Welcome to meditation on self-compassion and self-acceptance.
We invite you to find a comfortable position for your body.
You may choose to be seated or lying down.
Just ensure that the body feels safe and supported and comfortable.
Begin by closing your eyes and taking a few deep breaths in and out through the nose.
Begin to bring your awareness to the breath and as you do allow yourself to really feel the sensation of each inhale and each exhale.
As you inhale,
You can imagine that you're breathing in calm,
Peace,
Warm energy.
And as you exhale,
Imagine you are breathing out any stress or tension that you may be carrying.
Just continue breathing this way for a couple more rounds of breath.
Inhaling calm and peace,
Love,
Compassion.
And exhaling stress,
Worry,
Self-doubt,
Fear.
I'm going to invite you to bring to mind an image of yourself.
Imagine yourself as you are now in this moment.
Physical body with all of your thoughts,
Feelings,
Experiences,
Memories.
Just beginning to visualize yourself and then just take a moment to acknowledge any thoughts or feelings or judgments that are coming up for you right now.
Then I'm going to invite you instead of judging yourself for having these thoughts,
Trying to push these thoughts away,
Just allow yourself to simply observe them and accept them as they are.
I want you to know that if this feels uncomfortable or a bit strange,
That's okay.
In a world that thrives off our self-doubt and insecurities,
It can feel a bit radical to begin exploring self-compassion.
So sit with your feelings as they are and then I invite you to bring in a sense of compassion and kindness to these thoughts and feelings.
Imagine wrapping yourself in a warm,
Loving embrace and speak the following words to yourself.
May I be kind to myself.
May I be patient and understanding with myself.
May I accept myself as I am and may I treat myself with the same compassion that I would show to a dear friend or loved one.
As you repeat these words to yourself,
Allow yourself to sink deeper into a sense of self-compassion and self-acceptance.
Imagine yourself becoming more and more relaxed and at peace with each repetition.
May I be kind to myself.
May I be patient and understanding with myself.
May I accept myself as I am and may I treat myself with the same compassion that I would show a dear friend or a loved one.
Now I invite you to expand your sense of compassion outward to the space surrounding you and to others.
Maybe bring to mind a specific friend or loved one who's going through a difficult time or we can just send this energy out generally to anyone needing it in our lives.
Just imagine yourself sending love and support as you speak the following words.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you find peace and contentment in your life.
Repeating these words of loving-kindness as many times as you need.
Maybe even practicing sending this to those that might be a bit challenging to send love towards.
This may also include yourself.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you find peace and contentment in your life.
Sending this energy outwards and then gently beginning to call your energy back to you.
Turning your focus back to yourself.
Reconnecting with the breath and just imagining and feeling yourself surrounded by love and compassion.
I invite you to sit in the sensation as long as you need or as long as you desire.
When you finish your meditation just take a moment to really sit in the stillness allowing the feelings of self-compassion,
Self-acceptance and loving-kindness to settle in.
And then just whenever you're ready or as you're ready gently opening the eyes and inviting yourself back into the space and back into your day.
Ready to move forward filled with acceptance,
Compassion and love.
