for any reason this feels challenging,
Or you can't find the words to say,
Consider repeating the following words of loving kindness,
Gently and silently offering them to yourself,
And allowing them to wash over you like a soft summer rain,
May I be patient and compassionate with myself,
May I speak to myself with kindness,
May I honor my experience as being fundamentally human,
May I love myself unconditionally,
May I be patient and compassionate with myself,
May I speak to myself with kindness,
May I honor my experience as being fundamentally human,
May I love myself unconditionally,
May I be patient and compassionate with myself,
May I speak to myself with kindness,
May I honor my experience as being fundamentally human,
May I love myself unconditionally,
Taking a few more moments here,
Offering yourself any other words or support that you may need to hear right now,
As if whispering into your own ear,
Allowing it to be true for this moment,
And as you're ready,
Coming back to the natural flow of the breath,
Nourishing quality of the breath,
Sensing the weight and the gravity and connection to the earth,
And sense of being rooted to the earth,
Held and supported by the earth,
And offering yourself gratitude or acknowledgement for being here,
For taking this time,
For offering yourself your kind and present awareness and attention,
Really taking in the goodness of that,
Allowing that to be a source of joy for you,
And as you're ready,
Gently opening the eyes and lifting the gaze,
And taking the space,
The colors,
And the shapes around you,
And carrying this self-compassion with you into the next moment of your day.
