Finding a comfortable posture that is both upright and also easeful.
Taking a moment to see what level of relaxation is available to you in this moment.
And then moving in that direction of relaxation.
Maybe on the out-breath,
Letting the body relax.
On the in-breath,
Taking in the air.
And on the out-breath,
Relaxing.
When the mind wanders,
Just coming back to the breath,
The body,
Breathing.
And then maybe if you want to,
Calling to mind something small,
Working with something small that you have said or done,
And you have that feeling of uh-oh,
That might not have been the wisest thing to say or do,
The kindest thing to say or do,
Or you've gotten that feedback.
And seeing how it feels to recall this small thing,
You know,
Not turning away from it or denying it or justifying it.
But also,
Can you be generous with yourself?
And forgive yourself.
And it won't mean that you don't go to the person who you've upset and apologize.
It'll mean that it's more likely that you do that,
Because you're not,
Or I'm not,
Letting myself off the hook.
I'm not giving myself a pass.
I'm just forgiving myself.
Giving myself the gift of fearlessness,
That I don't have to be afraid.
So afraid of my own self-judgment.
So afraid that this thing that I said or did is somehow emblematic of some fixed Judy Cohen-ness.
It's something that happened,
I need to apologize,
But I need to,
I can also forgive myself.
See how that feels.
See how with the wisdom that was available to you at the time that you said or did the thing,
Things couldn't have been different.
But now,
Seeing things right now,
They might be,
Because you have just that much more wisdom and compassion.
And saying to yourself,
Even out loud,
I forgive you.
Maybe even,
I forgive you,
Friend.
And taking a deep breath and fluttering the eyes open if they were closed,
Or refocusing on whatever is in front of you if they were open.
